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Introduction
It is estimated that about 150 languages in addition to English are in use in Scotland, although many of these will have only a few speakers. The profiles of these languages vary considerably but these languages can be grouped together to help understand the needs of languages communities and for the purposes of developing public policy. In Scotland the main language groups are English, Gaelic, Scots, British Sign Language ( BSL) and minority/ community languages. There is of course overlap between the groups with some people comfortably belonging to more than one group.
By custom and usage English is the main language of Scotland. It is important to ensure that there are opportunities to develop a capacity for fluent communication in English for those for whom English is not their first language, as this facilitates access to most aspects of Scottish life. It is vital that all the residents of Scotland should be afforded every opportunity to participate fully in Scotland's economic and cultural life.
Scotland has a particular responsibility as a custodian of Gaelic and Scots. These languages are closely linked to our cultural heritage and make significant contributions to our arts and culture today. We have a duty to protect these languages and celebrate their contribution to Scotland and the world. No-one outside Scotland bears the same responsibility for protecting these languages.
BSL is also a real, full and living language and is an important element of our rich cultural heritage. It has its own vocabulary, structure and grammar, which is different from English, and like spoken languages in Scotland, has its own regional variations and dialects.
Increasingly there are many languages other than English that are spoken in Scotland. Some of them have been spoken here for many years, some in what are now well established and significant communities while others are more recent and spoken only by a handful of people. We do not bear the same responsibility for the development of other world languages which are used by communities with their roots now in Scotland. Those languages will continue to derive their main support from communities outside Scotland.
At the same time we cannot overlook the wide range of European languages and cultures on our doorstep. We must seek to ensure that Scots are fully equipped with the languages skills necessary for employment, study and travel throughout the European Union and beyond. We need an outward looking society with a knowledge and understanding of the world and Scotland's place in it.
This strategy is therefore intended as a guide to policy makers and sets out the Executive's goals in this area. The strategy acknowledges that there is significant funding in place in a number of areas of language activity. This strategy is, therefore, not designed as a framework for specific resource allocation or as a statement of precise output targets to be achieved by specific interventions. Rather, it is put forward as the Executive's suggested approach to achieving a consensus around the outcomes which public policies should aim to secure.
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