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| Faclair na Pàrlamaid / Dictionary of Terms |
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This is the first edition of a dictionary of terminology relevant to Scotland’s Parliament in Scottish Gaelic and English. It is not intended to be the last word on that subject.
One of the key issues facing the team that has compiled this dictionary has been the lack of a body of terms suited to formal discussions and debates in a parliamentary context. The proceedings of central and local government have of course been reported and discussed in Gaelic in the press and media over the years, but the choice and usage of technical vocabulary has not been commonly agreed or applied. Part of the role of the project team has therefore been to seek to arrive at a corpus of formal terminology that should be acceptable as far as possible to Gaelic users across all media and in public life.
We have found ourselves obliged during this project to go beyond the question of the choice of vocabulary. Gaelic is not a language that lacks diversity in general use, and it possesses a cultural richness in poetry and prose that dates back over many centuries. However, because it has not been used as a regular medium of government throughout this time, there are gaps in its vocabulary. This has created difficulties when attempting to express particular ideas or concepts.
The other major problem has been inconsistency in the application of the agreed orthography of Scottish Gaelic. The brief for the project required us to consider "issues which are related to ... [the] standardisation of Gaelic orthography." Our approach to this aspect of our work is outlined in the Foreword to this dictionary. We trust that we have handled this question in a sensible and reasonable way, adhering to principles that have been broadly accepted by Gaelic speakers and educators since the publication of the Gaelic Orthographic Conventions (GOC) in 1981. It seemed to us reasonable to build on that consensus and not to revisit old questions unnecessarily.
These three key areas of (a) producing acceptable terminology for formal and parliamentary use, with (b) new terms to make up for existing shortfalls and (c) encompassing these in a system of orthography that helps the user, have been the greatest challenges that we have faced. We believe we have been sensible and consistent in our approach. Whether, or to what extent, we have been successful, is for the user to judge. The terms contained in the Faclair na Pàrlamaid are our best effort at resolving these complex problems. We now invite the Gaelic-speaking community to judge it as a reference resource and working tool.
This first edition is intended as a focus for discussion as part of a wider language planning process and a Standing Committee will continue to monitor and develop its application. The editorial team at The European Language Initiative and its Management Group warmly welcome constructive debate. Users should be in no doubt that this is a genuine invitation to inform us of how far we have succeeded in addressing these issues and how we could improve on the work we have undertaken so far. Every comment will be thoroughly examined and taken into account. Any user who has observations to make is requested to contact us at the following address:
The Gaelic Officer
The Scottish Parliament
Edinburgh
EH99 1SP
E-mail: Alex.O'Henley@scottish.parliament.uk
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