The Acquisition of Celtic Languages

The first volume to bring together state-of-the-art studies on language development in Scottish Gaelic, Irish and Welsh.

Bringing together contributions from leading scholars, this is the first volume to showcase state-of-the-art studies on language development in the Celtic languages of Scottish Gaelic, Irish and Welsh. It is essential reading for academic researchers and students in developmental linguistics, sociolinguistics, bilingualism, and Celtic languages.In recent times, there has been a growing interest in how Celtic languages are acquired, due to ongoing efforts for minority language revitalisation through immersion education. With contributions from a team of leading scholars, this is the first volume to bring together state-of-the-art studies on language development in both children and adults learning the three most prominent Celtic languages spoken in the UK and Ireland: Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, and Irish. It focuses on how core language areas – phonology, lexicon, morphology and syntax – are acquired by different groups of learners, providing key insights into theoretical and empirical debates around bilingual language development and linguistic change more generally. The volume also covers the socio-cultural and educational context within which these languages are learnt, highlighting how these factors affect linguistic outcomes in a minority language context. It is essential reading for academic researchers and students in developmental linguistics, sociolinguistics, bilingualism, and Celtic languages.