Duolingo sparks Gaelic boom as young Scots shrug off 'cringe' factor

More than 127,000 sign up to learn while Open University launches Scots language courseAlmost double the number of people in Scotland who already speak Scottish Gaelic have signed up to learn the language on the popular free platform Duolingo in over a month, concluding a proliferation in courses, prizes and performance in Gaelic andScots during 2019, as younger people in particular shrug off the “cultural cringe” associated with speaking indigenous languages.TheDuolingo course, which was launched just before St Andrew ’s Day on 30 November and looks likely to be the company’s fastest-growing course ever, has garnered more than 127,000 sign-ups – 80% from Scotland itself, compared with just over 58,000 people who reported themselves as Gaelic speakers in the 2011 Scottish census.Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Scotland Language Science Education UK news Poetry Source Type: news