Researchers interviewing Gaelic speakers to learn about language's status in N.S.

A new project organized by the Highland Village Museum in Iona, N.S., aims to find out what role the Gaelic language and culture plays in the lives of Nova Scotianstoday.

The research involves interviewing people across the province who speak the language orhave a connection to it, or to Gaelic traditions.

The interviews began several weeks agoand nearly 100 have been completed so far, saidShamusMacDonald, project lead and manager of culture and language at the museum.

The end goal is to produce a study "that will give us some better sense of the social, the cultural and economic impact of Gaelic language and culture in Nova Scotia today," he said.

The research buildson a 2002 report conducted by the Nova Scotia Museums, he said, providing a new "baseline" for understanding the Gaelic community,with more of an emphasis on personal stories.

"This is a check-in a little over 20 years later, looking at some of the same questions but spending more time talking to people about their personal experiences," said MacDonald.

It comes at an important time, he said, as many young people have taken an interest in learning more about Gaelic culture, he said. More people are trying to uncover stories of their own families and ancestors, he said, which has led to a small bump in the number of people learning Gaelic.

The provincial Office of Gaelic Affairs estimates that there are around 2,000 Gaelic speakers in Nova Scotia. That's a far cry from the early 1900s, when the officesays there were as many as 50,000 native Gaelic speakers in the province.

'True Cape Breton style'

"I show up at people's homes,I come in, and they,very often, in true Cape Breton style, welcome me in for a cup of tea and a little snack," said Amber Buchanan, one of three fieldworkersconducting the interviews.

Buchanan said the conversations usually focus on the person'sancestral connection to Gaelic, and why theyhave dedicated time and energy to learning the language or sharing Gaelicculture.

"Learning how to play music or dance or whatever it is, you know, these are very sort of multifaceted aspects and people have verylayered, intertwined answers and connections to these things," she said.

The interviews have been meaningful for Buchanan, who said she has been involved in work around the Gaelic language for 17 years.

The interviews should be complete by the end of January, she said, and fieldworkers will then transcribe them and eventually conduct surveys.

The report is expected to be completeby thefall, she said.