Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Manx Reviving The Reconstruction of The Reform Scribd
Manx Reviving The Reconstruction of The Reform Scribd
Manx Reviving The Reconstruction of The Reform Scribd
April 8, 2008
The inimitable history of the Isle of Man not only includes a constant
system like no other, it has a unique language. Due to its geographic position
in the Irish Sea and the British Reformation the Isle’s language – Manx – finds
itself on the endangered list. Its embers; however, are being given gusts of
life and, like its counterparts in other Celtic countries, there is renewed
interest in ensuring its survival. Ironically, its salvation comes from the
Reformers who sought to destroy it along with the remote locations where
members of the
Indo-European cluster of languages, Manx broke from Old Irish when Vikings
stopped ravaging Mann and settled on the Island in the 9th century (Olsen).
The Celtic and Viking cultures blended to create a new society independent
of what was occurring in other parts of present day British Isles and Ireland.
proclaims that they are, “The world’s oldest continuous parliament”. They
still meet annually on 5 July to read out their laws publicly at Tynwald Hill, a
known Viking site of importance. However, Norse occupation lasted only until
1266 when Norway ceded Mann along with other island holdings to Scotland
For the next sixty-seven years, the Isle was in a constant state flux as
Scotland and England fought over it, groups from Ireland raided it, and it
2
received a Norwegian claim for the throne (Kinvig 87). Although there was
concern for the country’s future, the language itself did not suffer much
the Isle in 1333, and then Stanley family’s assumption of the position in 1405
(Kinvig 9), the language started what is considered a slow decline. The
the Stanley head of the family, known as the Earl of Derby, was an absentee
lord. He sent soldiers from England to protect his holdings but they either
it; David Craine states, “But the imported soldiers soon formed connections
by marriage, acquired land, and in the end, became more Manx than the
Manx.” (42). An active effort to eradicate Manx from the Isle did not occur
until sometime between 1642 and 1651, during the English Civil War;
however, there is evidence that by the mid 17th century, both languages
were in use.
appointment of the head of the militia by the seventh Earl of Derby by taking
the forts while the latter was away fighting for the King Charles’ Royalists.
The militia was partly successful under Christian’s leadership, but the
the time was that Christian asked the Parliamentarians for assistance;
however, since the Earl’s sympathies lay with the King, an invitation was
unnecessary.
3
Ultimately, the reason why the Parliamentarians arrived when they did
the Earl gave him a position of importance prior to leaving the Isle suggests
that English was familiar to Christian, but we also know that he was raised
the son of a deemster – judge – a position his brother later took up. It was
not until 1819 that the first non-Manx speaking deemster took office
someone wrote a ballad in Manx called “Baase Illiam Dhone” about his
manuscript dating from c. 1630 (Thomson). This translation was not widely
used nor did it influence the population, but it did provide the foundation for
modern day Manx. Although the book was not published until 1894 the
spelling is distinctly different look from its sister languages, Irish and Scottish
In 1707, another Bishop, Thomas Wilson, had his “Principles and Duties
Crown, Wilson felt that it was important to enlighten those still using
4
Christian Celtic ways through Protestant morality. He also knew that the older
population of Mann could not read nor did they understand English. In order
laws, including that all children attend school until they could read English
(Kinvig 112); therefore, children were learning scripture in English, and could
read the Manx side of the bible to their elders. Further evidence of this
Sketch of Manx Gaelic, “It was reported in 1764 by the S.P.C.K. that the
majority of the inhabitants were ignorant of English, hence the necessity for
the Bible translation made into Manx at that time.” (Pilgrim). The Reverend
layman clerk read out the daily psalm as the congregation sang it (Craine
106). Not all clergy appreciated this practice, and surprisingly, Bishop
how willing the Manx population was willing to forgo their own tongue, yet in
contrast to this some parishes complained if the Vicar did not provide Manx
5
Keeping Manxmen morality in check was of great importance also
entering English ports. Tariffs on the Isle of Man were not significant and
merchants from European seafaring nations were welcome to trade with the
Manxmen who in turn loaded smaller ships and set off to sell the newly
acquired goods in England and Scotland. Manxmen specially built ships that
were quick, and able to moor in small inlets during low tides in order to avoid
the revenue cutters. Although tariffs eventually rose and laws implemented
as attempts to curb the practice, officials did not seriously police them as the
lord and his agencies reaped the profits, not to mention benefited from
With the sea surrounding the island, it is not difficult to imagine that
Irish Sea and the Isle of Man and it is widely accepted that they smoke the
best kippers in the world. Although herring are not fished any longer by Manx
boats, this was not the case in the late 16th and early 17th centuries when
they, along with fishing, some Manxmen worked for local and foreign
Sea and at the time, as the English monarchical government ruled all five
6
common language between all the countries as well as those trading within
them. In the case of the Mann, fishermen, smugglers and merchant sailors
typically came from the most remote areas on the Isle. Despite some
churches offering English services alongside Manx; the isolated areas were
not greatly exposed to it, and were likely to resort to Manx once the
ceremony was complete. It was not until the mid-nineteenth century when
villagers that the secluded population began to allow Manx to slip behind its
usurper.
reason for the perishing language, but there was another monster in the
Medusa turned those who saw her to stone. Unlike its counterparts Ireland,
Scotland, and Wales, very few people within Mann’s borders dug in their
heels to secure language’s future. The schools were teaching only in English,
the reading out of laws at Tynwald were in both languages, there was a steep
admitting that one not only understood but spoke the native language was
the Church, the nobility, the government, and the economy. Through the
native speakers within the army, through English law readings, and the
7
outlawing of Manx in schools (Killop n. pag), the populace could do nothing
but believe that their language was irrelevant. George Broderick offers a
model with seven elements that caused the demise of Manx and in this, he
quotes a well-worn idiom, “you will not earn a penny with the Manx” (169)
within a social group clearly has the ability to create disorder and produces a
speaking Manx diminished in the 17th and 18th centuries, a rapid decline
in schools nor did they hear it at home, as parents did not want them to miss
However, parents had an additional reason for not speaking Manx in front of
the children. When they did not want their offspring, or anyone else for that
The seafarers also employed this tactic when they wished to keep illicit
Irishmen understood the language well enough that any untoward behaviour
was dealt with swiftly. There are cases when Manxmen underpaid by the
traders, would fight over the lack of remuneration as well as their use of
Manx (Craine 32). This esoteric use of Manx along with the fear that
8
descendents would suffer if they possessed knowledge of it ensured the loss
of traditional tales and songs. Proverbs and idioms would also experience
demise, though not in its entirety, as some were similar to sister languages
Most linguists seem to agree that spoken Manx is in a dire state, therefore in
need in some recreation. A reconstruction is; however, only required for parts
of the language, as there are many recordings of the last native speakers.
there are manuscripts and texts available. Unlike other languages where
there are only texts, the use of all these elements along with current
knowledge of Scottish and Irish Gaelic places Manx in a unique position for
resuscitation.
minimal. Although created to keep the language alive, it was not lost on its
goods (Coakley). For those who supported the idea of a centre for the study
became a cause of disagreement for those opposing the revival. The Society
9
maintained correspondence with many native speakers and some of those
however, the tales are. Some submitted items were from as far away as
California.
As the native speakers died, enthusiasm for the Society waned until a
German interest in all things Celtic surfaced. Carl J.S. Marstrander made
several trips to the Isle of Man, initially to find native speakers and
children but had not kept it up, nor had they taught the language to their
own children. They all also noted that as adults they rarely spoke Manx
unless it was required, but all indicated regret in not using it more. The last
survey, “I am sorry that so many people of my age and older have been
Mann 13). The recordings are primarily in Manx with English words used to fill
The resources for the spelling and grammar of Manx were initially set
10
translated texts, and beginning in 1901, surveys to determine widespread
use of the language on the isle were conducted every ten years until there
results irrelevant after the 1971 survey (note: no survey was conducted in
1941 due to the Second World War). As Robert L. Thomson indicates in his
when using the older sources as they themselves are not without errors.
little that escaped English or Welsh influence. The language may sound very
with its use of letters that are not included in the other Goidelic languages,
the loss of lenition and accents, along with unusual vowel combinations.
There have been several grammar books written since the late 18th century,
some are no longer in use as they were not accurate, or they were not
sufficient for modern use. However, some are still available along with
modern exercise books through The Manx Gaelic Society, formerly known as
It is unlikely that the Reverend Phillips and the Bishop Wilson ever
salvation of the language they aimed to quash. It probably did not occur to
Mr. Marstrander or the people of Mann that in less than a decade after the
last of his recordings that the Nazis were interested in Mann’s political take
11
on imperial control and to promote anti-British sentiment through a Celtic
lived a century that the language they abandoned is gaining some footing
not only on the Isle but also in other parts of the world, including North
America and Australia. Furthermore, the only country that teaches Manx at
language’s suppression.
One might even propose that Manx has not truly met its death but
that a merciful plucking of an extinguishing last ember from the ashes simply
needs a small wind of life to reignite it. Another analogy is Medieval Latin’s
return from the abyss of the Middle Ages, that not only is it not dead, but it is
still used to teach certain vocations (Pilgrim). Granted that Manx does not
however, Latin did not have recordings of people speaking the language and
yet we are certain of its inflections, its accenting and its grammar.
The number of Manx speakers increased in the late 20th century and
continued interest in the language as well as the culture has helped to have
the language officially recognized once again on the Isle of Man. The
opposition to the use and teaching of the language, many still consider it
through their support of the Manx National Heritage and the Manx Gaelic
12
Society; however, their tourist brochure makes no mention of it (Department
of Tourism and Leisure). Perhaps they are not entirely certain of the
13