Manx (Gaelg/Gailck)

Manx is a Celtic language spoken on the Isle of Man (Ellan Vannin). It is closely related to the Gaelic dialects of Ulster and Galloway and was brought to the Isle of Man by settlers from those areas. Manx began to emerge as a distinct language in the 13th-14th century after the collapse of the Norse kingdom of Mann and the Isles and prior to the long settled period of English control through the Stanleys.

Manx was once spoken by almost the entire population of the Isle of Man until the 1765 Revestment Act by which the Duke of Atholl sold the island to the British Crown. After that the number of speakers went into decline as a result of the collapse of the Manx economy and large scale emmigration. The decline of Manx was further accelerated by immigration from North West England during the later 18th and early 19th centuries, and the large numbers of English-speaking tourists who start to visit the island from the 1830s onwards.

By the 1960s only two 'native' speakers of Manx remained: Mrs. Sage Kinvig of Ronague (d. 1962) and Mr. Edward (Ned) Maddrell of Glenchass (d. 1974, aged 97). After which many academics declared the Manx language extinct. However a revival of interest in the language began in the 1930s and since then many people have learnt Manx as a second language.

The numbers of Manx speakers recorded on censuses taken during the 20th century are: (1901) 4,419, (1911) 2,382, (1921) 896, (1931) 531, (1951) 355, (1961) 165, (1971) 284. The question about Manx was not included on the 1981 census. In the 2001 census, 1,689 people claimed to be able to speak, read or write the language.

In 1985, the Island's Parliament, the Tynwald, passed a resolution to give the Manx language limited official recognition for the first time in Manx history. The government- sponsored Manx Heritage Foundation (Undinys Eiraght Vannin) and the Manx Gaelic Advisory Council (Coonceil ny Gaelgey) was also set up to regulate and standardise the official use of Manx.

Manx has been taught in Manx schools since 1992 and Manx classes have proved very popular. Since 2001 a number of Manx medium nursery and primary schools have been set up. Manx language classes for children and adults are now so popular that there is a shortage of teachers.

Manx first acquired a written form in around 1610, when John Phillips, the Welsh-born Bishop of Sodor and Mann, had the Book of Common Prayer translated into Manx using an orthography based on Welsh, though this translation was not published until 1894. In the early 18th century Bishop Thomas Wilson had his Principles and Duties of Christianity translated into Manx, using an orthography based on English. That orthography, with some modifications, has continued to be used to the present day.

Though closely related to Irish and Scottish Gaelic, Manx looks quite different because of the very different spelling conventions used to write it.

Manx alphabet (Abyrlit 'sy Ghaelg)
A a	B b	C c	D d	E e	F f	G g	H h
aittyn	beih	couyll	darragh	eboin	faarney	guilckagh	hibbin
I i	J j	K k	L l	M m	N n	O o	P p
iuar	juys	keirn	lhouan	malpys	neaynin	onnane	pobbyl
Q q	R r	S s	T t	U u	V v	W w	Y y
quinsh	rennaigh	shellagh	tramman	unjin	vervine	wooshlagh	yiarn

Manx pronunciation

I listened to recordings of Manx and did my best to transcribe them using the IPA. I can't guarantee that they're all accurate as my knowledge of phonetics is a bit patchy.

Manx mutations (Ceaghley)

Manx mutations

Notes

when before a vowel, s and sh become h
sl becomes l
str becomes tr
sn becomes n (sometimes)

There's a good way to learn the mutations at
http://www.gaelg.iofm.net/GRAMMAR/mut.pdf (PDF)

Sample text

Er Laa Tin Vaal ta sleih cheet voish dy chooilley ard jeh Mannin dy chlashtyn ny slattyssyn focklit magh. Ta ny shenn tosheeyioarree livrey ny slattyn oc da'n Chiannoort, as ta'n chied vriw loo ny feallagh noa stiagh. Eisht ta dy chooilley hoshiagh-jioarey gliooney sheese roish yn Chiannoort, as goaill yn tlat echey veih laueyn yn Chiannoort. Ta toshiaghjioarey Glenfaba lhaih ny slattyssyn ayns Gaelg.

Translation

On Tynwald Day people come from every part of the Isle of Man to hear the laws pronounced. The six old coroners deliver their rods to the Governor, and the first Deemster swears the new coroners in. Then every coroner kneels down before the Governor, and takes his rod (wand) from the hands of the Governor. The coroner of Glenfaba reads the laws in Manx.

From:Cooinaghtyn Manninagh (Manx Reminiscences, by Dr. John Clague)

Longer sample text (Tower of Babel)

Useful phrases in Manx

Manx language courses