Dr Ben Ó Ceallaigh Research Seminar

An austere economic climate is a defining feature of neoliberalism, as the present phase of capitalism is commonly called. Over recent years, state spending on all manner of public policy has been reduced in countries such as Ireland and Britain, a process which largely predates but which has been intensified since the 2008 economic crisis. Considering many minoritised languages for which revitalisation efforts are underway are heavily dependent on state support, such economic policies have clear implications for the vitality of threatened languages.

Using data related to several Celtic languages, this talk will examine some of the myriad ways in which this tension between the austerity that currently characterises so many economies and the needs of language revitalisation efforts plays out.

As well discussing cuts to funding for many language-focused interventions, the effects of various non-linguistic issues will also be examined, including the neoliberal reluctance to intervene in the housing market, and, importantly, the way the cost-of-living crisis affects public attitudes to “post-material” causes like language revitalisation.