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Alba


Gordopolis

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Interesting development at the Welsh FA, in that they're looking into changing the name of the national team to Cymru following the upcoming World Cup:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/63456797

Made me consider the merits/point of such a move for Scotland.

Would there be any benefit for us to change to (presumably) 'Alba'?

Obvious major issue would be the heavy political connotations.

Also, I wouldn't want to change just because Wales have done it. I do like the move they are making though.

What do folk think?

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I think around 30-40% of Welsh people can speak the Welsh language to some degree.  They sing their national anthem in Welsh and it's a big part of their national identity.

The similar figure for Gaelic in Scotland is 1%, if that - heavily geographically concentrated in the Highlands, and specific parts of the Highlands at that.  I just don't think Scottish Gaelic in Scotland is comparable to Welsh speaking in Wales.  For that reason I don't think it really fits.

 

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I can speak some gaelic but we should remain Scotland as the vast majority of our country, don't speak or know the gaelic language.

Welsh is everywhere in Wales,from street signs to road markings, the language is their no.1 cultural identity,so changing to Cymru for them is a no-brainer.

Also a distinct lack of Union flags when I was in Wales during the summer,they're also massive on their "Dragon" national flag,it was everywhere..

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33 minutes ago, Gordopolis said:

Pretty unanimous so far based on the language stats.

Can anyone explain why the Welsh language remains so much more "alive" than Gaelic? Both were outlawed by the English (Welsh in 16th c and Gaelic in the 17th and 18th cs).

A large number of Scots are very hostile towards anything Scottish 

Taking a guess here, I’m assuming the “Welsh cringe” isn’t a thing 

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23 minutes ago, Gordopolis said:

Pretty unanimous so far based on the language stats.

Can anyone explain why the Welsh language remains so much more "alive" than Gaelic? Both were outlawed by the English (Welsh in 16th c and Gaelic in the 17th and 18th cs).

Very broadly speaking the industrial revolution.

Welsh was spoken where slate, coal, copper etc could be extracted and steel works were built meaning a sustainable population of Welsh speakers could be maintained.

By contrast at the same time, as well as forced clearances, economic migration from the Gàidhealtachd to the central belt to work in the same industries severely weakened Gaelic.

Education policies, the wars, patterns of agricultural land use etc are all a factor too but had coal or iron ore been mined on an industrial scale in the Highlands then it might have been different.

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