On this page, you can find out more about:

• languages and dialects
• cultural identity
• teaching ideas and resources.

Languages and dialects
Everyone who lives on the Isle of Man now speaks English. However, the island’s original language is Manx (native name Gaelg or Gailck), also known as Manx Gaelic. The number of native speakers of Manx declined sharply during the 19th century, leading to the establishment of Yn Cheshaght Ghailckagh (The Manx Language Society) in 1899. Nonetheless, by the middle of the 20th century only a few elderly native speakers remained, the last of whom was Ned Maddrell, who died in 1974. Fortunately, a scholarly revival of the language had begun by that time and researchers had made a lot of recordings of authentic speech. The first native speakers of Manx (bilingual with English) in many years have now appeared i.e. children brought up by Manx-speaking parents. In the 2001 census, 2.2% of the island’s population of 76,315 claimed to have knowledge of Manx.

Primary education through the Manx language is now provided by the Manx government. Manx is also taught as a second language at all of the island's primary and secondary schools. Degrees in Manx are available from the Isle of Man College and the Centre for Manx Studies, while the University of Edinburgh offers an Honours course on the Culture, History, and Language of the Isle of Man. There are drama groups that perform in Manx and the first film to be made in Manx was the 22-minute long Ny Kiree fo Niaghtey (The Sheep Under the Snow), which premiered in 1983 and was entered for the 5th Celtic Film and Television Festival in Cardiff in 1984.

As you will see from The UK Language Tree, Manx is a Goidelic language closely related to Irish and Scottish Gaelic. However, the relationship between spoken and written Manx represents a completely different language system when compared to Irish and Scottish Gaelic. Manx also borrows many words from the Norse, English and French languages. Except for a few ballads composed in the sixteenth century, there is no history of a written literature in the Manx language. However the Book of Common Prayer and the Bible were translated into Manx in the 17th and 18th centuries, when a tradition of carvals (religious songs or carols) also developed. The first Manx-English dictionary was published in the 19th century.

Cultural identity

Patron saint
The patron saint of the Isle of Man was St Maughold. Originally, Maughold was an Irish pirate captain and prince of thieves. The legend goes that in attempting to deceive St Patrick (patron saint of Ireland), Maughold realised the error of his ways and was converted to Christianity. By way of punishment and to avoid further temptation, Maughold set sail from Ireland in a wicker boat without oars and without provisions. He threw himself on God’s mercy and demonstrated his faith. He landed on the Isle of Man, where he served as a missionary bishop until he died in 488AD. Many geographic features on the Isle of Man still bear St Maughold’s name.

Politics and history
The British Queen, Elizabeth II, is the head of state of the Isle of Man, holding the title of Lord of Man. At the same time, however, the Isle is self-governing. What this means is that although the foreign relations and defence of the Isle of Man are the responsibility of the government of the United Kingdom, the Isle has its own parliament (the Tynwald) to decide on legal and legislative issues. The Isle is neither a part of the United Kingdom nor the European Union.

For thousands of years, the Isle of Man was inhabited by Neolithic and then Celtic tribes. The Celts converted to Christianity in around 500AD. However, the island gradually became a Celtic-Norse community when Norse (Viking) settlers arrived in 850AD. The Norse influence left a legacy ranging from the Tynwald parliament, to many local place names, to many words in the Manx language.

The Tynwald is considered to be the oldest parliament in continuous existence in the world, having been established in 979AD.

In 1651, during the English Civil War, the Isle fell to English Parliamentary Forces. Although the Tynwald met sporadically for a while, it recovered and retained much of its power. In 1765, the existing Lord of Man sold his rights over the Isle to the British Crown.

To many Manx people, Tynwald Hill symbolises the enduring independence of the Isle of Man and its parliament. Tynwald Hill is a man-made mound, three tiers high, that occupies a prominent spot in St Johns, in the middle of the Isle. On the 5 July every year, the Manx parliament meets on Tynwald Hill for the annual open air ceremony and fair.

Geography
The huge number of beautiful glens which decorate the Manx landscape are a defining feature of the Isle of Man. There are two distinctive types of glen: coastal and mountain. Both are unique, with their own distinctive features. The glens are a paradise for ramblers.

The Isle of Man has an incredible diversity of wildlife throughout the year, due to its varied habitats and its location in the centre of the Irish Sea. During the summer, the Isle is one of the best places in the world to see basking sharks. Some other wildlife you might see are seals, dolphins, whales, lizards, waders and wildfowl.

Cuisine
Traditionally, the national dish of the island is 'Spuds and Herrin', boiled potatoes with herring. For centuries, this plain dish was the day-to-day meal of those who crofted the land and fished the seas of the Isle. Manx farmers manage 79% of the Isle's landscape and produce unique, quality foods full of the rich flavours of their countryside. A four-course Manx menu might include: Manx queenies (scallops) with Peel smoked bacon, Loaghtan lamb braised with blackberries and wild herbs, summer fruits and double cream mousse/ice cream, followed by a cheese plate of the Isle’s famous cheddar and other types of cheese.

Teaching ideas and resources

• Listen to some Manx

This is an excerpt of a narrative about fishing, spoken by native speaker Ned Mandrell in 1948:

 

• Lessons, audio and games to help you learn Manx

http://www.learnmanx.com/index.html  

• Some intercultural teaching activities

Activity 1:
What sort of ‘feel’ for a foreign language do you and your students have? It’s amazing but most people can correctly guess the meaning of basic foreign phrases even when there is no obvious context or when they have no conscious understanding of the construction of the language. The reason for this phenomenon is that most languages of the world have shared roots. Give your students this table and see if they can match the Manx phrases to the correct English equivalents:

Manx	English
a. C'raad ta'n thie-veg?	1. Good morning!
b. Gura mie ayd	2. Do you speak Manx?
c. Ta graih aym ort	3. How much is this?
d. Moghrey mie	4. Thank you!
e. Quoid ta shoh?	5. Where’s the toilet?
f. Cha nel mee toiggal	6. I don’t understand
g. Vel Gaelg ayd?	7. I love you!

Answers: a5, b4, c7, d1, e3, f6, g2

Activity 2:
Put your students into pairs and ask them to discuss the statements below. Your students should try and agree if the statements are true or false.

Statement	True or False?
1. The people of the Isle of Man should not have to speak English because it represents the language of a foreign invader.
2. Manx is a mix of lots of different languages, so it’s not really the original language of the Isle of Man.
3. Given only 2.2% of the people speak Manx, it’s a waste of the government’s time and money to teach it in schools.
4. The people of the UK should not have to pay through their taxes to defend the Isle of Man.
5. The Manx language is an important part of the Isle of Man’s culture and identity, so should be preserved.
6. The Isle of Man shouldn’t have independence, since it cannot afford it.

Once pairs of students have finished discussing the statements, put pairs together to make groups of four. Ask the pairs in each group to compare their answers and renegotiate their answers where they are different. When the groups of four have finished, see if you can make groups of eight.

Activity 3:
Tell your students that they are going to have a political debate about whether the Isle of Man should remain independent/self-governing. Have a third of the students representing the UK, a third representing the Isle of Man and a third representing the Republic of Ireland.

• Information about visiting the Isle of Man

www.gov.im/tourism