Celebrating Scotland’s languages with New Scots

Scotland’s last consensus recorded over 190 languages spoken among families and communities. With long-standing traditional languages like BSL, Gàidhlig , and Scots, alongside the richness and diversity brought through migration, Scotland is a truly multilingual nation which continues to grow through language.

For over a decade, the Scottish Government’s New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy, has supported the integration of people who have recently arrived in the country. Language is a key part of this work, with recognition of the value that mother tongues and English bring to daily lives.

In this series of short sessions led by New Scots, you’re invited to take part in a series of language tasters. You’ll learn words and phrases from the different languages they speak, get to know new people, and hear about the many cultures across Scotland today.

This event is part of RSE Investigates - a yearly programme of free public events that look closely at a new topic each year. Through research-led insights and personal perspectives, the series explores the nuances and real-world implications of issues that shape our understanding of society.

This year, the focus is on language – how it connects us, how it shapes our identities and the environments, and how language can be a vital lens for examining some of today’s most pressing issues.

This event is ideal for:
People interested in languages, education, community development, migration, or cultural policy – and anyone curious about the diverse linguistic landscape of contemporary Scotland.

Speakers:

Professor Alison Phipps FRSE

UNESCO Chair in Refugee Integration through Languages and the Arts at the University of Glasgow and Professor of Languages and Intercultural Studies.

Alison was De Carle Distinguished Visiting Professor at Otago University, Aotearoa New Zealand 2019-2020, Thinker in Residence at the EU Hawke Centre, University of South Australia in 2016, Visiting Professor at Auckland University of Technology, and Principal Investigator for AHRC Large Grant ‘Researching Multilingually at the Borders of Language, the body, law and the state’; for Cultures of Sustainable Peace, and is now co-Director of the Global Challenge Research Fund South-South Migration Hub. She is Ambassador for the Scottish Refugee Council. She is an academic, activist, educator and published poet.

Important points to note

• This event is suitable for age 16+
• Accessibility Statement: We aim to make events as accessible as possible. If you have any accessibility requirements or any questions about how we can support this event, please contact the RSE Public Engagement team on [email protected]

• COVID-19: In order to prevent the spread of Covid-19 we kindly encourage participants to continue to wear face masks if they feel comfortable to do so; use the hand sanitisers provided at the venue; and to stay at home if they have Covid symptoms or have tested positive for Covid-19.

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Host or Publisher The Royal Society of Edinburgh