Just 50 years ago Manx seemed to be on the point of disappearing. "If you spoke Manx in a pub on the island in the 1960s, it was considered provocative(挑衅的) and you were likely to find yourself in a fight," recalls Brian Stowell, a 76-year-old islander who has written a Manx-language novel, The Vampire Murders, and presents a radio show on Manx Radio spreading the language every Sunday.
The language itself is similar to the Gaelic tongues spoken in the island's neighbours, Ireland and Scotland. A century ago, "Moghrey mie" would have been commonly heard instead of good morning on the island.
"In the 1860s there were thousands of Manx people who couldn't spea k English," says Stowell. "But only a century later it was considered to be so backwards to speak the language that there were stories of Manx speakers getting stones thrown at them in the towns. "I learnt it myself from one of the last surviving native speakers back in the 1950s."
Recession(经济衰退 ) in the mid 19th Century forced many Manx residents to leave the island to seek work in England. And parents were not willing to pass the language down through the generations, with many believing that to have Manx as a first language would affect job opportunities overseas.
There was a fall in the language. By the early 1960s there were perhaps as few as 200 who spoke the tongue. The last native speaker, Ned Maddrell, died in 1974. Unesco(联合国教科文组织) pronounced the language died out in the 1990s.
Now there is even a Manx language primary school in which all subjects are taught in the language, with more than 60 pupils attending. Manx is also taught in other schools across the island.
【小题1】What does “Moghrey mie” mean according to the passage?A．All the best.B．Congratulations.C．Never mind.D．Good morning.【小题2】Many Manx people went to England to ______.A．learn ManxB．teach EnglishC．look for jobsD．attend college【小题3】What is the passage mainly about?A．The Manx language.B．The life of Manx peopleC．The Manx island.D．The Manx language school
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