NewsForge: OpenOffice.org, FOSS, and the Preservation of Gaelic

“By itself, the release of OpenOffice.org for Scots Gaelic is a
small event within the communities of free and open source software
(FOSS). It is only one of the more than 50 localizations available
for OpenOffice.org 1.x. However, the release shows a potential for
FOSS that is often overlooked, particularly by those for whom
English is their native language. Specifically, FOSS has the
potential to help resuscitate a declining language and thereby aid
in revitalizing a disintegrating culture.

“A Celtic language, Scots Gaelic is closely related to Irish or
Erse. Once the dominant language of Scotland, it was displaced in
the Lowlands during the Middle Ages and Renaissance by both the
cultural influence of England and the incursion of the Lowland, or
Lollans, English dialect…”

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