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The main language spoken in Isle of Man is English while the native language is Manx. Though closely related to Irish and Scottish Gaelic dialects of Ulster and Galloway, Manx is quite different because of the different spelling conventions used to write it. It was introduced in the Island by the settlers from the Scottish and Irish region. Manx emerged as a distinctive language in the 13th-14th century after the fall of the Norse Kingdom of Mann. |
Manx first acquired a written form somewhere around 1610. It was John Phillips, the Welsh-born Bishop of Sodor and Mann, who had the Book of Common Prayer translated into Manx using an orthography based on Welsh. However, this translation was not published until 1894. In the early 18th century, Bishop Thomas Wilson had his Principles and Duties of Christianity translated into Manx using a writing system based on English. The same writing system with some modifications has been used since then till the present times. Until the 1765, Manx was spoken by almost the entire population of the Isle of Man. By implementing the Revestment Act, the Duke of Atholl sold the island to the British Crown. Soon the number of native speakers declined as a result of the collapse of the Manx economy and large scale emigration. during the later 18th and early 19th centuries, large scale immigration from North West England and the great numbers of English-speaking tourists who visited the island from the 1830s onward further accelerated the decline of the language.
In the 1960s, only two native speakers of Manx survived. They were Mrs. Sage Kinvig of Ronague and Mr. Edward (Ned) Maddrell of Glenchass. After the death of both these persons, many academics declared that the Manx language had become extinct. Little secular Manx literature has survived as no trace of written Manx has been preserved from before the 1600s. Nevertheless, the Book of Common Prayer and Bible were translated into Manx in the 17th and 18th centuries.
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In the 1930s, a revival of interest in the language commenced. Since then several people have learnt Manx as their second language. According to the 2001 census, 1,689 people have learnt Manx and are able to speak, read or write the language. |
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The revival of Manx has also been hastened by the recording work done in the 20th century by researchers, notably the Irish Folklore Commission in 1948. In 1985, the Tynwald, the Parliament of Isle of Man passed a resolution to give the Manx language limited official recognition for the first time in history of Manx language. The government-sponsored Manx Heritage Foundation (Undinys Eiraght Vannin) and the Manx Gaelic Advisory Council (Coonceil ny Gaelgey) were also set up to regulate and standardize the official use of Manx. Manx has been taught in Manx schools since 1992 and the classes have proved very popular. Since 2001, a number of Manx medium nursery and primary schools have been set up. Manx is recognized under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. It is also one of the regional languages recognized in the framework of the British-Irish Council. Important Manx Phrases
| English Phrase/Sentence | Manx Phrase/Sentence | Manx Pronunciation |
| Good Morning | Moghrey Mie | Maw-ra mye |
| Good Afternoon/Evening | Fastyr Mie | Fas-tur mye |
| Good Night | Oie Vie | Ee vye |
| Hello | Dy Bannee Du | Di bannee deeoo |
| How are you? | Kys ta shiu | Kus ta shoo |
| Fine thanks and you? | Braew, gura mie eu as shiu hene? | Brow goora mye eeoo as shoo heen? |
| Please | My Saillu | Mi sall-yoo |
| Thank You | Gura Mie Eu | Goora mye eeoo |
| Good Bye | Slane Lhiu | Slen lee oo |
