Speak easy

Prince Charles has as much chance of saving the Gaelic language as he does of influencing modern tastes in architecture. But his visit to Scotland's only Gaelic college yesterday at least reminded us of the heritage of a people that played an often forgotten part in our history; a Roman writer, Diodorus, described the Gaelic-speaking Celts as resembling "wood-demons". And the dwindling number of Scotland's Gaelic speakers reminds us that languages are like currencies; some will thrive, others will be superseded. Cultures will, rightly, strive to preserve their linguistic heritage, but their people will ultimately want to learn languages that enable them to get on. C'est la vie.