Manx is a revived language with 1,662 speakers according to a government census from 2011.
- The last native speaker, Ned Maddrell, died in 1974.
- Recordings of Ned Maddrell speaking the Manx language played a key role in revival efforts.
Manx belongs to the Celtic branch of Indo-European languages.
- It belongs to the Goidelic group of languages along with Irish and Scottish Gaelic.
Some highlights of Manx grammar:
- Manx has no indefinite articles (such as a,an in English)
- However it does have a definite article – y,yn (English – the)
- Adjectives usually come after the noun
- Manx uses VSO (verb-subject-object) word order
Revival efforts:
- Signage throughout the island
- Manx radio
- A primary school, the Bunscoill Ghaelgagh, teaches primarily in Manx
Here is a recording of the last native speaker, Ned Maddrell:
For resources for learning the language, visit this page.
References
Polyglot in Progress 