In this exercise you will learn about parallels in cultural changes in two regions very far apart.

1. Where did Robert Louis Stevenson spend his early years? And his later years?

2. What was the name of the book he planned to write about the Highlands?

3. What was the "forty-five"?

4. What historical trend is evident for both Gaelic and Hawaiian?

5. Visit the pages for either Tiree or Barra, and describe the status of Gaelic on the island.

6. What is the history of the word taboo? What languages first used it? How is the English pronunciation a change from the earlier stress pattern? Who was the first European to record in writing the use of the word?

7. Visit any two of the following sites:

a) the story of the making of the film Whisky Galore;

b) Donald Sinclair (and at least one of the stories he tells);

c) the article on Captain Cook in the Encyclopedia Britannica.

8. Visit any two of the following sites:

a) one for a Gaelic language school (most pages are in Gaelic on this site, but look for the information in English);

b) one for European minority languages (and read about two or more languages other than Gaelic);

c) one for Ethnologue (and read about two or more languages in some region outside of Europe).