Analysis of Celtic Biliteracy by Dr Fiona Lyddy

In her article, "Celtic Biliteracy," Lyddy discusses whether or not exposure to certain languages with shallower orthographies, such as the Gaelic and Brittonic languages, inhibits students' abilities to learn languages with more complex orthographies, such as English. The issue is that these shallower orthographies have consistencies within them that cause the brain to draw patterns and make certain connections during the learning process, while the English language "exhibits inconsistencies between spelling and pronunciation that may affect reading development." Therefore, the concern of some European school systems is that teaching shallow languages such as Welsh, Gaelic and Irish could have a negative impact in terms of the cost to literacy attainment in English.
Lyddy, who is backed by studies conducted by her research team, argues that the students in these schools that have minority-language-backgrounds do not have difficulty learning English as a second or third language - rather, their backgrounds actually benefit their ability to learn English. Lyddy argues that concerns over the effect on English literacy are unsubstantiated, and that "perhaps, learning a shallow orthography encourages appreciation of the relationship between writing and sound" without causing detriment to English literacy. Her studies show that the consistencies learned in shallower orthographies positively affect students' abilities to learn English, rather than negatively, so the European school boards need not worry about their current standards of teaching biliteracy.