Sage Kinvig (c. 1870–1962) was, at the time of her death, one of the last surviving

native speakers A first language, native tongue, native language, mother tongue or L1 is the first language or dialect that a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' or ''mother tongu ...

of the

Manx language Manx ( or , pronounced or ), also known as Manx Gaelic, is a Gaelic language of the insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, itself a branch of the Indo-European language family. Manx is the historical language of the Manx peop ...

. She was born Sage J. Clarke in around 1870 at Garey Hollin in

Ronague Ronague ( gv, Eairy Shynnagh or ) is a tiny hamlet in the south of the Isle of Man, in the parish of Arbory. It consists of an old chapel, several houses and some farms. It lies to the north of the villages of Ballabeg and Colby, west of the haml ...

, in the parish of

Arbory Arbory ( gv, Cairbre) is one of the seventeen historic parishes of the Isle of Man. It is located in the south of the island (part of the traditional ''South Side'' division) in the sheading of Rushen. Settlements in the parish include Ballabeg, ...

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

, following in the line of three generations of her family who had been born and raised there. She married John Kinvig (c. 1860–1953), who was at times fisherman,

mason Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cut ...

and Common Lands Inspector. After initially training in Castletown to become a dressmaker, Sage Kinvig eventually came to dedicate her time to maintaining the

croft Croft may refer to: Occupations * Croft (land), a small area of land, often with a crofter's dwelling * Crofting, small-scale food production * Bleachfield, an open space used for the bleaching of fabric, also called a croft Locations In the Uni ...

and raising their family of ten children. Sage Kinvig and her husband were fluent native speakers of Manx, as was the norm for residents of Ronague in their youth. However, they witnessed the neglect of the language, and indeed took part in it, deciding not to teach the language to their children. At the time of her death in 1962, Sage Kinvig was believed to be one of only two living native Manx speakers, the other being

Ned Maddrell Edward "Ned" Maddrell (20 August 187727 December 1974) was a fisherman from the Isle of Man who, at the time of his death, was the last surviving native speaker of the Manx language. Early life Maddrell was born at Corvalley, near Cregneash on ...

, who died in 1974. During her lifetime, she and others recognised her importance as a native Manx speaker. In April and May 1948, Kinvig was one of the Manx speakers recorded by the

Irish Folklore Commission The Irish Folklore Commission (''Coimisiún Béaloideasa Éireann'' in Irish) was set up in 1935 by the Irish Government to study and collect information on the folklore and traditions of Ireland. History Séamus Ó Duilearga (James Hamilton Dela ...

. This was instigated by

Éamon de Valera Éamon de Valera (, ; first registered as George de Valero; changed some time before 1901 to Edward de Valera; 14 October 1882 – 29 August 1975) was a prominent Irish statesman and political leader. He served several terms as head of governm ...

, in order to preserve the speech of the remaining native speakers – a task neglected since it had been attempted by the Manx Language Society under the stewardship of

Sophia Morrison Sophia Morrison (24 May 1859 – 14 January 1917) was a Manx cultural activist, folklore collector and author. Through her own work and role in encouraging and enthusing others, she is considered to be one of the key figures of the Manx cultur ...

in the 1900s and by

Carl Marstrander Carl Johan Sverdrup Marstrander (26 November 1883 – 23 December 1965) was a Norwegian linguist, known for his work on the Irish language. His works, largely written in Norwegian, on the Celtic and Norse components in Norwegian culture, are consi ...

in 1929–1933. Together with her husband, Kinvig was an active participant in the revival of interest in Manx Gaelic in the 1950s and 1960s:''Skeealyn Vannin / Stories of Mann: The complete collection of Manx Language archive recordings made by the Irish Folklore Commission in 1948'', Douglas:

Manx National Heritage Manx National Heritage ( gv, Eiraght Ashoonagh Vannin) is the national heritage organisation for the Isle of Man. The organisation manages a significant proportion of the island’s physical heritage assets including over 3,000 acres of coastlin ...

, 2003, p.12

The Kinvigs were very conscious of the changes that had occurred in their lifetime and the threats these changes posed to the future of the Manx language. They were keen to encourage students of Manx Gaelic and many visited them to study pronunciation.

The Manx language has undergone a revival since her death, partly due to the support that Kinvig and others gave to younger learners of the language.

References

External links

The complete 1948 Irish Folklore Commission recordings, including those of Sage Kinvig
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kinvig, Sage Last known speakers of a language Manx language Manx people 1870s births 1962 deaths Manx women