The Manx language is well and truly alive today.

This message has had to be reiterated again after The Gazette, a UK newspaper, incorrectly stated that the native language of the Isle of Man was ’extinct’.

Following our piece in the Manx Independent last week, we visited Bunscoill Ghaelgagh primary school in St John’s - where lessons are taught in Manx Gaelic - to get the views of the pupils.

Matilda Watson, aged nine, said: ’We’re trying our best to keep it up and if people think it’s dead we will try and teach it to them so they believe us.

’We don’t want the language to go because it’s a really fun language.

’If the language dies there’s a lot of chance that traditions die to. I like speaking it and it’s not just in school, my mum speaks Manx so I can speak it with her as well.’

Bee, which means ’food’ in Gaelic is her favourite Manx word.

Isaac Bawden, 10, said: ’We want to keep it alive so it keeps going. It’s good learning a different language and you’re able to communicate with people who are trying to learn Manx. My brother and sister speak it too, they come to this school.’

Illy Quirk, seven, believes the Manx language is important to ’make the Isle of Man the Isle of Man’.

’You don’t want a language to die out,’ he said. ’Even Ireland has its own language.’

Fergus Quayle, eight, said: ’I say the Manx language is not dead and whoever says it is, they’re wrong. I think it’s special because not many people know it and it’s fun.’

Sacha Atkins, seven, said: ’Manx has been going on for ages because many people have learnt Manx throughout the years and most of my family know Manx.’

Her favourite Manx word is doaltattym, which is ’suddenly’ in English.

Meri Wade, nine, said: ’Manx represents the Isle of Man and it’s a language that is not exactly dying but people are saying that it is dying.

’That makes me feel sad. People are wrong because they don’t know the language so they don’t know what’s going on with it.’

When Meri first heard Manx she remembers thinking: ’I’m going to like this language and that it was going to be a bit easy.’

’My sister is in reception here and she’s doing really good - she can count to 59 in Manx! I’m very proud of her,’ she said.

Ned Hampton, eight, said: ’When you go on holiday and people ask "where are you from" and you answer in your own language they don’t understand you. It’s really fun. They say "wow! Mummy, mummy, I just saw a guy speak another language!".

’Manx has been carrying on for thousands of years. That’s why I want to keep it going on for longer so it becomes a more common language.’

Josephine Addy, 11, has been learning Manx for more than seven years.

She said: ’It’s definitely nice to speak your own language and it’s cool because you can say things that other people don’t understand.’

Strawberry ’Soo thallooin’ is her favourite Manx word.

Thildee Mitchell, nine, added that people don’t have to go to school to learn Manx. ’Some people do lessons for grown ups and there are books about Manx and there are websites,’ she said.