4. Language

The official languages of the Isle of Man are the Manx Gaelic and the English language. A dialect of English known as Manx English is spoken.

The Manx Gaelic language is a Goidelic Celtic language closely related to the Scottish Gaelic and Irish languages. Manx remained the everyday speech of the people until the first half of the nineteenth century. By the middle of the twentieth century only a few elderly native speakers remained: the last of them, Ned Maddrell, died on December 27, 1974. By then a scholarly revival had begun to spread to the populace and many had learned Manx as a second language. The first native speakers of Manx (bilingual with English) in many years have now appeared: children brought up by Manx-speaking parents.

In the 2001 census, 1,689 out of 76,315, or 2.2 percent of the population, claimed to have knowledge of Manx, although the degree of knowledge in these cases was presumably varied. A well known Manx expression is Traa Dy Liooar, meaning "time enough" and represents a stereotypical view of the Manx attitude to life.

5. System of Government

The United Kingdom is responsible for the island's defence and ultimately for good governance, and for representing the island in international fora, while the island's own parliament and government have competence over all domestic matters.

The island's parliament, Tynwald, claims to be the oldest continuously existing ruling body in the world. Tynwald is a bicameral or tricameral legislature, comprising the House of Keys (directly elected by universal suffrage) and the Legislative Council (consisting of indirectly elected and ex-officio members). These two bodies meet together in joint session as Tynwald.

The executive branch of government is the Council of Ministers, which is composed of members of Tynwald. It is headed by the Chief Minister, currently Allan Bell MHK. The Council of Ministers comprises the greater part of the House of Keys.

Under British law, the Isle of Man is not part of the United Kingdom. However, Britain takes care of its external and defence affairs, and retains paramount power to legislate for the island. There are no independent military forces on the Isle of Man although HMS Ramsey is affiliated with the town of the same name. From 1938 there was a (now disbanded) Manx Regiment of the British Territorial Army, which saw extensive action during the Second World War. There is an independent Isle of Man police force, which is controlled directly by the Isle of Man Government, but which nonetheless voluntarily submits to inspection by the British inspectorate of police.

Citizenship in the Isle of Man is governed by British law. Passports issued by the Isle of Man Passport Office say "British Islands - Isle of Man" on the cover but the nationality status stated on the passport is simply "British Citizen". Although Manx passport holders are British citizens, because the Isle of Man is not part of the European Union, people born on the Island without a parent or grandparent either born or resident for more than five consecutive years in the United Kingdom do not have the same rights as other British citizens with regard to employment and establishment in the EU. Isle of Man passports can be issued to any British citizen in the Isle of Man (whether or not that person has "Manx status" as an Isle of Man worker under the local Isle of Man employment laws). They can also be issued to Manx-connected British citizens residing in Britain or either of the other Crown Dependencies.

The Isle of Man is not itself a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. By virtue of its relationship with the United Kingdom, it takes part in several Commonwealth institutions, including the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and the Commonwealth Games. The Government of the Isle of Man has made calls for a more integrated relationship with the Commonwealth, including more direct representation and enhanced participation in Commonwealth organisations and meetings, including Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings. The Chief Minister of the Isle of Man has said: "A closer connection with the Commonwealth itself would be a welcome further development of the Island’s international relationships".

Local government on the Isle of Man is based on the concept of ancient parishes. There are two types of local authorities: a corporation for the Borough of Douglas, and bodies of commissioners for the town districts of Castletown, Peel and Ramsey, the village districts of Kirk Michael, Laxey, Onchan, Port Erin and Port St Mary, and the 15 'parish districts' (those parishes or parts of parishes which do not fall within the districts previously mentioned). Local authorities are under the supervision of the Isle of Man Government's Department of Local Government and the Environment (DOLGE).