Hallo.
I'm an Edinburgh boy and I'm trying to learn Gaidhlig, however as others in my position will ken it's not that easy due to the lack of Gaidhlig speakers in the Capitol( to the shame of the Country) therefore the lack of access to everyday conversation which hinders the learning process.
My Grandfather was a Gaidhlig speaker, however as many of his generation who didn't live in Gaidhlig speaking communities, he tended not to use the language round the house and didn't pass it on te my mother so the chain was broken. My uncle has some use of the language as do a couple of my cousins, however family visits are few and they are not a viable option to learn from! I am aware of Gaidhlig courses available in the capitol but after work and with other commitments( such as my 7 a side football and band practise) this would be a further drain on my time which I can't afford, so I am attempting to do it my self! I have bought a couple of books by boyd robertson and bought a learn Gaidhlig dvd but these are boring without an outlet for practise. The new Alba channel has helped in simply being able to hear the language spoken but once again there is no interaction!
Therefore, what i'm asking is can this site be used to interact with Gaidhlig speakers in order to improve ones use of the language, ones understanding of it grammatically? I am at a very basic beginners level, I can count to 20 and say hello and so on but i desperately want to improve. Also, are those on this site sympathetic to those in my position as I am incredibly nervous and embarrassed about trying to write the language, as I know there will be many mistakes? I have placed this introduction in two separate rooms so I shall tell you a wee bit about myself, I support Hibs and Follow Scotland, I play guitar and piano a wee bit and do a few gigs here and there, I enjoy reading and am suspicious of those who go murrayfield to support Scottish rugby because a lot of them appear te be english upper-class students(ha). Finally I believe in Scotland and it's people and have full confidence we are capable of building oor own road in this world!
Moran taing, McWhaw1