What Made You Want To Learn Gàidhlig?

Càil sam bith eile / Anything else
Broganta
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Re: What Made You Want To Learn Gàidhlig?

Unread post by Broganta »

No.


Broganta
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Re: What Made You Want To Learn Gàidhlig?

Unread post by Broganta »

Not at all, there's English, Acadian French, Mi'kmaq, Gaelic, probably in that order. Mi'kmaq is over an hours drive, and I don't know anyone well on the five reserves that are on this Island. I do know that one Elder I spoke to lately, told me they are very concerned that parents are speaking English to their children rather than Mi'kmaq. I also know Gaelic is growing so strongly on this Island right now, and the native speakers are there full of support, every single step of the way. The Acadians living in Cheticamp worked really hard to keep their language. Makes me really proud to live on Cape Breton.
Lìosa
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Re: What Made You Want To Learn Gàidhlig?

Unread post by Lìosa »

I don't know how I missed this thread...

I've always wanted to learn a different language (I just like being "different" in general :priob: ). Foreign language wasn't offered in school, though, until 9th grade (age 14), and then it was only Spanish. I didn't want to do what "everybody else" was doing, so I held off taking a language until the next year when a new teacher came in and started French classes.

I enjoyed French and took it through my 11th grade year, but then I didn't have time in my schedule for it. When I went to college, orginally, music majors were required to take either Italian or German, but then they stopped offering Italian and eventually dropped the foreign language requirement altogether. I did start German, but dropped it after one day (I just had too heavy a course load). Later on, I thought I might want to major in Spanish and took the beginning course and did very well. But life happened and I had to drop out of school. I do remember a little bit of both Spanish and French, but not enough to do me much good.

As for Gàidhlig, as a piper (started in 1994), I ran across tune names that I knew were in Gàidhlig, but never really considered trying to actually learn the language until I joined my current pipe band and became friends with our pipe major, who began studying the language probably about 8 or 9 years ago (he's 3rd or 4th generation Irish and Scots and actually knows which ancestor last spoke Gàidhlig). I think he was honestly longing for someone else to be able to share his interest, and the more I looked into it, the more intrigued I became. At this point, I'm still trying to make small talk while he gets into reading Gàidhlig poetry, but we still have fun! :)

sr3nitygirl wrote:I've met many, many people here in the U.S. with broad US accents and multi-generational legacies claiming to 'be Scottish', and many a-time I have had to hold my tongue in the interests of International Diplomatic Relations when I really want to say, "No, you're really not...".
If you want to hear a "broad US accent", you should hear me talk! :farmad: And I totally understand what you mean about Americans claiming to be Scottish. For the record...I'm pretty sure I have some Scottish ancestry, but it, and any others I have (Irish, English, Welsh) ended WAY back before the Revolution. If somebody asks me (because I play the pipes) if I'm Scottish, I'll tell them yes as a quick answer...if they're interested, I'll elaborate, but they usually aren't. But I don't go around advertising the fact that I have Scottish or Irish or German or Oconee (Native American) blood because it's not like any of that is obvious by looking at me.

But back to people claiming to be Scottish...if you're really sensitive about that do NOT go to an American highland games! They're full of people some friends of ours call "dresser-uppers" who wrap themselves in whatever they think looks like a tartan, paint their faces, and run around these things carrying swords and thinking they're impressing people. :roll: And then you've got the people in the Scottish societies. One I know if in particular has an officer (who doesn't even have a Scottish surname) who insists on putting on this ridiculous fake Scottish accent whenever he does the Burns Night programs and the kirkings. To me, that's making a mockery of it all, not honouring it...drives our pipe major crazy mad, too! :boile:

How's that for a can of worms? :curam:
Seonaidh
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Re: What Made You Want To Learn Gàidhlig?

Unread post by Seonaidh »

Interesting - but why do you write "Gàidhlig" and not, for instance, "español", or "français", or "Deutsch" etc? To me (I may be being a bit harsh here) it symbolises the same sort of behaviour as you later went on to criticise. For instance, I did not learn Gàidhlig - I learned Gaelic. Nuair a bhios mi a' sgrìobhadh sa Ghàidhlig, seadh, bidh mi ag ràdh gun do dh'ionnsich mi Gàidhlig. But in English I'd say "Gaelic" etc.
Lìosa
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Re: What Made You Want To Learn Gàidhlig?

Unread post by Lìosa »

Good question! :)

It's because when I first heard of Gàidhlig, it was called "Gàidhlig". And I say that to differentiate it from "Gaelic", which to me refers to Irish Gaelic (and, yes, I know it's actually called Gaelige). 99.9% of Americans who have even heard of Gaelic in general tend to think of it as the Irish language, not even realizing that there is an indigenous language of Scotland. So I do that to try to educate people a little bit. Not that I have anything against Gaelige...I've just chosen Gàidhlig to learn! :priob:

I know I sounded a bit pretentious back there, but I try my very best not to give the impression I'm trying to be something I'm not, which I do see a lot of. If you were to meet me and talk to me in person, your first impression would probably be that I'm just a country bumpkin, hick, redneck, or whatever word you'd use for an uneducated American southerner. :P Gàidhlig would be the last thing you'd expect to hear coming out of my mouth...the word OR the language! :farmad: So I try to be "correct" whenever I do anything related to another culture because I don't want to misrepresent or disrespect it. :curam:

And, btw, I do refer to those other languages by their "real" names about half the time in normal conversation...just not usually when I'm typing, because I'd have to go find the characters that aren't on my American keyboard and I wasn't in the mood to do that when I made my original post around midnight! :priob:
Seonaidh
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Re: What Made You Want To Learn Gàidhlig?

Unread post by Seonaidh »

Must be a culture thing, then. I'm pretty sure that most English people associate Gaelic with Scotland, not Ireland - the usual English term for the Gaelic of Ireland is "Irish". In Gaelic it's "Gàidhlig na h-Èireann", although many of us just use "Gaeilge" these days. In Welsh, "Gaeleg" is what's spoken in Scotland: in Ireland its "Gwyddeleg" and in Man it's "Manaweg" (Gaelg Vannin). "Scottish", or "Scots", of course, these days refers to the English dialects of Scotland, although it did originally refer to Gaelic ("the Older Scottish Tongue", as one writer has it).
Thrissel
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Re: What Made You Want To Learn Gàidhlig?

Unread post by Thrissel »

And most Czech people don't know Gaelic from Gallic so if you tell them you're learning Gaelic you'll probably hear "You mean... as in Asterix?" :?
Last edited by Thrissel on Sat Aug 11, 2012 11:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Seonaidh
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Re: What Made You Want To Learn Gàidhlig?

Unread post by Seonaidh »

'S toil leam sin! Tha "Asterix ym Mhrydain" agam - leabhar sgoinneil sa Chuimris agus annsa tha a h-uile Ceilt à (an-diugh) Sasainn a' bruidhinn sa Chuimris mar a dh'fheuchadh Sasannach Cuimris fhuaimneachadh. Mar eisimpleir "Y Thlawen Faedd" seach "Y Baedd Llawen". (An Torc Toilichte)

Zees Ah lahk! I have "Asterix ym Mhrydain" - splendid book in Welsh and in it all the Celts from (today) England are speaking in Welsh like an English person would try to pronounce Welsh. For example "Y Thlawen Faedd" instead of "Y Baedd Llawen" (The Jolly Boar)
GunChleoc
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Re: What Made You Want To Learn Gàidhlig?

Unread post by GunChleoc »

Sa Ghearmailt, nuair a chanas tu "Gälisch", bidh a h-uile duine an dùil gu bheil thu a' ciallachadh Gàidhlig na h-Èireann. Chan eil fios aig a' mhòr-chuid gu bheil Gàidhlig na h-Alba ann.

In Germany, when you say "Gälisch", everybody expects you to be talking about Irish. Most people don't know that Scottish Gaelic exists.
Oileanach chànan chuthachail
Na dealbhan agam
iolair
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Re: What Made You Want To Learn Gàidhlig?

Unread post by iolair »

a Ghun Cleoc,

Tha mi a' smaoineachadh gu bheil sin fior anns na Stàitean Aonaichte cuideachd. 'S e Gàidhlig na h-Èireann a tha an "Gaelic".

GunCleoc,

I think the same thing is true in the United States, too. "Gaelic" is Irish Gaelic.
MegAnne
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Re: What Made You Want To Learn Gàidhlig?

Unread post by MegAnne »

Well, for me it's a long story.

First off my heritage is nearly a clean split between Scottish and Irish So I flip flopped back and forth between the two for a long time. Not really learning anything, just trying to figure out which one TOO learn!

Well in this past year the younger sister of a friend of mine was debating on whether to take French or Gaidhlig as a highschool language. (She homeschools so it's a possibility.) I told her I'd learn with her if she went for it.

She has since lost interest, so it's just me. But.... strangely the thing that really kicked me into gear on it was the new Disney movie "Brave" There were several things said in Gaidhlig and I kept thinking that I really wanted to know what they were saying. And know how to reply.

So here I am, several months later. I'm taking it slow and steady, and I'm on lesson 5. :D
faoileag
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Re: What Made You Want To Learn Gàidhlig?

Unread post by faoileag »

Good for you!

Cum ort! - keep on with it! :moladh:
MegAnne
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Re: What Made You Want To Learn Gàidhlig?

Unread post by MegAnne »

Thanks!
AlasdairBochd
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Re: What Made You Want To Learn Gàidhlig?

Unread post by AlasdairBochd »

So here I am, several months later. I'm taking it slow and steady, and I'm on lesson 5.
Cum ort. Well done (Keep it up).
Tha m' uncail a' fuirech ann an Tennessee (Kodak) ged nach eil Gàidhlig aige idir. Chuala mi gu bheil e àlainn ann a siud.
My uncle lives in Kodak Tennessee, but he has no Gaelic. I've heard it's very lovely there.
MegAnne
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Re: What Made You Want To Learn Gàidhlig?

Unread post by MegAnne »

Really? That's the next town over from me!

I think it's gorgeous. To me it's no wonder the Scots decided to settle here.
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