What Made You Want To Learn Gàidhlig?

Càil sam bith eile / Anything else
Nahimov
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Oct 20, 2014 12:37 pm
Language Level: beginner
Corrections: I'm fine either way
Location: Russia

Re: What Made You Want To Learn Gàidhlig?

Unread post by Nahimov »

Genitive case of Alan Stewart and Catriona ?
Tha mi ag'iarraidh radh:
" Tha mi sona a dh'ionnsachadh an cànan màthaireil...........


Seonaidh
Posts: 1486
Joined: Fri Apr 04, 2008 8:00 pm
Corrections: I'm fine either way
Location: Faisg air Gleann Rathais

Re: What Made You Want To Learn Gàidhlig?

Unread post by Seonaidh »

I wouldn't if I were you...it doesn't make a lot of sense.

Genitive cases? Try "Alan Stewart's" and "Catrìona's" - or did you mean in Gaelic? I don't think "Catrìona" (sometimes written "Catrìana") changes in the genitive. "Alan Stewart" isn't Gaelic to start with: would you be contemplating maybe "Ailean Stiùbhairt"? In which case the "Stiùbhairt" bit doesn't change (starts with an ST which blocks S-lenition and is already "slender") and the first name becomes "Ailein".

Now, what was it you were trying to say? maybe "I'm happy learning the mother tongue" or something like that? Well, there are exceptions, but most of us actually have their mother's language as a first language anyway. So maybe you're referring to the language of some maternal ancestor? For languages do change ("language shift") as we know: my grandmother's language was Spanish, so my mother grew up speaking Spanish, but subsequently lived out her days in a non-Spanish environment and so didn't pass a lot on to me. But when I do speak the little Spanish I actually know I certainly pronounce it as a native Spanish speaker would. Unlike my son, currently learning Spanish...obh, it's a pain to listen to his attempts. But I digress.

So, I'm happy learning the language of my forebears" (chan e "ceithir mathanan" a th' ann an seo...) might be something like

"Tha mi sona a bhith ag ionnsachadh cànan mo shinnsearan"

But if that's not quite what you intended, please say and we'll try again.
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