A huge thank you to the people who attended the webinar on Learing Gaelic with Games. I had a great time and I was so happy to hear from some of you that you really enjoyed it as well. If you missed the webinar here is a wee taster of what we went over: Go fish! --> Iasgaich great for learning numbers and good practice asking and answering questions. The main question is "A bheil (number) agad?" Do you have any (number)? answer "tha" if you do and then you could say "Seo dhuit" 'here you are' as you pass the cards over. answer 'chan eil' if you don't and then say 'iasgaich' go fish/ Guess who?
great for learning and using vocabulary around descriptions. Questions A bheil ad ort? Do you have a hat on? A bheil sgeuclairean ort? Do you have glasses? A bheil falt dubh ort? Do you have black hair? A bheil stais ort? Do you have a mustache? Almost from the beginning of my interest in Gaelic I have also loved the stories that come from the Gaelic culture, the ones that go right back hundreds maybe even thousands of years. There is something about them that enthralls me. I think it is that even though the stories are incredibly old they are here today being interesting to me, a modern person. They link me to those times in a way that makes them real and tangible rather than remote and disconnected. Below is a project to bring these stories as well as Gaelic workshops and presentations on the history of Gaelic to people across America, to increase awareness of Gaelic and to help people make a connection to it. Please consider contributing in any way you can and please let other people know about this project too. Mòran taing. Tha e dubh dorch' a-nis agus sàmhach. Tha mi a' taidhpeadh agus ath-taidhpeadh a chionns nach robh cuimhne agam air am putan 'sabhail' a phutadh.
Tha mi ag obair air pròiseact ceangailte ri Mìos na Gàidhlig ach bidh e a tachairt as t-samhradh. Barrachd air sin am-maireach. Duilich airosn brath-bloga cho goirid. beannachd leibh Gheall mi brath-bloga a sgrìobhadh a h-uile latha den mìos seo agus tha mi air aon seachdain a dhèanamh a-nis. Bha e nas doirbh agus nas fheàrr na bha mi an dùil.
Dè tha sibh fhèin a' dèanamh airson Mìos na Gàidhlig? An do rinn sibh rudan an seachdan seo chaidh? A bheil planaichean agaibh? Nach innse sibh dhomh. I promised to write a blog post every day this month and I have done one week. It was both harder and better than I was expecting. What are you doing for Mìos na Gàidhlig? Did you do anything this last week? Do you have plans? Share what you are doing in the comments section. :) Chan eil a' Ghàidhlig agad foirfe fhathast? Na gabh dragh! Ma tha an duine eile gad thuigsinn, glè mhath, mur eil, feuch a-rithist. Mar as tric nuair a bhios tu a' dèanamh mearachdan 's ann an uair sin a bhios tu ag ionnsachadh mòran co-dhiubh.
Chan eil a' Bheurla agam foirfe fhathast agus 's i a chiad canan agam! 'S ann mar sin a mòran duine. Cha chuala mi duine riamh nach do rinn mearachd sa chanan idir. Na leig cnapan-starra anns an rathad agad gad cumail air ais. Tha doille-fhaclan agam.( Chan eil am facal Gàidhlig sin buileach freagaireach). Dhomhsa tha e a' ciallachadh gu bheil e gu math doirbh dhomh an litreachadh ceart a cumail nam cuimhne 'sa Bheurla agus 'sa Ghàidhlig. Bidh mi daonan a' cleachdadh faclair. Tha mi cho taingeil airson faclaran air-loidhne. Feumaidh mi aideachadh gu bheil eagal orm nuair a bhios mi a' sgrìobhadh gu poblach ach chan eil mi a' leigeil an eagal sin gam chumail bhon na tha mi ag iarraidh a dèanamh. Tha an comas sin agadsa cuideachd, cum ort agus na gabh dragh. Your Gaelic isn't perfect yet? Don't worry. If the other person understands you, very good, if not try again. Often it is when you make mistakes that you learn a lot anyway. My English isn't perfect and it is my first language. Lots of people are like that. I've never heard someone who didn't make language mistakes at all. Don't let obstacles in your path keep you back. I have dyslexia ( first who thought that was a good word for people who have spelling problems? Secondly the Gaelic word means 'word blindness' and isn't the most exact word for this very complicated thing). For me this means that it is very hard for me to remember the correct spellings of words. I always use a dictionary all the time. I am so thankful for on-line dictionaries. I have to admit that I am scared when I write publicly but I don't let that keep me from doing the things that I want to do. You have that ability too, keep going and don't worry. Gach Didomonaich bidh mi a' dol gu taigh mo phàrantan airson bracaist. Bidh sinn ag ithe foileagan le dearcan-choille ann (is iad am biadh as fheàrr le mo mhàthair). Co-dhiubh an-dè chaidh mi ann agus dh' ith sinn ar foileagan neonach (tha iad gun gluten agus gun uighean) agus an uair sin thuirt m'athair "A bheil thu airson tighinn comhla rium gu St Elmo?" 'S e baile na taibhse an th'ann an St Elmo agus bha feum aige a dhol ann airson obair. 'S e luachadair taighean a th'ann.
Cha robh dad eile agam ri dhèanamh agus cha robh mi riamh ann an St. Elmo mar sin bha mi a' smaoineachadh gum bhiodh turas inntinnach ann. 'S ann inntinnach a bha e gu dearbh. Bha sinn faisg air dà uair a thìde air an rathad gu St Elmo. Thiondaidh sinn sìos an rathad 162 a dh'ionnsaidh St Elmo. Chaidh sinn seachad air fuaran-teth. Thuirt m'athar gum bhiodh e deonach gam fhagail an sin ach cha robh deise snàmh agam agus 's math nach do dh 'fhàg e mi an sin. Bha taighean mòra brèagha ann air gach taobh dhen rathaid agus chaidh sinn seachad orra. Dh'fhàs na taighean nas gainne agus na beanntan nas fhaisg. Bha creagan mòra liath ann agus na piosan dhiubh a liathachadh na talmhainn fad mìltean fon na craobhan-ghiuthais agus chum sinn oirnn. As dèidh greis stad an 'pavement' (chan eil mi a' ciallachadh an rud air taobh na rathaid ach an rud cruaidh a bhios air an rathad fhein). Chum sinn oirnn. Cha robh ann ach craobhan agus an abhainn agus beagan sneachd anns na àiteachan far nach deach a' grian. Chaidh sinn seachad air lochan beaga agus barrach craobhan. "Chan fhaca tu sanas airson St. Elmo, nach fhaca?" thuirt m'athair barrachd air aon turas. "Chan fhaca" fhreagar mi "S' ann mar seo a tha na rathaidean. Tha fhios agad. Agus 's e baile na mèinne a bh' ann St Elmo co-dhiubh." "Bha rathad-iarainn ann aig aon àm" Thuirt m'athair "S dòcha air an aon rathad air a tha sinn a' draibheadh, no 's dòcha nas ìsle, faisg air an abhainn". Mu dheireadh thall rainaig sinn St Elmo. 'S e àite eachdraidheil a th'ann agus a h-uile togalach bhon 1800's. Bha liosta de taighean againn agus bha feum againn dealbhan a thogail dhiubh. Bha duilgheadas againn a' chiad taigh a lorg. Bha an aireamh taighe againn ach cha robh aireamhan air an cuid as mòtha de na taighean agus bha na aireamhean a bha ann gar cuir ttoimh chèile. Chuir m' athair roimhe an darna taigh a lorg, bha fios aige gu robh e air an rathad 294. Thiondaidh sinn sìos an rathad agus sin nuair a chaidh e cearr dhuinn. Bha drioft beag sneachda air an rathad ach 's latha brèagha blàth Cèitean a bh'ann agus cha do chuir e dragh sam bith air m' athair a bha draibheadh. Cha do chuir gus an do stad an càr. Bha na cuibhlichean a' dol mu cuairt ach cha robh an càr a' gluasad idir. Choimhead sinn mu cuairt. Cha spaid againn do rud sam bith eile a bhiodh freagaireach. Thog m' athair an 'ice scraper' agus thog mise bòrd-cliopaichean. Bha m' athair a' toirt an sneachd air falbh bhon cuibhlichean agus bha mise a' faighinn ùir airson a chur fon na cuibhlichean. Dh'obair sinn mar sin fad uair a thìde ach cha do ghluais an càr ach troigh no dhà. Mu dheireadh thall chuimhnich mi gun robh aon càr anns a bhaile fhèin agus chaidh sin as a' coiseachd sìos an rathad le dòchas gu robh cuideigin ann a chuideachas sinn. Gu fortanach dhuinn bha agus bha spaid aige. Dh'inns e dhuibh nach eil ann ach triùir ann a bha fuireach 'sa bhaile a-nis agus bha sin barrachd na bha ann. Thuirt e cuideachd nach bi e comasach dhuinn an taigh sin a' ruigsinn gus 's dòcha an ath mhìos. Co-dhiubh leis a chuideachadh fhuair sinn an càr às agus chaidh sinn dhachaidh is a' grian a dol fodha. Nuair a tha sibh ag ionnsachadh cànan ùr tha mòran obair na luib agus tha e furasda misneach a chall ma tha sibh daonnan a' smaoineachadh air an obair agus na riadhailtean agus mar sin air adhart.
Dè tha sibh a' dèanamh airson spòrs 'sa chiadh chànan agad? An toil leibh coiseachd no ball-coise no mìrean-measgaichte? Tha e furasda beagan Gàidhlig a chuir a-steach dhan na cuir-seachadan a th' agaibh mu thràth. Faodaidh sibh toiseachadh le dìreach facal no dhà. Can gu bheil sibh measail air gàirneilearachd, an toiseach faodaidh sibh na faclan "gàrradh, uisge, lusan" a chleachdadh. Ma tha sibh dìreach air toiseachadh air Gàidhlig ionnsachadh cleachdaibh na faclan ann an seantansan Beurla. Nuair a tha sibh air beagan adhartas a dhèanamh 'sa Ghàidhlig cleachdaibh seantansan simplidh mar "Tha mi a' cur uisge air na lusan." Cumaibh a' dol air barrachd faclan ceangailte ris an cuir-seachad agaibh ionnsachadh. 'S e geamanan doigh math eile airson Gàidhlig a chleachdadh agus ionnsachadh. Mur eil agaibh ach beagan Gàidhlig taghaibh geama gun mòran cànan ann mar Twister (làmh, cas, dearg, uaine, gorm, buidhe, deas agus clì). Ma tha mòran Gàidhlig agaibh taghaibh geama mar Monopoly (chan eil mi a' dol a dèanamh liosta bhiodh e ro fhada). Nuair a bhios spòrs ann cha mhothaichidh sibh gu bheil sibh a obair agus gu bheil sibh ag ionnsachadh. Am bu toil leibh barrachd taic a thaobh ciamar a bhios sibh a' cleachdadh geamanan airson Gàidhlig ionnsachd? Carson nach tig sibh dhan webinar saor an-asgaidh air 10mh Ceitean aig 11am (àm nam beanntan). Clàraich an seo. When you are learning a new language there is a lot of work involved and it is easy to loose confidence if you are always thinking of the work and the rules and so on. What do you do for fun in your first language? Do you like walking, or football or jigsaw puzzles? It is easy to use a little Gaelic in the pastimes that you already have. Say you like gardening, to start off you could use the words "gàrradh (garden), uisge (water), lusan (plants)" . If you are just starting to learn Gaelic use the Gaelic words in English sentences. When you have made some progress in Gaelic use simple Gaelic sentences like"Tha mi a' cur uisge air na lusan" (I am putting water on the plants). Keep learning more words that are connected to your pastime. Games are another good way to use and learn Gaelic. If you only speak a little Gaelic pick a game that doesn't have much language like Twister ( làmh= hand, cas= foot, dearg= red, uaine= green gorm=blue buidhe= yellow, deas= right, clì= left). If you have a lot of Gaelic pick a game like Monopoly (I am not going to make a list it would be too long). When you are having fun you will not notice that you are working and learning. Would you like to find out more about using games to help you learn Gaelic? Why not come to the free webinar on May 10th at 11am (mountain time). Register here I'd love to see numbers of Gaelic speakers rise and rise, to see the percentage of Gaelic speakers reach 10% or higher of the population of Scotland and for people all over the world to know about and respect Gaelic. But these are not personal goals. I may be contributing in a small way but I can't measure myself against that.
My personal goals are to continue learning Gaelic, to keep improving and learning and using new words and to communicate with people in Gaelic. What are your goals for your self regarding Gaelic? Some people want to know just a little Gaelic. Some people want to be able to have an every day conversation. Some want to have perfect grammar. Some want to write academic papers in Gaelic.These are all good goals and the best goal for you is the one you want. Because there are so many people who care so very much about Gaelic there can be some pressure to work towards a goal that isn't your own. So my advice is, set clear goals for yourself and work towards them in a way that works for you and know that whether your goal is 10 words or complete fluency, that you are contributing positively to the state of the Gaelic language and don't forget to have fun while learning. (more on having fun in tomorrow's post) A chionns gur e toiseach Mìos na Gàidhlig a th' ann tha mi airson bruidhinn air tòiseachaidhean. Dè an sgeulachd agaibhse? Seo an tè agamsa.
It seems to me that so many people I talk to have begun their interest in Gaelic with one small thing. For me it was when I found a copy of "Teach Yourself Gaelic" in my local bookstore when I was in high school. There was only one copy and that was the only time they ever had it or any other book about Scottish Gaelic ( I was in there every week checking out their language section). There were a few other things that happened which helped me on my road to learning Gaelic but it was that one small thing that got me started. Many people have similar stories, a throw away comment that caught their interest, a sound clip in a computer program, a few lines in a book. All these little things that in a moment sparked interest, brought Gaelic to the forefront of peoples minds and changed the course of their life. What are the little things that brought you to Gaelic? Please share your stories in the comments. :) |
Details
AuthorsCaroline has been involved with Gaelic for more than 18 years. She has degrees in Celtic Studies and Gaelic Medium Teaching. Archives
March 2021
Categories
All
|