Probably one of the first things you encountered when starting to learn Gaelic is the idea that verbs work a little different in Gaelic than they do in English and many other European languages.
They don't change with the person they are talking about. They do change with the type of sentence. So you have one form for a positive statements (something is) one for negative statements (something is not) and one each for positive and negative questions (is something? Isn't something). All verbs in Gaelic do this in all tenses but probably the first one you encountered was "Tha" to be. Here is what the four forms of "tha" look like: Tha i brèagha. It is lovely Chan eil i brèagha. It is not lovely A bheil i brèagha? Is it lovely? Nach eil i brèagha? Isn't it lovely? You may have been told that these four can be broken down into two groups, independent (Tha) and dependent ( Chan eil, A bheil, & Nach eil). If you look at this break down you can see that the two groups look rather different from each other. However the forms in the dependent group look very similar, at least the second parts do. This second part is really the dependent form of the verb. The other parts are the dependent particles. They are going to show up with the dependent forms of every verb in every tense, so it is good to get friendly with them from the beginning. So let me introduce them to you: Negative statement particle: Cha or Chan when it is in front of a verb that starts with a vowel. Cha(n) lenites (adds an H to the next word) so watch out for that. This particle lets you know that the sentence you are about to read is a negative statement, so something is not, was not, will not etc. Positive question particle: An or Am when it is in front of a verb that starts with a B,P,F or M. And sometimes it is just A (as in A bheil). This guy lets you know that you are reading a positive question for example: Is it raining? Are we there yet? Negative question particle: Nach just Nach, this one doesn't change. This lets you know that it is starting a negative question like "Didn't you get bread at the store?". Now that you know what these wonderful wee particles are keep and eye out for them. You will see them all over Gaelic sentences. Here's the thing, the English version of Ed Sheeran's song "Thinking Out Loud" has 926,011,158 views ( as of 12:10 Mountain time Jan 13, 2016). That is a lot of views. I would guess that means that lots of people like the song and probably Ed Sheeran himself. So it is a big deal when someone like him, who is successful in the dominant culture takes the time not just to approve a minority language cover but to sing it himself. For one thing it may well help many people find out about the Irish language and it will certainly help many people to see Irish as a worth while language. After all Ed has 14,091,891 likes on Facebook where as we here at Daily Gaelic are working our way up to 4,000 so he has a bit of a bigger reach. I'm not in any way saying that traditional music or any other part of Gaelic culture isn't a valid thing to preserve and treasure or that these things aren't good ways for people to get interested in the language. Some people however will never come into contact with these things and/or they may just not be interested in them. But some of those people might be Ed Sheeran fans and may become interested in learning Irish Gaelic because of the song. Along similar but different lines not everyone who speaks or is learning Irish is going to be really into traditional music at least not all the time. I have to admit to having days where all I want to listen to is pop music. Things like Ed Sheeran singing his hit song in Irish and all the great covers and original songs that TG Lurgan and Seo linn have done means I can listen to Irish language pop. From looking at some of the comments on the web it seems like these pop songs are really popular with younger Irish learners. Honestly I am very jealous that we don't have more of this Scottish Gaelic. And ideally it wouldn't just be pop music. I'd love to see people using Irish and Scottish Gaelic to express themselves in every genre of music. When learning any new language, there can be some frustration when you try to listen to and understand native speakers. There are a few reasons for this. The first and biggest reason is lazy pronunciation and slang. Native speakers of a language tend to be much less precise in the way they say and even use words often without noticing that they are doing it. Have a look at this video of a British man talking about just this with his dialect of English. This happens with Gaelic too. Just think of all the times 'agus' is reduced to 's. This also brings us to the second main reason words may not sound they way you learned them: regional dialects. Gaelic has lots of them. Some times they say the same word differently from the way you learned, sometimes they may even use a different word. Here is a great set of maps to help show some of these dialectical differences Scottish Gaelic Dialect Survey Another good way of getting a handle on dialect differences is to hear them. Listen to BBC Radio Nan Gaidheal, look at some of the videos on e-Stòras and Guthan nan Eilean check out some you tube videos ( try putting Nova Scotia Gaelic in the search box) and keep looking around on-line as there is new stuff all the time. Do you lament the sad state of Gaelic and worry about its future? I'm sure this sort of mood strikes everyone who loves a minority language from time to time. How can these beautiful languages persevere in the face of such an overwhelming on slot of English? I certainly am guilty of these thoughts some times. However, today I had a change of perspective. I was updating some pictures on the website and searching for some that would be just right. This can be somewhat of a long process because it is tricky to know what key word might bring up the image I am looking for. The thing that struck me as I searched was that when I put the word 'Alba' in the search bar, I got (mostly) pictures of Scotland. Some vague memory stirred of trying this a few years ago and getting mostly not pictures of Scotland. Seeing buzzfeed articles about Scottish Gaelic, being able to change the language setting in a lot of my computer programs to Gaelic ( Check out iGàidhlig for a good list of these), having on-line dictionaries and tones of Gaelic on You Tube, these all speak to me of a wider knowledge of Gaelic. They make me optimistic about Gaelic. It so much more accessible and findable, even by accident, than it was 10 years ago. I really feel that if those of us who love the language keep using and creating this content then the presence of Gaelic both on and off line will grow and the language will flourish. For 2016 I wish you all this change of perspective, take heart, enjoy what is out there and create new things when you can't find what you need. 1. Take time to study everyday. It doesn't have to be a long time, 10-15 mins a day is enough to make a real difference. It is often more effective to study a little bit everyday than to spend a long time studying only once a week. 2. Be creative: Draw pictures to help you learn new words and phrases, even if they are stick figures. You can also print out pictures. Make up little songs using new vocab. Try writing short stories in Gaelic or using Gaelic. 3. ambush studying: Ambush studying is where you make learning part of your everyday life. For example, make yourself some bookmarks with the phrase "Tha mi a' leughadh." (I am reading) on them. Put them in the books you are reading, Label the food in your cupboards with their Gaelic names. Label the drawers in your dresser with which type of clothing is them. Put sticky notes with phrases around your house. "Nigh do làmhan" (wash your hands) next to the soap, "Oidhche mhath" (good night) on your bedside lamp. In this way you see and use Gaelic all the time without having to make special time to study. 4. Use social media and connect with other learners: Many Gaelic learners feel lonely and isolated from other learners and Gaelic speakers. Using Facebook and other social media can give you a chance to use your Gaelic every day as well as connecting with other learners, perhaps even in the area where you live. 5. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes. You will not speak perfect Gaelic at first, no one does. Use it anyway. Try it out. Make mistakes. For one thing using Gaelic is more important that getting everything right and secondly making mistakes is a good way to learn. Check out Gaily Gaelic's classes here
Thòisich mi mo thuras anns a’ Gàidhlig…
I began my journey into Gaelic in the early 1980s with the Roderick Mackinnon Teach Yourself Gaelic book. I struggled through to the end of Lesson 3 and realized that with the exception of a single song badly recorded on a cassette tape, I had never heard the language and was probably saying everything wrong. This was discouraging enough, but shortly thereafter, life threw me a series of giant curveballs and I had to return to university with two small children to complete my degree in art education. Four years later, degree in hand, I moved to Oregon from Montana, started life over again, and Gaelic was again relegated to the back burner. Fast-forward some 30-plus years, and I’m starting over, this time with far more resources than previously available. As an older learner (I am fast accelerating toward the age of 61), I’m faced with diminished memory and ability to focus. I also live in a place far enough away from everything that it’s a major and costly production going to classes in Seattle, or even Portland. Thankfully, there’s Skype and You-Tube, and Facebook friends who regularly post videos and lessons to remind me to study and to practice. I am so grateful for having Caroline Root as a teacher on Skype, although I had to drag myself kicking and screaming into the 21st century to get it on my computer. Still, even with all the technology available, I’m not yet willing to download podcasts and carry sound around with me. If I can’t get it on regular radio, I’m reluctant to listen because I can’t justify spending even more time at my computer than I already do. So, I know a few words now, and can get a skeletal gist of what’s being said, but I’m still translating into Beurla, and I still struggle to understand the structure of the language itself, not to mention the idiomatic qualities that sail right over my head. The process is agonizingly slow for me and my ossified brain. I deeply regret not keeping up with it at an earlier age. I am, however, determined to continue along my journey through this immensely beautiful language and it’s rich cultural heritage. It deserves to be spoken. {I recently attended two Language Hunters classes—all Gaelic with ASL (American Sign Language). Everyone repeats everything in unison, which gives people a lot more oral practice while still covering everything required in the curriculum. Short of immersion, the two sessions I attended were excellent practice for me and did much to reinforce some of what I’d forgotten or thought I already knew.} Anyway…sin agad e. Gayle Taylor: 'Learning another language has never been more enjoyable. Caroline is not only an instructor, but a mentor, savant, Gaelic-geek, and good friend, one whom I could not fully internalize Gaelic's complexities without. The language itself has considable disparities as compared to most European stock languages, especially its intonations and mutations, and in that sense, Gaelic requires a direct and easy approach. Caroline excels there. She gradually assimilates grammar, phonetics, numbers, and days of the week with vocabulary and idiom so that each is learnt holistically, rather than statically. Likewise, she sets the language in context, historically and currently. Like all languages, Gaelic has abstract properties and mannerisms and conducts which Caroline reifies with fluency. Above all, for those lurching along difficulties, Caroline accommodates the individual, not her own curriculum. She insists that one learn as much as one is taught, and I am endlessly gracious for her instruction. Please try Gaelic with Caroline. Save a language. Save a culture.' I asked my Gaelic students if they would share their experiences learning the language. Here is the first of several responses I got: Let me start off my testimonial by saying just how wonderful of a Gaelic teacher Caroline is! When you choose to learn Scottish Gaelic with Daily Gaelic, you will be getting lessons from someone who not only has an incredible history of learning and perfecting the language for herself before moving onto teaching others, but who absolutely loves and has a passion for it!
At this point, I have nearly completed the Beginners Gaelic course, and I cannot say enough good about the way the workbook and units are laid out, and how incredibly helpful the audio files are for helping me sound out some of those tongue-twisters you come across! The weekly Skype classes are thorough and fun, which really helps to alleviate any nerves. While very professional, we always end up kind of having a rolling giggle throughout the lessons due to the joy of being taught a language we love by a person teaching who shares that same love. It is pretty incredible to me how much I am able to speak, read and write in Gaelic in such a short period of time, considering a few months ago I knew basically nothing! To be able to greet people (Ciamar a tha thu a-diugh?), to talk about the weather (Nach eil an t-sìde brèagha?), to ask what someone is doing (Dè tha i a' dèanamh?), to describe how I'm feeling (Tha mi trang ach toilichte!), to tell time (Tha e leth uair as dèidh sia uairean)..., to name just a few. I have decided to continue onto the next level and take the Advanced Beginners class beginning next month. If you have a love for all things Scottish as I do; if you want to connect with your Scottish ancestors; if you want to protect this brilliant language from being lost; or if you just want to try something new, sign up for a class with Daily Gaelic! You will not regret it and you'll have an amazing time learning! Beannachd leibh! (Blessings with you!) Kristy Caroline: What inspired you to put this class together? Cam: The university where I live has a program called OLLI (Osher Lifelong Living Institute), which presents non-credit courses in all sort of disciplines to students over the age of 50. With all the recent interest in “Outlander” and then the independence referendum last September in Scotland, it occurred to me that OLLI might consider a course on the history and culture of Scotland. They accepted my proposal, and I’ve just finished teaching the course. What fun! Caroline: What was exciting to you about this particular subject? What is your connection to it? Cam: I was excited about it because I particularly enjoy teaching just this sort of course, where we examine a subject, in this case Scotland, over time and from many different angles. I find that students enjoy this multi-disciplinary approach too. Growing up, my parents had a beautiful book with a MacRae tartan silk cover, and inside, page after page of photographs of all the men named MacRae who had died in World War I. My sister and I used to pour over those pictures conjuring connections to them. I guess I’ve never lost that sense of being part of a larger Scottish world. Caroline: What do you hope students get out of the class? Cam: I hope they come away from the course with a deeper understanding of how, in general, geology, geography, history, culture, and language are all intertwined, and specifically how this relates to Scotland, then and now. We’ll be talking about Doggerland, Neolithic house building, the Moine thrust fault, Celts, Picts, the Book of Deer, Scottish drove roads, coal mining, “Celtic” music, and I’ll throw a few kings and queens in there too, for good measure. Caroline: In what ways might this class be different from the kind of ‘Celtic’ culture people see at highland games or on Celtic Women? Cam: It will be different because we’ll be talking about Scottish history and culture, not a generic “Celtic” history or culture. In one of the classes we’ll discuss the definition of “Celtic,” ways it can be a useful, clarifying, term, and ways in which it isn’t. Caroline: Do you think this class would give people a better understanding of modern Scottish events such as the independence referendum? Cam: I hope so. I’ve been doing a lot of reading on the politics leading up to the referendum, the issues that were being discussed last summer, and opinions and news since the vote. Elections for the UK Parliament will take place in early May, and by the time we reach that part of the course, we’ll be able to see what effect the independence referendum has had on the outcome. Caroline: How would taking this class be beneficial for someone learning Gaelic? Cam: In the original OLLI course, I referred often to the various languages spoken in Scotland, especially Gaelic, and how it is woven into Scottish history and culture. One of the themes of the course is how the Gaelic language arrived in Scotland, the forces and influences which helped its base of speakers spread and then eventually shrink. Other than that, I think if you’re going to put effort and time into learning a language, that it’s a good idea to have a broad knowledge of the area where it’s spoken. Caroline: Do you think that having an understanding of the history and culture would help Gaelic students understand some elements of the language? Cam: Well, I can’t promise that it will help with learning irregular genitive forms or how the inverted nominal works, but we will talk about Gaelic in its cultural and historic context. I’d like to think that that is an important part of any language student’s knowledge. And of course I’m always happy to talk about the genitive. Caroline: Do you think that knowing about the history and culture might help people understand or relate to some of the idiosyncrasies of Gaelic? Cam: Possibly. Languages don’t develop in a vacuum, so we’ll talk about how and why Scottish Gaelic has developed differently than Irish Gaelic, for instance, and we can also discuss why various Gaelic dialects differ from each other. |
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AuthorsCaroline has been involved with Gaelic for more than 18 years. She has degrees in Celtic Studies and Gaelic Medium Teaching. Archives
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