Gaelic

[Patsy]

Hi all, can anyone on here speak Gaelic? :confused: Just wondering - it seems to be getting more popular in Scotland now.

[caithnessgirl]

Not well, have done a few weeks course on it! Found it v. difficult tho!! give me french any day!! :confused

[Patsy]

You find French easier than Gaelic? That's interesting - I think French is really hard, so what does that say for learning Gaelic?!!!
I've started learning German actually, and I find that it's quite similar grammer-wise to our language, and certainly it's easier than French! lol

[weeboyagee]

Ma tha thu ag iarraidh a bruidhinn anns a' Ghaidhlig, bruidhinn riumsa a' Phatsaidh a' ghraidh! Agus Rheghead cuideachd! Tha e ag ionnsachadh Gaidhlig an drasda! :D

If you want to converse in Gaelic, converse with me no problem Patsy and Rheghead as well, he's learning it at the moment!

WBG :cool:

[weeboyagee]

.....auch auf Deutsch! or in German if you prefer

[Patsy]

Hi Weeboyagee, that was SO impressive!!
I'm really glad some people do still speak Gaelic in Scotland.
Unfortunately, I don't speak it myself - I was just curious as to who did. :grin:
Keep it up, Weeboyagee & Rheghead!;)

[Patsy]

Oh fine, yes I'll speak a bit of German with ye if ye like! Sorry, I'm not that good at it anymore - a bit rusty LOL
Guten Tag! Wie geht's? Mein nam ist Patsy und ich liebe im Schottland. Mein Deutsch ist NICHT gut. :~(

[weeboyagee]

....watch yourself Patsy - post a translation, we've had a warning about posting in foreign languages before (Gaelic is of course not foreign, English is - oooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!) :D

Ich hoffe daß Sie genießen an hier zu schreiben.....und auch daß Sie genießen die Diskussionen

I hope you enjoy writing in the forums......and that you enjoy the discussions also!

WBG :cool:

[wickerinca]

WBG...I am sure that you know the wee mannie from Skye!!! I am starting Gaelic lessons on Saturday....yes here!! It is a one day immersion class which I am sure will be better for me as I like the idea of it. I'll be going if I get the driveway cleared of snow in time!!:lol:

[Saveman]

I'm impressed! I'd love to learn Gaelic....I'm currently trying to learn Spanish which is suppose to be one of the easier languages to learn..and I'm finding that difficult...so I can't imagine what Gaelic would be like!

I do remember some German from school....

Ich mub meine hausaufgalben nicht vergessen :D

[Patsy]

Oops sorry!
"Guten Tag! Wie geht's? Mein name ist Patsy und ich liebe in Schottland. Mein Deutsch ist NICHT gut!"

TRANSLATION: Hello! How are you? My name is Patsy and I live in Scotland. My German is NOT good!

Thanks for warning me WBG - I didn't know you had to offer a translation of what you're saying - it makes sense though I suppose; you could be saying anything! LOL :lol:

Cheers for the warning!

[Saveman]

Oops.....a translation of mine was:

"I must not forget to do my homework"....or something along those lines.

I wrote that out quite a few times!

[Steinway]

I have a friend who speaks Gaelic, Irish gaelic though, and he says it's just as hard as French so he often gets the two mixed up!! :p

[wickerinca]

I'm going to have a go at Spanish also....just in case I get to retire down there!!

[Saveman]

I'm going to have a go at Spanish also....just in case I get to retire down there!!

Its really good fun....I had a shot at speaking to the locals last year near Valencia....they were very patient!

I once tried to say "close the door" and ended up saying "the poet speaks"!!
:lol:

Buenas noches

[unicorn]

I have been trying to learn basic Turkish but mannnnn its hard. Their grammer and sentence composition is so different from ours that even when I do learn a little I find it hard to actually compose a sentence lol..

[Steinway]

wow, turkish, that must indeed be hard! Good for you though, it's so nice to be able to speak another language.
Savey, you are really good at German and Gaelic. Hehehe, that was funny how you said "the poet speaks" instead of "close the door"!!!!! :lol:

[connieb19]

danger mouse is donnie Murdo..
feskima cumarhashan..think it might mean evening news or something ...i heard it on the Gaelic News Headlines..lol:eek:

[Patsy]

Thanks for all the replies everyone! You seem to all be a linguistic lot! Heehee :lol:

[Geo]

I'd like to learn Gaelic but I was rubbish at languages at school.

Cead Mile Failte

[wickerinca]

Its really good fun....I had a shot at speaking to the locals last year near Valencia....they were very patient!

I once tried to say "close the door" and ended up saying "the poet speaks"!!
:lol:

Buenas noches

That must have caused some hilarity!!:lol: They are very patient though when they know that you are really trying!! Friends have a place about a half hour from Marbella....up in the mountains, and we had some laughs there!! They used to open the brandy bottle and throw away the top when we came in to one particular restaurant! I swear that the dining area was their front room and his old mother was doing the cooking and his wife was the waitress. He used to just sit and 'talk' with us!! Wonderful food!!!

[caithnessgirl]

You find French easier than Gaelic? That's interesting - I think French is really hard, so what does that say for learning Gaelic?!!!
I've started learning German actually, and I find that it's quite similar grammer-wise to our language, and certainly it's easier than French! lol

Its possibly because i continued it for 5years in high school!
The gaelic was very interesting, but i couldnt really pick that much up in 4classes!

[Patsy]

You studied French for 5 years in High School? Wow. :cool:
Was that Wick High??

[wickerinca]

I did 4 years French at school and I was amazed at how much I could stumble through when staying there!:grin:

I'll let you know how I get on tomorrow!

[DrSzin]

Mein name ist Patsy und ich liebe in Schottland. Mein Deutsch ist NICHT gut!"

TRANSLATION: Hello! How are you? My name is Patsy and I live in Scotland. My German is NOT good!Nope, it doesn't say that you live in Scotland.

Curiously, you can get from one statement to the other in both German and English by removing/changing a single letter. :cool:

I once learned a bit of Gaelic -- it seemed a good bit more complicated than French or German so I got bored quite quickly...

[Errogie]

I learnt Gaelic after e' Caithness dialect and was struck by how many words were borrowed from the west which really bears thinking about if you are one of those who denys any gaelic influence or origins in the County.

We fished partans (crabs) out of the harbour among the (scarfs) cormorants and I always wore my good ganzie (jersey). If something was rough it was "gey ropach" and "glaickit" or no wise is probably from glaic or wise. Apart from immigrants from further afield the last gaelic speakers I remember in Caithness seemed to start about Reay.

I just wished I'd quizzed more of the old men when I spent time in their company more that 50 years ago. If you can it's probably better to include quite a bit of learning by ear because the written word is quite different to how it first appears.

[wickerinca]

Yes Errogie I did notice!! It is by ear that we are learning and the reading and writing can come later. Have my next full day class on the 25th of this month and looking forward to it!!

Somebody correct me if I am wrong..and I probably am and I am sure that you will.........wasn't there some research that showed a link between the Hungarian(?) , gaelic and some of the North American First Nations languages. Mind you...I could have just made that up.........oh! Help!!!.....I am turning into my Mother:eek:

[canuck]

Wickerinca you have lots of Gaelic speakers in Nova Scotia. Many second and third generation Canadians in Cape Breton still have it as their first language.
We have lots of students of Gaelic in Southern Ontario. Many of my colleagues (Canadian born) use it.

[wickerinca]

Wickerinca you have lots of Gaelic speakers in Nova Scotia. Many second and third generation Canadians in Cape Breton still have it as their first language.
We have lots of students of Gaelic in Southern Ontario. Many of my colleagues (Canadian born) use it.

I Know........its amazing how some people have launched into Gaelic when hearing my accent.....and then get embarrassed when I stand and stare at them!:grin: Then you have to explain the whole Caithness, non-gaelic speaking thing to them!!
My neighbour's father is from Cape Breton and he has the Gaelic. The BBC actually made a programme about thim and some of the other Capers when they went over to the Western Isles to exchange knowledge. Fascinating programme!!..........and there is a short film about him as well called God Bless your Feet, Willie Fraser!! Lovely man......in his 90's but will still sing the odd song! Still likes the odd dram too!!!

[Errogie]

I met Willie Fraser in South Uist about 4 years ago, he was over with a group of Cape Bretoners at the annual Gaelic Arts Festival, Ceolas. their accent makes the locals think they come from Barra but they left there 150 yers ago!

The great thing about learning another language is the often unexpected insight and perspective you sometimes get to objects and expression which you have been uysed to in English. How can you be anything other than enthralled by the word for butterfly - Dealabh Dion (Picture of God) or an owl Caillach oidche (lady of the night) and to say that fear or hunger is "on me" is much more descriptive than simply I am hungry or frightened.

And then there is all the information about place names that jumps at you of the map which is probably why I set of on the gaelic learning road many years ago plus some of the great sayings and expressions.

" I live in hope like the tinker's dog"

[wickerinca]

I met Willie Fraser in South Uist about 4 years ago, he was over with a group of Cape Bretoners at the annual Gaelic Arts Festival, Ceolas. their accent makes the locals think they come from Barra but they left there 150 yers ago!

The great thing about learning another language is the often unexpected insight and perspective you sometimes get to objects and expression which you have been uysed to in English. How can you be anything other than enthralled by the word for butterfly - Dealabh Dion (Picture of God) or an owl Caillach oidche (lady of the night) and to say that fear or hunger is "on me" is much more descriptive than simply I am hungry or frightened.

And then there is all the information about place names that jumps at you of the map which is probably why I set of on the gaelic learning road many years ago plus some of the great sayings and expressions.

" I live in hope like the tinker's dog"

Willie Fraser is still on the go although he had to have a pacemaker fitted last year when his heart stopped twice. He is a lovely man and his wife, Kay is very sweet but getting rather frail.

I like the way that the gaelic 'speaks'!!...like, as you say, feelings are 'on you'!!! Just wish that I could have all of the words spelled phonetically!! I am getting there though and enjoying it immensely!!