Gaelic Gaelic

[Kejan]

Frank " Càit a bheil na h-eòin?" McAvennie  seems to be the latest detractor of the Gaelic language, with a recent Daily Record column saying its time to put Gaelic out to pasture and that he has never met a Gaelic speaker, although the BBC Alba commentator Ailig O'Henley Tweeted that Frank must not have been paying attention to when he met him.

Polls seem to show a good majority of Scots support the Gaelic language (IIRC, it's usually in the 70s/high 60s for it, and it being promoted, protected and supported throughout the whole of Scotland), but there certainly is a very loud  and rabid minority of voices who seem utterly opposed to it. - there is a whole Gaelic bingo card out there from the doubters e.g ''More Polish speakers'', ''We never spoke Gaelic here'' and so on.

Do you speak Gaelic? Do you know a Gaelic speaker, or even speak it regularly in your daily life? My grandfather came from Jura to Glasgow and although he died when my father was 10, he unfortunately didn't bring up my Dad with any Gaelic at all, thinking it would be useless living in Maryhill etc and he spoke English on the 'tir mor'.  So Gaelic would naturally die out in my family, if myself, dad, or my brother didn't learn it. Neither seemed interested so I decided to do some online courses with the Gaelic college and at a push probably hold a basic conversation in the language, although I live in an area where I don't meet many Gaelic speakers at all, I assume I am very rusty in my tenses and the general flow of a conversation and I really need to improve my vocab, everything can't just be glè mhath or inntinneach .

Place names are fairly fascinating to me and I enjoy trying to figure out the meaning, like wise when going up Munros or passing landscapes in Scotland and having a basic (or thinking I do) of what the name of the town/place means. I listen to a few programs on Radio Nan Gaidheal and watch Alba when I can.

Christ, I'm turning in to yer Da/  d' athair 

But I'd love to hear PnB's views on the Gaelic language, and if they like seeing bi-lingual signage, and the promotion of it? I personally do, but imagine many might not. I think if anything the Scottish Government haven't exactly been deftly in promoting it, and there's very little of it being ''rammed down our throats'', IMO. Even arriving at the airport, it's basically 'Failte gu Alba' and nothing more than that whilst in the likes of Wales and Ireland, everything would be bilingual or near enough.

Anyhoos, havers gu leor!

 

[philpy]

[Barry Ferguson's Hat]

Gaelic Bread 

Edited May 21, 2018 by Barry Ferguson's Hat

[Bairnardo]

I would absolutely love to learn Gaelic and it absolutely should be kept alive. 

I dont have the time to dedicate to it unfortunately. 

Cant understand why anyone would actively be against it and Frank McAvennie should be ignored at all times re all subjects on account of being a fucking cretin

[Melanius Mullarkey]

Wonder if they have £500 notes in Gaelicland?

[DrewDon]

It seems to annoy the right sort of person, so, on that basis, I'm all for it. 

[John Lambies Doos]

I speak a bit of Irish Gaelic.

[Bert Raccoon]

This gets two thumbs up from me.

 

[The_Kincardine]

28 minutes ago, Kejan said:

Do you speak Gaelic? Do you know a Gaelic speaker, or even speak it regularly in your daily life? My grandfather came from Jura to Glasgow and although he died when my father was 10, he unfortunately didn't bring up my Dad with any Gaelic at all,

This is the shame of the Gàidhealtachd.  My auld man was a native Gaelic speaker as were his two sisters who lived not far from us.  When they got together with various Sutherland emigres they'd speak Gaelic together and, certainly my aunts, would go to the Gaelic church in St Vincent Street.

Not a word did I learn from them.

In contrast, my most recent ex wife raised my (now) teenagers to be perfectly bilingual in Swedish and English and they are comfortable in both languages.  OK so they have the vocabulary of a late 40s woman who has lived in the UK for 25 years but it only takes them a few days in Stockholm to 'get' the recent argot.

If Gaelic is to be taken seriously as a native tongue then it has to start at home and no amount of money spent on token gestures such as signage stating that my train has arrived in Motherwell/Tobar na Màthar is going to change that.  

[yoda]

My first primary school had a "Gaelic unit" (which was two huts, IIRC). A few folk I knew in secondary school (and still know) were fluent in it - those who did Gaelic in first and second year studied that instead of Computing (insert your own joke) - but I don't think they use it particularly often now.

If you're a fully grown adult and the bilingual road signs trigger you, then you're a fucking idiot. 

 

[Bert Raccoon]

I really would've loved to know what the f**k was going on in Dotaman.

[RH33]

5 minutes ago, Bert Raccoon said:

I really would've loved to know what the f**k was going on in Dotaman.

Haha! I used to watch it without a single clue what was going on.

Grew up in North East Sutherland, have no Gaelic nor was it offered at school. Have no interest in it either.

[Benjamin_Nevis]

McAvennie has barely mastered English so it comes as little surprise that Gaelic appears to caused him a minor cranial detachment.

[Peppino Impastato]

Gaelic is awesome.  Btw if it's Scottish you're supposed to say gah-lic not gay-lic.  Gay-lic is Irish.

[CountyFan]

5 minutes ago, Peppino Impastato said:

Gaelic is awesome.  Btw if it's Scottish you're supposed to say gah-lic not gay-lic.  Gay-lic is Irish.

We know, we aren't fucking idiots. Unlike Frank McAvennie. 

[bud1876]

Theres an area here in Nova Scotia called Cape Breton where they have a lot of Gaelic speakers and its taught in some schools there.
Also some road signs are in English and Gaelic.
From what i hear people say.... theres more people speak Gaelic there than the whole of Scotland.
Not sure how they know that though.

[chomp my root]

Happy for the teuchtars to hold on to it if it suits them but I'm not for the rewriting of history that its some great Scottish lingua franca-esq part of our history. No problems with train stations etc having the dual languages oop norf but not too sure about some of the lowland ones, especially New Towns it a bit revisionist for this cat.

[John Lambies Doos]

Theres an area here in Nova Scotia called Cape Breton where they have a lot of Gaelic speakers and its taught in some schools there.
Also some road signs are in English and Gaelic.
From what i hear people say.... theres more people speak Gaelic there than the whole of Scotland.
Not sure how they know that though.

Internet perhaps

[Peppino Impastato]

23 minutes ago, CountyFan said:

We know, we aren't fucking idiots. Unlike Frank McAvennie. 

Most people don't know that actually.

[Melanius Mullarkey]

1 minute ago, Peppino Impastato said:

Most people don't know that actually.

Most people do, though.