After reading this article about the new Irish President seeking to make Irish the language of every day business in her position, it got me thinking about the state of Gaelic in Scotland.
Sure, I'm a weegie, and was never taught or even given the opportunity to learn Gaelic, despite my school teaching something like Latin (Shawlands Academy in Glasgow, for those interested). Despite that, I do feel that we ought to preserve and seek to increase the usage of the language across the country, even as a mid 30s guy who is currently struggling with learning Japanese as it is.
However, I'm well aware of the usual detracting arguments. One such argument is the preference for Scots, but I think that's misinformed. Many claim to speak and/or understand Scots, but really they're thinking about Scottish English. I think its much rarer for anyone to actually engage in the use of actual Scots language, rather just thinking they speak Scots because they can recite a couple of Burns poems.
To bite back at Gaelic being shunned, I'd have to point out how its represented everywhere across our country, mostly embedded in the names of both people and places. You would think Gaelic is simply a product of the Highlands and Islands, but place names across the borders and central belt hold much Gaelic weight.
I also don't think its parochial to encourage Gaelic as our language, as some might think. Why bother learning a language just for 5.4 million people, some might ask. Well, would you have the same opinion of people who live in Hawaii learning Hawaiian? Or hell, keep it closer to home. Do we think Irish folk learning Irish are weird and daft for it, when so small, and they'll only ever use it with each other?
Guess I should start learning.
by ReallyTrustyGuy
17 comments
>Despite that, I do feel that we ought to preserve and seek to increase the usage of the language across the country, even as a mid 30s guy who is currently struggling with learning Japanese as it is.
I think every City in Scotland has a Gaelic society / cafe / meetup group. So if you want to preserve and increase the usage of the language, then you will need to make an effort then encourage others. We have started learning in Edinburgh and there are thriving opportunities for shared learning beyond DuoLingo. I would expect Glasgow to have equal, if not more, opportunities. The GME is booming as well, with many schools oversubscribed.
I think Gaelic is a beautiful language to listen to, but its jarring when “regular” words are put in, because the language hasn’t evolved in its natural state. If it could grow somehow to encompass more modern words, I think it would gain some traction. Just my opinion
Fellow weegie here, been living in oreland over 25yrs. The kids start getting the basics of the language is in 1 to 10 amd my name is in nursery and actual irish lessons from p1. Both languages can be spoken in scotland and ireland and understood, its very close. Then you have shinty and hurling which again games are played against each other every year. I agree a more concerted effort could be made to revitalise it in scotland. Its a very beautiful language. Am example would be if somone says ” I’m starving ” the gaelic equivalent in English is ” the hunger of the world is upon me”
There are more similarities between the two countries than difference.
That’s a really patronising take on Scots
I always wished it was taught in schools as a mandatory subject because it is our mother tongue. I’ve started learning via duolingo and have been really surprised at how quickly I’ve picked it up.
I’ll be honest, I really don’t care.
A bit saddened, yeah, but it was never really spoken where I’m from to begin with so I’ve not felt it disappear.
Would’ve it have been nice for it to be offered at school? Yeah.
Instead we got a choice of French, German and for a very short period of time, Spanish.
I picked French, but I’ve never got to use it as I’ve never been to France.
I’ve been to Spain a lot so that might’ve been more useful.
I’ve got a couple of German friends and whilst it would be fun to converse with them in German, they speak amazing English/Scots and of course want to practice it.
Gaelic would be nice but I’d have nobody to converse with in it as I doubt people would’ve kept it up after school had finished or continued learning it.
Just my 2 pence.
>*^(Do we think Irish folk learning Irish are weird and daft for it, when so small, and they’ll only ever use it with each other?)*
For any Irish folk I know, their Irish studies at school were the equivalent of Latin for some of us
Some vocabulary and maybe a little grammar they remember, rather than something they take into their daily lives or could use if they met a native speaker
Doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing, but I don’t think the Irish are a nation of Irish speakers
I wish I’d been taught as a kid growing up in Scotland. I’m so jealous of friends of mine who were brought up bilingual.
I think it’s tragic and wish we would have as much pride and interest in a beautiful, historic language as we do in fucking tunnocks biscuits and irn-bru.
They run free classes for Ayrshire residents and they should do that everywhere imo. Been learning Gáidhlig for a 7 months now and the biggest barrier is finance (a lot of courses are expensive af and cheaper ones tend to be ai slop) or there’ll be meet ups but it’s during normal working hours
[Gaelic hasn’t been the primary language of the lowlands for 500-600 years](https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/125635/2/AA_Draft_Sara__Aonghas_6_Sep_2012.pdf). It began dying out in the south long before the Union.
If like many people in the west, you are Scots-Irish, it’d actually be more authentic to your ancestry to learn Irish. For example, near as we can tell my family (on both sides) came over from Ireland in the early 1800s to Glasgow, long long after Scots and English had displaced Scottish Gaelic in the lowlands, so it is unlikely I have any Scottish Gaelic speaking ancestry at all.
I grew up speaking Scots in the house and I couldnt understand how I was chastised for speaking it in School, it wasnt until I moved Schools and met an amazing English teacher who sat me down and explained the differences and how I would be marked down in English for writing the way I spoke that I had to adjust my perspective. I think more should be done to support the Gaelic language, maybe we could have summer programs where city kids spend some time touching grass and feeling the sea breeze on their face in the Western Islands where they learn Gaelic, or maybe we get back to teaching Scots Kids, Scottish history, Scottish mythology, and the languages of this part of the island, I wish i had a solution but we also have bigger problems, around 1 in 4 primary kids did not meet the expected literacy levels, and also there is an attainment gap between rich and poor kids, and then we have the highest absence rate in the UK.
What makes me sad is how politicised it is. You’ve got people who have never thought about gaidhlig before in their lives who suddenly have very strong views because of their political persuasion.
To be perfectly honest, I never think about it at all until I see one of these posts and neither do most of the people I know. I’ve got more to worry me, and so have most people.
FWIW, I couldn’t care more or less than I do for any dying language. I am a humanist and think the ability for us all to speak one common tongue should be the goal. Seeking to isolate ourselves in mutually unintelligible ever smaller communities doesn’t feel like an appealing choice.
The more folk who speak it, the more who will learn it. I got back into it because my colleague started learning it on Duolingo during
Have a look at the Ceòlas website – Learn Gaelic with Ceòlas! | Ceòlas https://share.google/SnrHmo6MuP7RlJ03R. I’m currently taking the beginners’ course, and I’m planning to take the next level in September. I’ve also joined our local Gaelic conversation circle, and I know there are quite a few in Glasgow.
Things won’t change until lots of us want it to. I mean, things might not change even then. But we can but try.
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