Other Any Gaelic Speakers or Learners?

[AlbaGuBrath]

Yeah, I know this is a long shot, but I'm gonna try anyway.


 I've been working on learning Scottish Gaelic for the past six years or so, but in the area where I live, I count myself lucky to find someone who even knows what it is, much less anyone that can help me. I've "trained" a few of my friends and family to recognize a few greetings and such I might randomly spout at them and I taught myself to almost sing a couple nursery songs, but that's as much practice as I actually get. I occasionally listen to a bit of talk radio or music when I can find it and have reached the point where it doesn't sound like gibberish and I can pick out a few words and phrases, but that's pitiful progress compared to the time I've spent working on it. Truth is, I'm getting rather frustrated and discouraged. I don't want to give it up, but blindly stumbling around in the dark isn't getting me very far.


So, I'm hoping to find somebody who is either more-or-less proficient in the language (or either one. I don't know much Irish, but I'd love to learn!) that would be willing to teach or somebody who is in the same boat as I am so that we can work together. Sure, it wouldn't be much for actual speaking skills (which is probably for the best because, honestly, I don't want anyone to hear my Southern self trying to talk) but it would be good for written conversation, getting through the trickier bits of grammar (like these awful irregular verbs), improving spelling, and sharing resources. I think it would also help because it would give us both a friend to work with and not feel so isolated or like we're attempting an impossible task.


If you don't know either of the languages, do you have any suggestions for someone learning by themselves?

 

[Grey]

I believe Duolingo does or will in time do a decent Irish program - I know a few people who have been contributing.  No idea about Scots Gaelic, I'm afraid.


What little Irish I learned, I forgot at the first opportunity, so I cannot help you.

 

[AlbaGuBrath]

Okay, well thanks anyway. I'll look into that!

 

[Kae]

I'm living in Northern Ireland, and we have compuslory Irish learning in our first three years of Secondary School (i died in each class)


but im more or less of a total flunk at Irish ._.

 

[AlbaGuBrath]

Really? I was of the understanding that it wasn't much used in Northern Ireland, according to an exchange student at my school. Maybe they were from another part of the country? They seemed a bit offended when I asked them, so I didn't press further.


Do you maybe remember any of the materials y'all used, or some books that might be helpful? I'm a little wary of trying to learn Irish at the same time as Scottish Gaelic because I may get them confused, but I think the grammar is similar enough to not cause many problems.

 

[Grey]

I can do some digging, but I know Irish education on this side of the border (south) is a bigger mess than the rest of our broken education system, so they may not be a ton of use.


For example, many of the books in my primary school were hand-me-downs printed ten years before I attended. 

 

[AlbaGuBrath]

Oh dear, that's unfortunate... But I'll definitely take a look at anything I can find. I'm fully expecting to not be able to learn much unless I'm able to actually go to the country for an extended bit of time, but I'd like to learn as much as possible beforehand. And I still want to learn Scottish Gaelic, but sadly, there's much less opportunity to use that, I suppose. But, you know, I can try.


I did take a look at Duolingo! It seems interesting, though apparently, it requires an Internet connection that I don't have at home. I've been using it for vocabulary review, mostly, and trying to learn how verb/subject combinations work exactly. I've worked with them before, but it's a new set and I'm working on figuring them out.

 

[AlbaGuBrath]

I used to listen to a radio station out of Barra that sometimes had Gaelic, which was pretty good except for this one woman with a CRAZY laugh (and apparently everything she heard or said was hilarious). I haven't heard from it in a long time, though, so I think it may be off the air.

 

[AlbaGuBrath]

Well, I have a bit of good news and bad news regarding that last post.


The good news is that I found that radio station again and it's still on air (or, at least, maybe just plays reruns), so I have a place to listen to some speech and music from time to time.


The bad news is that the laughing lady is too... Of course, I'm happy that she enjoys laughing so much, but it becomes quite impossible to listen to after a short while, especially since a good chunk of the words she says are half-laughed anyway.


I seem to remember a podcast or weekly program that has Gaelic stories or book excerpts that I would print out and work on translating, but I don't remember for sure...

 

[AlbaGuBrath]

Well, maybe if I keep this up long enough, someone will see and come join me. Or just come chat about language or whatever, yeah?


I an going to be taking an Indpendent Study next semester and I'm considering looking into arranging a course to learn Scots or Gaelic, perhaps as a precursor to Scots or Gaelic literature another semester. That would be awesome, but if there are any professors on campus familiar with either language, I don't think I know of them. So, I would have to find somebody willing to spend a semester learning a language at the same time as their student. I know a couple who might be willing to, but I'll have to find out for sure.


But that would be so great! And then I could actually read stuff without translations! I can read a little Scots as it is and can muddle through some Gaelic if I have a dictionary and loads of free time, but that's hardly really reading.

 

[AlbaGuBrath]

So, I've been talking to one of my professors about that study, and I'm trying to think of literature in these languages. I definitely would want to read more of Burns if we studied Scots, but I don't know much Gaelic literature. I think looking at mythology or folklore would be really neat in this respect.


Any suggestions?

 

[AlbaGuBrath]

Well, it looks like I won't be doing that study next semester, which kinda stinks... But maybe I'll find another chance. I'm stubborn.