A Scots Gaelic Primer

A Scots Gaelic Primer - Part One
By Jeff MacLeod Ramsden, FSA (Scot)
Regional Vice President Clan MacLeod Society

There has been an incredible resurgence of interest in the language of our ancestors in recent times. Thankfully, many people around the world are once again learning the ancient language of the Gael.

And for those of you that have tried it, it's not easy, is it?

What makes Scots Gaelic (Gàidhlig - pronounced "Gah-lick") so difficult to learn is that there are few people that speak it fluently outside of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland (which makes practicing difficult), coupled with the fact that it just doesn't sound like it looks to a native English speaker. Hopefully, I can help with some of that in this series.

Before we begin, I'd like to take a moment to thank Deborah White of Distant Oaks for her assistance with this series. Deborah teaches Irish Gaelic (Gaeilge) and Gàidhlig in the San Francisco bay area of California, USA, and provided lots of help, contributions, and corrections. There really isn't any substitute for having a living, breathing teacher ... If you'd like formal instruction, please let me know and I'll be happy to help you find a teacher in your area. Deborah has an excellent and active mailing list, write her at gaidheal@distantoaks.com for information on joining. It's a great way to practice your reading and writing.

Now for the messy (but fun!) stuff.

Before we get started with phrases, there are a few rules to keep in mind. In Gàidhlig, the verb comes first....a bit like you're asking a question all the time. For example:

English

Englic (English with Gàidhlig rules)

It is nice weather today Is it nice weather that is in it today?

I am tired Am I tired

It sounds a bit strange at first, but you will get used to it in no time at all.

The next thing is that Gàidhlig, like most languages (but not English) uses the concept of the formal and informal "you." That is, if you don't know someone very well, and unless they ask you to address them familiar, you should use the formal speech. Think of it this way - anyone you would address as "Mr.", "Mrs.", "Ms.", "Dr.", etc, use the formal. There is also the concept of "masculine" and "feminine" nouns, but we won't get into those quite yet.

The Gàidhlig word for "is, am, are" is written "tha" (and pronounced "ha"). Now that we have the cornerstone, we can add the mortar:

English

Gàidhlig

Sounds Like

I Mi mee

You (fam. or sing.) Thu oo

He E ay (as in "say")

She I ee

We Sinn sheeng

You (form. or plural) Sibh Sheev

They Iad ee-aht

Okay, now we'll add a few adjectives, so that we can start making sentences.

English

Gàidhlig

Sounds Like

Cold Fuar foo-ahr

Hot Teth tchay

Happy Sona sohn-ah

Sad Brònach broh-nach

Good Math mah

Big Mór mohr

Little Beag bek

Now we're up and running! We can now make quite a few simple sentences and impress all of our friends with our new-found Gàidhlig knowledge. Remember, the verb is at the beginning. I've added the word-by-word literal translation in the column entitled "Englic." Why "Englic?" Because I have a slightly twisted sense of humor. But I digress.

Watch:

English

Gàidhlig

Englic

You are cold Tha sibh fuar Are you cold

We are hot Tha sinn teth Are we hot

She is happy Tha i sona Is she happy

They are sad Tha sinn brònach Are they sad

He is bad Tha e dona Is he bad

I am good Tha mi math Am I good

We are big Tha sinn mór Are we big

We are little Tha sinn beag Are we little

See? It's really not so difficult when you break it up into little pieces.

Now we'll double our knowledge with the negative form. Remember that "tha" is the word for "is/are/am?" Well, the converse is written "chan eil", pronounced "chayn yale" - the "ch" being pronounced like the end of "loch." Here we go!

English

Gàidhlig

You are not cold	Chan eil sibh fuar
We are not hot	Chan eil sinn teth
She is not happy	Chan eil i sona
You are not sad	Chan eil thu brònach
He is not bad	Chan eil e dona
I am not good	Chan eil mi math
They are not big	Chan eil iad mór
We are not little	Chan eil sinn beag

See? Look how many sentences you've learned already! And we just doubled it by adding two words to your arsenal!

Now for our finale for this installment. Here are two phrases that you will hear around Gàidhlig speakers fairly often. They are amazingly useful, and two of the first things you will learn in most any language - "How are you?" and the usual response - "I am fine."

English

Gàidhlig

Sounds Like

How are you?	Ciamar a tha thu?	Kim-mur uh ha oo?
I am very good. (I am fine)	Tha mi gu math.	Ha mee goo mah.

Try practicing these with your friends and family. You'll be surprised how fast it sinks in.

In our next installment, we'll get into more complex vocabulary as well as the concepts of masculine and feminine nouns. Don't worry....just a little bit of practise and you'll soon be speaking the Gàidhlig!

Slan, mar sin leibh an dràsda
(Slahn, mar shin leeve an drahsta) -
(Health, goodbye for now)

This article previously appeared in the
Clan MacLeod Society Pacific Region Website

For information on the Clan MacLeod (Pacific Region) and its activities, send an E-Mail to info@macleodpacific.org

Thursday, December 26th, 2019

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