RedXIII
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Fri May-19-06 08:10 PM
Original message |
Is Scotch/Irish Gaelic a offical language? |
supernova
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Fri May-19-06 08:12 PM
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1. That's Galic in Scotland and yes |
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it is an official language, as is Welsh.
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RedXIII
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Fri May-19-06 08:13 PM
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2. We should make Gaelic mandortory in american schools. |
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'S e dùthaich gun anam a th'ann dùthaich gun cànan"?
Gu fìor; tha h-uile rud an-seo airson adhbhar. Gun e/i, marbhaidh 'n iomadachd na t-saoghail seo bìdeag is bìdeag. 'S e cànan àlainn A th'anns a' Ghàidhlig... bu lugha orm e fhaicinn dhol.
Cho fad is bhitheadh na Ceiltich cànanan beò, agus tha ùidh againn orra, bidh ann ronn na dòchais dhaibh.
("A country without a language is a country without a soul"?
Truly; everything is here for a reason. Without it, the diversity of this world will die piece by piece. It is a lovely language that Gaelic is... I would hate to see it go.
As long as the Celtic languages are alive, and we are interested in them, there will be some hope for them.)
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GreenPartyVoter
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Fri May-19-06 08:23 PM
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LiberalEsto
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Fri May-19-06 09:28 PM
Response to Reply #2 |
18. Just out of curiosity, |
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why isn't Gaelic spelled the way it sounds?
For those who don't speak Celtic languages, trying to pronounce something is almost impossible. For example, the name Siobhan -- it's pronounced something like Shavone, right? And Ciara is pronounced Kera. I've always wondered about it.
My native language is Estonian, and every letter of the Estonian alphabet is pronounced only one way. When you see a word written in Estonian, every letter is pronounced. For example raamat (book) is pronounced r-aa-m-a-t, with the a pronounced as we would say aah.
It was a challenge for me as a kid trying to pronounce English words like laugh and cough, because I thought you had to pronounce the g and h.
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LostinVA
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Fri May-19-06 10:03 PM
Response to Reply #18 |
20. Or Sine or ceilidh or uisge... |
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I've had a little bit of Irish Gaelic -- oi!
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OffWithTheirHeads
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Fri May-19-06 08:18 PM
Response to Original message |
3. In unoccupied Ireland, Gaelic is taught |
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as the first language in all the schools. The street sighns are in Gaelic. The town names are in Gaelic. The prevailing dialect is Gaelic. Would you expect less?
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dflprincess
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Fri May-19-06 08:27 PM
Response to Reply #3 |
9. And, I believe, all official documents are printed in both |
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Edited on Fri May-19-06 08:29 PM by dflprincess
English and Gaelic. However, there are very few areas in Ireland where Gaelic is still the first language. The areas where it is still the dominant language are called Gaelteacht. I know there is one in Donegal, but I'm not sure where the other ones. Most the native Irish people I've met don't know anymore of the language than I do. (I used to be able to have a simple conversation in it, but lack of use has caused me to lose what little I did know.)
The Irish and Scots versions of the language are similiar and a fluent speaker in one can get by fairly well in the other. Welsh is also considered a Gaelic language, but is very different.
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Lisa
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Fri May-19-06 08:38 PM
Response to Reply #9 |
13. my Irish co-worker has his university diploma over his desk -- in Gaelic |
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Edited on Fri May-19-06 08:39 PM by Lisa
I believe he went to UC Cork.
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Gormy Cuss
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Fri May-19-06 08:40 PM
Response to Reply #9 |
14. West Galway is Gaeltacht |
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As an American from a community where there were old Galway immigrants, I'm afraid my knowledge of Gaelic is quite limited and mostly scatalogical.
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evlbstrd
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Fri May-19-06 08:19 PM
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4. If a language is in active use, |
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I would think that's official enough for ya.
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Swamp Rat
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Fri May-19-06 08:24 PM
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6. Yes, they are 'official' languages, as are Russian, Bantu, Catalan... |
im10ashus
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Fri May-19-06 08:25 PM
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H2O Man
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Fri May-19-06 08:26 PM
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a group of dialects that fall under "Gaelic," including Irish, Scottish, and Manx.
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valerief
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Fri May-19-06 08:31 PM
Response to Original message |
10. Scotch is a whiskey, not a language. Maybe there's a Scottish |
Spider Jerusalem
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Fri May-19-06 08:33 PM
Response to Reply #10 |
11. Actually, it's a WHISKY.... |
valerief
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Fri May-19-06 08:37 PM
Response to Reply #11 |
12. My American Heritage dictionary gives the preferred |
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Edited on Fri May-19-06 08:38 PM by valerief
spelling as whiskey. Why whisky?
edited to update Never mind. I see that whisky is used with Scotch. Oh, well, I'll have to belt down a few as penance tonight.
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Spider Jerusalem
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Fri May-19-06 08:41 PM
Response to Reply #12 |
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Edited on Fri May-19-06 08:42 PM by Spider Jerusalem
Not Irish or bourbon.
From the OED:
whisky, whiskey, n¹
("hwIskI) Also 8 -kie, -kee. (Short for whiskybae, etc. (Gael. uisgebeatha lit. 'water of life'), though this is not actually evidenced so early (but Ramsay has usque for usquebaugh, q.v., in 1728). In modern trade usage, Scotch whisky and Irish whiskey are thus distinguished in spelling; whisky is the usual spelling in Britain and whiskey that in the U.S.)
a. A spirituous liquor distilled originally in Ireland and Scotland, and in the British Isles still chiefly, from malted barley (with or without unmalted barley or other cereals), in U.S. chiefly from maize or rye. With a and pl., a drink of whisky.
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valerief
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Fri May-19-06 08:42 PM
Response to Reply #16 |
17. I'm a Maker's Mark gal myself. n/t |
LostinVA
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Fri May-19-06 10:05 PM
Response to Reply #11 |
21. Actually, it's a "uisge beatha" |
RagingInMiami
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Sat May-20-06 06:52 AM
Response to Reply #21 |
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"Ishca Baha" - Water of Life. The English were unable to pronounce that during their conquest of Ireland, so they just called it Whisky.
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LostinVA
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Sat May-20-06 07:54 AM
Response to Reply #23 |
24. Those English didn't know a real language -- or drink -- when they saw |
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it. Yummers!
Druids I know use it as a sacrifice/offering, btw...
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Ilsa
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Fri May-19-06 08:41 PM
Response to Original message |
15. Here's some BBC radio links including Gaelic and Welsh programming: |
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http://www.radiofeeds.co.uk/ Provides a listing of a lot of UK and Irish radio stations. http://www.bbc.co.uk/cymru/radiocymru/ Here is one for south Wales. Maybe you'll hear some native language on this station. http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/alba/ BBC radio Gaelic. Even if they are off the air, it is nice to hear that voice and language. (It must have been my language in another life.)
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LostinVA
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Fri May-19-06 10:02 PM
Response to Original message |
19. Irish is a required class in Ireland |
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Or it was when my Irish friend was in school. \
I also believe Welsh is an "official" language, although not to the effort/extent Irish is.
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muriel_volestrangler
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Sat May-20-06 06:01 AM
Response to Reply #19 |
22. Welsh is pretty close |
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It's a compulsory subject in Welsh schools up to age 16; some schools are Welsh-language based. http://www.bwrdd-yr-iaith.org.uk/cynnwys.php?pID=143&langID=2The 4th broadcast channel in Wales uses the Welsh language. It has government support as well as advertising revenue. The Assembly works in both English and Welsh; whether this is representative or not I don't know, but 2 out of 9 oral questions in the latest question session were asked in Welsh.
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LostinVA
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Sat May-20-06 07:55 AM
Response to Reply #22 |
25. Thanks for the info -- very interesting! |
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