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Gaelic

Acaila

As a matter of interest, do you study or have you studied (in secondary education) Gaelic?

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Reply 1

kildare

Sorry just clicked on this off the main page, didn't realise it was in the Scottish Highers thread. I studied Irish rather than Scottish Gaelic.

Reply 2

smallthoms

No, because I'm not Scottish or Irish.

GCSE Welsh is compulsory in state schools in Wales, so I have studied a minority language. It has been of no use whatsoever, plus the teacher was rubbish so all in all, it wasn't a rewarding expreience.

I wouldn't mind speaking it, it's just that given the chance I'd rather learn a European language.

Reply 3

karisa

I would have liked to have taken it, school didn't offer it though. Maybe it would be less of a minority subject if it was made compulsory in schools- need to keep our scottish heritage alive after all!!

Reply 4

DRWallace

Nope. I don't know anyone who did even though our school took away our common room and turned it into a gaelic classroom. :mad:

Reply 5

Acaila

Oooh I'd be really mad if our school tried to do that!
Mind you our school has almost as many Gaelic teachers as modern languages teachers, despite only about 20 people in the whole school (big school) taking Gaelic.

Reply 6

WhatFreshHell?

I'm not desperate to learn a minority language.

Just let it die!

Reply 7

Wee Dave

Here here

*Waits to see how many attack him*

Reply 8

Cool_Guy

Wee Dave

Here here

*Waits to see how many attack him*

*attacks Dave* :biggrin:

Reply 9

Davie_Moyes

My primary school had a seperate Galeic Unit.

Reply 10

Acaila

Hear hear! :biggrin:

(My mum's a modern languages teacher - I've been brainwashed against it since birth :biggrin:

)

Reply 11

smallthoms

Acaila

Hear hear! :biggrin:

(My mum's a modern languages teacher - I've been brainwashed against it since birth :biggrin:

)

The modern langs teachers in our school hate Welsh too. It seems to be a common thing.

Reply 12

Acaila

Minority languages get all the money while the other teachers have to make do with a handful of graffitid dictionaries for 30 pupils, while minority classes get about 5 dictionaries per pupil :biggrin:

Reply 13

Wee Dave

Acaila

graffitid dictionaries for 30 pupils, :biggrin:

that was the best bit about french its was like a goss mag of who's shagging who :biggrin:

Reply 14

Acaila

Usually untrue of course :biggrin:

And of course the Turner prize winning artwork of the male genitalia :rolleyes:

My mum got me a huge French Dictionary, which was in pristine condition and had all the words I ever needed, so my only fear of reading exams was how to fit the dictionary onto the desk :biggrin:

Reply 15

AngelofnoColour

Shane knows how to speak gaelic, he taught me a few words, such as 'le gra'.

Reply 16

Voboj

It is a bit unfair about complaining about resources being directed towards minority languages when thise languages are minority languages as a result of centuries of persecution. My mother speaks Gaelic but never taught me as she thought it would be no use...and I really wish she had.

By whingeing on about dying languages being left to die you are actually colluding in a cultural genocide that has been perpetrated over generations.

Reply 17

NDGAARONDI

Voboj

It is a bit unfair about complaining about resources being directed towards minority languages when thise languages are minority languages as a result of centuries of persecution.

Such as the language spoken by parts of what is now England when the Anglosaxons and the Normans came to the island...

Reply 18

Voboj

My point is that the resources are being directed so as to remedy a condition before it becomes irremediable.

Reply 19

Acaila

Voboj

Whoa! Easy tiger. Don't start throwing words like that around.
What's more unfair is that Gaelic gets all the resources that other languages can only dream about
My point is that we shouldn't live in the past. Preserving culture is a good thing, but is language really that much a part of culture? Your mother was probably right when she thought that Gaelic wouldn't be any use to you.

Something I've noticed through talking with my friend who is studying Advanced Higher Gaelic (the only one in the school), and going on to do a degree in Gaelic (which he needs 1 Higher at grade C to get in to), is that Gaelic in schools does like to focus on the persecution of Gaelic. He has to study poetry on two themes for his AH - the themes being the Highland Clearances and the death of Gaelic at the hands of English. I've read some of the poetry (they get given the translations. Since they don't actually expect the students to understand Gaelic of course. That would mean fewer would pass and would make it look like there were fewer Gaelic speakers around :rolleyes:

) and it is quite scarily xenophobic. Blame it on the English seems to be the message of almost all of it. Wheras studying a language like French or German gives you an insight into a different culture - promoting tolerance rather than fostering resentment.