Difference between Irish and Scot Gaelic

[Kent Frazier]

Wow, the first post in this form!

I'm curious as to what differences there are in Irish and Scot Gaelic. I was looking for a moniker to use on some other forums. Using what I thought was an online English to Scot Gaelic dictionary I found "dionadair". Which was/is suppose to mean "protector". When I looked up "dionadair" other places were saying it was Irish?

[Old Hippie]

I'm curious as to what differences there are in Irish and Scot Gaelic.

I used to fence with a guy from Ireland, when I lived in Iowa. Occasionally we'd try out bits of The Gaelic on each other -- he learnt his Irish Gaelic at the point of a nun's ruler, I have picked up a few phrases of Scottish Gaelic here and there. We found that we were unable to communicate. His wife was Italian; she understood neither of us.

He told me that in Ireland they say they speak Gaelic and the Scots speak "Erse", while the Scots I asked say that they speak Gaelic and the Irish speak "Irish."

That may not be helpful, but may define the scope of the question.

[EagleJCS]

From my limited understanding (and I speak neither of the twa), they are in the same language family, but there are enough differences in usage, vocabulary and pronunciation that the two are quite distinct - like Spanish and Italian are in the same family with each other, but they are different enough to be mutually unintelligble.

I have read that, given enough time, patience and a broad enough vocabulary, speakers of each form of Gaelic could garner a limited understanding of basic phrases, but not really enough to hold an in-depth conversation.

[Oldhiker]

Gaelic Language is divided into two major groups
Goidelic - Irish (Gaeilge), Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig), and Manx (Gaelg).
&
Brythonic - Welsh, Cornish, Breton

All the above are Celtic languages that migrated at different times to what is now Ireland and England.

I am just starting my Scottish Gaelic lessons and having a ball. Just now starting to see some of the similarities.
hope this helps

[Old Hippie]

I am just starting my Scottish Gaelic lessons and having a ball.

Where are you taking lessons? I've been thinking about trying to get a little more organized. Was looking at the online series from Sabhal Mor Ostaig...

I know myself well enough as a learner to know I need externally-set benchmarks to hit. Otherwise I'll give it over eventually.

:ootd:

[OC Richard]

The relationship between Scottish Gaelic and Irish is sort of like that between English and German: the core vocabulary is very similar, but there have been enough changes to make them be regarded as distinct languages.

About what to call these languages, "Irish" is the politically correct term when speaking English. "Erse" is regarded as somewhat pejorative. "Gaelic" should be reserved for Scottish Gaelic.

In Celtic: A Comparitive Study D B Gregor says:

...the family of Celtic languages consists of two branches according as they kept original Indo-European Q (Goidelic) or changed it to P (Brythonic) : e.g. the word for four: I-E kwetuor, Latin quattuor, Irish ceathair, Gaelic ceithir, Manx kiare, but Welsh pedwar, Cornish peswar, Breton peder.

In the same book is a passage for comparison. Here's one part, in Irish, then Scots Gaelic. Sorry I don't know how to do the accent marks. They're one of the things that makes Scots Gaelic look so different from Irish.

Irish:
20. Agus is iad seo iad i n-ar cuireadh an siol san talamh mhaith, an lucht a chluin an briathar, a ghlacas e agus a bheir toradh uatha, duine fa dheich ar fhichich, duine fa thri fhichidh, agus duine fa chead.

Scots Gaelic:
20. Agus is iad so iadsan a chuireadh ann an talamh maith; an dream a chluinneas am focal, agus a ghabhas e, agus a bheir a mach toradh, cuid a dheich thar fhicead uiread, cuid a thri ficead uiread, agus cuid a cheud uiread as a chuireadh.

[Eric Schutte]

Hello all,

I am hoping to get to the Clan MacLean gathering in Mull in 2012 and I really want at least a few words down before I go so.......anyone want to write back and forth in Scots Gaelic?

Thanks guys,

Eric Schutte

[Lallans]

I spent a few years smooching with an Irish speaker, so once had a direct personal interest. From what I could find out when I was making a study of the issue, about 10 years back, Irish gaelic is officially used and therefore protected from extinction in Eire, whereas Scottish gaelic seemed to be pretty much beyond endangered and into its last gasps everywhere in Scotland. It seemed to be more used in places like Cape Breton in Canada, and there almost entirely by professional musicians and so on. So, while I am totally unable to correspond in that language, I sincerely wish you all the best.

And I'm hoping for some severe contradiction on the 'last gasp' statement.

[BoldHighlander]

I spent a few years smooching with an Irish speaker, so once had a direct personal interest. From what I could find out when I was making a study of the issue, about 10 years back, Irish gaelic is officially used and therefore protected from extinction in Eire, whereas Scottish gaelic seemed to be pretty much beyond endangered and into its last gasps everywhere in Scotland. It seemed to be more used in places like Cape Breton in Canada, and there almost entirely by professional musicians and so on. So, while I am totally unable to correspond in that language, I sincerely wish you all the best.

And I'm hoping for some severe contradiction on the 'last gasp' statement.

I've heard more than once that it's still spoken in the Western Isles, though how wide spread & its frequency I could not tell you.

We have quite a little community of Scottish Gaelic speakers here in Washington state. unfortunately most seem to be well south of me (& for those east of the mountains here on the westside, for the most part), and due to transportation issues I'm unable to get together with them. I also attempted a couple of years ago to start up a local Gaidheal learning group, unfortunately that met with little success

So now I'm left to wondering about an on-line learning program (for a rank beginner)?

Any ideas?

[Eric Schutte]

Hi Terry,

You might check out Beag air Bheag (if you google this it should come up.). It is a BBC sponsored website that teaches you Scots Gaelic. I am using it often. Check it out....

Slainte,

Eric Schutte