![]() the ceilidh represented the community that joined together in entertainment created from within itself. “The traditional ceilidh which was held in the village in the village ceilidh house was a celebration of the happenings of the village, it was alive, it was a diary and a repeated record.” ( Real People in a Real Place, p. The poet, Iain Mac a’ Ghobhainn, or in English Iain Crichton Smith, described his view of the traditional céilidh: It refers also to a gathering at a “céilidh house” where songs, poems, stories, and news are shared, usually amongst people who know each other well an expanded form of a visit and an expanded form of what might happen in a visit with a friend or relation. However, the basic meaning of the term is to visit. Or perhaps a concert or performance with several singers or musicians taking turns on a stage. For many readers, the term may immediately conjure up a band, dancing, and lots of beer. Ĭéilidh – the word resounds with joy, fun, and music even to those who have no intention of learning the language. Let’s take as our first example one of the Scottish Gaelic terms best known to English speakers: céilidh. ![]() I caution that this is but a smattering of the possibilities. But in this essay, I will offer a few of the terms that I think reflect the relationship of the speaker to his or her community, and suggest how even a single word can convey a different way of viewing our reality that is entirely unique to the Scottish Gaelic language. They speak to us of both Scottish Gaelic culture and mindset.Īcademic linguists may take issue with my interpretations. If grammar is the path we walk, and sayings and phrases are the landscape itself, words may be like stones along the path that opens ultimately to a new horizon. However, even single words can unlock a new way of seeing and relating to the world. Scottish Gaelic sayings and word combinations are also rich in meaning. To be sure, it’s only glimpses in the beginning, but those glimpses draw the learner into a deeper relationship with the language.įar from Samuel Johnson’s characterization of Gaelic as the “rude speech of a barbarous people,” Scottish Gaelic is a poetic language with complex concepts of time, and the intersection of people and place, embedded within the grammar and vocabulary.Īlthough the student of Scottish Gaelic may well find its grammar complex and challenging, deeper study reveals, embedded within its grammar, a different way of viewing the world that requires some conversion to its philosophy in order to understand it. ![]() Learning a new language is, at its best, opening new ways of viewing the world. Through the Eye of the Gael – Discovering hidden meaning in Scottish Gaelic words The stepping stones across the outflow at Loch Doine in the Trossachs National Park in Scotland Through the Eye of the Gael – Tro shùil nan Gàidhealĭiscovering hidden meaning in Scottish Gaelic words – A’ togail ciall falaichte bho fhaclan Gàidhlig ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |