A Focus on Scots Gaelic
Guest Post by D. Rowen Grove
Over the years, I have studied a number of European and non-European
languages. I lived in Puerto Rico for five years in my teens, and the study of
Spanish was both required by my high school and very useful for living in the
culture. This was my first experience in understanding the differences in
thought-patterns induced by extensive study of another language. Although I am
not now as fluent as I was then, I continue to have some random practice with
the language, and occasionally a fragment surfaces in my dreams.
In the late 1990s, I took up the study of Scots Gaelic, at first in order
to sing Hebridean music correctly, and continued because I became enamored of
the language itself. I tried adding Welsh a few years ago, but discovered that
I was not happy with this, as my Gaelic was becoming increasingly rusty and
tangled with the Welsh, so have reverted to working on the Gaelic on my own, as
my teacher is no longer in the area.
Scots Gaelic, or Gàidhlig, is one of the three languages of the Goidelic branch of Celtic
Languages, the other two being Irish [Gaelige]
and Manx [Gaelgey]. Both the Scots
and Manx forms, as well as modern Irish, are descended from Sengoidelc, the Old Irish. The language
was brought into the area which became Scotland by the Scoti, the Irish settlers / invaders of western Scotland in
approximately the fifth century CE.
Gaelic shares a considerable amount of vocabulary and grammar with other
Indo-European languages, such as the Germanic or Latinate language families,
but differs significantly in a number of respects. Some of these are as
follows:
1.
The
usual word order in Gaelic is Verb, Subject, Object, unlike the typical English
word order of Subject, Verb, Object. (Gaelic word order is occasionally altered
to Subject, Verb, Object, for purposes of emphasis or identity.)
2.
Gaelic
has no indefinite particle “a” or “an” as in “a house”, which would simply be “taigh”.
“The house” would be “an taigh.” “The house is small” is “tha an taigh beag.” (However, “caite a’bheil an taigh beag?” would be
understood as “where is the toilet?” – a useful phrase in any language, although
not one of ritual character.)
3. Gaelic
lacks the equivalent of the verb “to have,” using a construction such as, “tha taigh agam” – literally “[a] house
is at me”, rather than “I have a house.” This form is consistent for most
things one “has”; a house, a cat, a spouse; an illness, however, is “on” the
individual. Other things, such as hunger or thirst, are also “on” or “in” the
person (or thing.) One says, “tha an
padagh orm” – “the thirst is on me”, rather than “I am thirsty.” [See
Appendix A for the different forms of the prepositions aig (at), air (on), le (with, by), ann (in), and do (to).]
4. Gaelic
has no exact equivalent to “yes” or “no”; instead, most questions are answered
by repeating the verb in the appropriate manner. “A bheil thu a’dol anise?” (“are you going now?”) would be answered
with “tha” (literally “am”) or “chan eil” (“am not”).
5. In common with other modern Celtic languages, Gaelic
words often have initial mutations, called lenitions, which depend on the
preceding word or on their syntax. The two most common of these are caused by
the possessives mo (my), do (your) or a (his), and the vocative case. As an example of lenition, Talamh-Màthair,
(Earth Mother) becomes Thalamh-Màthair
when addressed; the initial T is then silent, shifting the pronunciation from
TA-lahv to HA-lahv. If one were simply addressing “Màthair”, the word would mutate as “a Mhàthair”, and the pronunciation would change from MAH-hair to
VAH-hair. (A full survey of lenitions
would be too extensive to attempt here.)
6.
In common with many other
Indo-European languages, although not English, Gaelic nouns have gender, and
there is no neutral gender or “it” in the language. The gender of inanimate
objects must be learned by experience, as there seems to be no particular
order, and unlike the Latinate languages, the gender is not indicated by the
orthography.
7. Most
Gaelic adjectives, like those of many European languages (although again, not
English) follow the noun they modify. Thus, “an
cù dubh” literally, “the dog black.”
8.
There are two forms of the
verb “to be”, the more common being “tha”,
and the other “is”, which is used for
persons or other animate things, as in “is
mise Rowen”, “I am Rowen”, or “is an
athro a tha ann”, “it is the teacher that is in him”, i.e. “he is a teacher.”
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but does cover some of the most
commonly encountered differences. It should be kept in mind that for Gaelic, as
well as other languages, there is in most cases no such thing as an exact
translation from or into English (or any other language.) Modern
spoken Gaelic contains a number of borrowings from English (and occasionally other
languages), many of which are for things which were not part of traditional
Gaelic culture, such as cofaidh for
coffee, and peatroil for petrol. Now
and again English acquires a word from Gaelic, as in the word “galore”, which
comes from the Gaelic gu leor: plenty,
enough. Gaelic also contains a number of cognates, particularly with other
Celtic languages, derived from Latin or from their common Indo-European
ancestry. Once the orthography is understood (admittedly a somewhat lengthy
task), the pronunciation and spelling are considerably less daunting that they
often appear to learners.
As far as we are aware, there is very little surviving influence into Scots
Gaelic from the Pictish language, or other languages which may have been in use
in Western Scotland and the Hebrides prior to the influx of the Scoti from Ireland in the fifth century
CE. There may be some remains of the Cumbric language of the Northern British culture (Newton, 227); there are many Gaelic cognates with modern Welsh, as in the words for
“river”: abhainn vs. afon. (The pronunciations
are very close: AH-vain vs. AH-von.)
It is, however, uncertain which cognates are derived from Latin or other
sources, or are similar due to a common Indo-European heritage. It is also
difficult to determine when Scots Gaelic began to diverge significantly from
the Irish, as the first extant Gaelic documents were written in the 12th
century. (Russell, 27.) Many medieval Gaelic documents continued to be written
in an Irish orthography, although the early sixteenth-century Book of the Dean of Lismore (a
collection of Gaelic poetry made by two brothers, Sir James
and Duncan MacGregor,) indicates a separate
dialect at that point. (Russell, 28.) The original orthography of the Book of the Dean of Lismore varies
considerably from that of the nineteenth century printing; I have also observed
that the nineteenth century spelling varies somewhat from current practices.
The Gaelic language suffered under James VI and I, whose antagonism
toward Gaelic culture was fueled partly by anti-Catholic prejudices of the
Reformation, and partly by his determination to bring the Gaelic clan
chieftains under his control. Nine Gaelic chieftains were abducted and forced
to sign the 1609 Statutes of Iona, “designed to Anglicize leaders and
institutions of Gaelic society in order to bring them under control of central
government.” (Newton, 60). The travelling bards, keepers of the oral culture,
were outlawed, and all families of wealth were required to send their heirs to
be taught to “speik, reid, and wryte Inglische,” (Newton, 61) thus alienating
the upcoming generation of leaders from their native culture.
English attacks on the language and culture continued, particularly
following the disastrous Jacobite uprising of 1745, and the beginning of the
Highland Clearances by absentee landlords; Dr. Samuel Johnson observed in 1773,
“of what [the Gaels] had before the late conquest of their country, there
remains only their language and their poverty, and their language is attacked
on every side.” (quoted in Newton, 69.) Farther deliberate suppression of the
Gaelic language and culture continued in the 19th and 20th
centuries, until it was pushed out of most of Scotland, to survive now mostly
in a few western coastal communities, some of the Hebrides, and the Gaelic-speaking
cultural enclaves of Nova Scotia, Canada.
Languages may reflect, often in subtle ways, the values of their
associated culture/s. For example, I would conjecture that the usage of the
prepositions “at” or “on” to indicate ownership, rather than a verb meaning
specifically “to have” may indicate less stress on material possessions within
the culture. Also, the two common forms of “you”, which are thu (singular, informal) and sibh, (formal or plural) are still very
much in use, reflecting, perhaps, the importance still given to different
levels of formality appropriate in addressing those who are one’s equals, or of
showing respect for elders. This
distinction has largely been lost in modern English usage.
In Gaelic, as in other languages, there may be many ways to say a given
thing, and context is important in any translation; a literal word-for-word
approach is seldom satisfactory. Several years ago, I was asked to assist a
young couple, who (although they did not speak Gaelic) wished to renew their
wedding vows in that language, and had attempted their own translation. For the
phrase “body and soul” they had used Gaelic words which would have been
understood by a native speaker as “corpse and ghost” – literally correct, but hardly
what they wanted to convey. My own suggestion was “spionnadh
agus spiorad,” literally, “strength and
spirit”; this was closer to what they wished to say, and in addition included
the alliteration often found in Gaelic poetry. When making my own translations, I
had to look up many words for which I did not know the Gaelic equivalent. In
many cases, the English word had several possible translations, so for each of
these, I first checked the English-to-Gaelic translation, then for each Gaelic
word given, checked multiple Gaelic-to-English sources, until a good match was
found.
The
initial “O” in the English translation of many phrases below corresponds to the
vocative particle “a” in Gaelic. (See
note on lenition in the vocative case above.)
1.
A Thalamh-Màthair, is mise / sinnse do leanabh
/ clann.
O Earth Mother, I am /
we are your child / children.
2.
Tro
Teine ‘s tro Uisge Coisrigte, rinn an t-àite seo glan ‘s naomh.
By Fire and by sacred
Water, this place is made pure and holy.
3.
A
Thobar Coisrigte, ruithibh a’annam / a’annain.
O Sacred Well, flow
within me / us.
4.
A
Theine Coisrigte, loisgibh a’annam / a’annain.
O Sacred Fire, burn
within me / us.
5.
A
Chraobh Coisrigte, cinnibh a’annam / a’annain.
O Sacred Tree, grow
within me / us.
6.
Tro
talamh, tro muir, ‘s tro na speur,
By land, by sea, and by
the heavens;
7.
tro
Teine, tro Tobar, ‘s tro an Craobh Cosrigte,
by Fire, by Well and by
(the) Sacred Tree,
8.
rinn
an Coille Cosrigte naomhaich.
the Sacred Grove is made
holy.
9.
Cuireadh
mi do ___________________, thoir dhomh còmhnadh ann
an obair seo.
I call upon
__________________, to aid me in this work.
10. mo shinnshearan
ur sinnshearan
my Ancestors our
Ancestors
11. càirdeas-fala no càirdeas-cridhe
blood-kin or heart-kin
12. na Sluagh na Fearann
the Folk of the Land
13. na Diathan àrd deàrrsach
the High and Shining
Gods
14. Cuir mi fàilt’ aig mo theine
coisrigte.
I give welcome at my
sacred fire.
15. A’ Chàirdeach-trioblaich,
Diathan àrd, tuath a’ talamh,‘s na
sinnshearan seann, cuireadh mi / sinn dhuibh.
O
triple Kindreds, High Gods, Land-folk and Ancestors, I / we call to you.
16. A’ ______________, cuireadh mi / sinn dhuibh
O
________________, I / we call to you.
17. Failte dhuibh fhein, a Dhiathan,
a thuath a’ fearann, a mo shinnshearan seann.
Be welcome, o Gods, o
Land Folk, o my ancient ancestors.
18. Dèan mi /
sinn an ìobair seo.
I / we make this
sacrifice.
19. Leigaibh mo
labhairt èirich suas
air a’ Teine,
Let
my voice arise on the Flame,
20. leigaibh mo labhairt fuamnach ann a’ Tobar,
let
my voice resound in the Well,
21. leigaibh an Craobh
dèan cinnteach
let the Tree hold fast
22. an slighe sa’
mheadar.
the way
[road] between.
23.
A
Dhiathan àrd, gaibhaidh mi / sinn ìobairt dhuibh.
O high Gods, I / we have
given sacrifice to you.
24.
Bitheadh an dha-Sealladh orm, bitheadh an Fios ceart annam.
Be the true Sight on me;
be the true Knowledge in me.
25. Dè fàisneachd thoir
dhomh / dhuinn cuir air ais?
What omen do you give me
/ us in return?
26. A Thuath Primideach, gaibhaidh mi oigheam ‘s urram dhuibh.
O Ancient Ones, I have
given homage and honor to you.
27. Dèan mi / sinn ùrnaigh anise,
thoir dhomh / dhuinn do bheannachadh,
I /we pray now, give me
/ us your blessing,
28. cho tabhartas
iarr tabhartas air ais.
as a gift calls for a
gift in return.
29. Tha an pathadh
orm / oirnn air nan Uisgean Beatha.
I / we
thirst for the Waters of Life.
30. Bitheadh na
sòlas-speur deàrrsaich, losgadh,
May
the light of the heavens shine and burn
31. ann an cupa
beannaichte seo.
in
this cup of blessing.
32. A ______________________, mo /
ar bhuideachas airson do chòmhnadh.
O ______________________, my / our
gratitude for your aid.
33. A ______________, coimheadair mòr a’ na geataichean, mo bhuideachas a-rithist airson
do chòmhnadh.
O ______________, Great Gatekeeper,
my gratitude again for your aid.
34.
Bitheadh
an Teine Coisrigte a-mhàin teine,
Be the Sacred Fire only
flame,
35.
Bitheadh an Tobar Coisrigte a-mhàin uisge,
be the Sacred Well only
water,
36.
bitheadh an Craobh Coisrigte a-mhàin fiodh,
be the Sacred Tree only
wood,
37.
ach air na draoidheachd de rinn mi.
except for the druid-magic
that I have made.
38. Tha an obair seo
seachad.
This work is finished.
Interestingly,
I have as yet found no specific Scots Gaelic term for “inspiration” which would
correspond to the Irish term Imbas,
or the Welsh Awen. “To inspire” is “cuir ann an inntinn,” literally, to put on the purpose or
will. Two Gaelic terms for “inspiration”
are àrdachadh-inntinn and dùsgadh-inntinn. “Àrdachadh” is to advance, to elevate; dùsgadh translates as regeneration or revival; but intinn on its own signifies intellect,
mind, purpose, or will, not inspiration.
For ritual purposes, I tend to borrow the Irish term, Imbas.
Appendix
A: Gaelic forms of common prepositions
Aig Air Le Ann Do
(at) (on) (with, by) (in) (to)
Mi (I,
me) agam orm leam annam dhomh
Thu (you*) agad ort leat annad dhut
E
(he, him) aige air leis ann dha
I (she,
her) aice oirre leatha innte dhi
Sinn
(we, us) againn oirnn leinn annain dhuinn
Sibh
(you**) agaibh oirbh leibh annaibh dhuibh
Iad
(them, they) aca orra leotha annta dhaibh
Thus, “at me” is agam, “to us” is dhuinn, “with
her” is leatha, and so forth.
* “you” singular, informal
** “you” formal or plural
Bibliography
Bannerman,
John, Studies in the History of Dalriada,
Edinburgh, Scottish Academic Press Ltd., 1974. Print.
Dwelly,
Edmund, The Illustrated Gaelic-English
Dictionary; 11th ed., Glasgow, Gairm Publications, 1994. Print.
Evans,
H. Meurig, Y Geiriadur Mawr: The Complete
Welsh-English / English-Welsh Dictionary, Llandybie, Cyhoeddwyer, 1994.
Print.
MacGregor,
Sir James, and Duncan MacGregor, ed. Rev. Thomas M’Lauchlan and William F.
Skene, The Dean of Lismore's Book: a
Selection of Ancient Gaelic Poetry, From a Manuscript Collection Made by Sir
James M'Gregor, Dean of Lismore, in the Beginning of the Sixteenth Century,
Edinburgh, Edmonston and Douglas, 1862. Print. (This is now generally referred
to as The Book of the Dean of Lismore.)
MacLeannan,
Malcolm, A Pronouncing and Etymological
Dictionary of the Gaelic Language, Glasgow, Gairm Publications, 1997.
Print.
MacNeill,
Morag; Everyday Gaelic, Glasgow,
Gairm Publications, 1984. Print.
Mark,
Colin B. D.; Gaelic Verbs: Systemized and
Simplified, Edinburgh, Steve Savage, 2006. Print.
Newton,
Michael, A Handbook of the Scottish
Gaelic World, Dublin, Four Courts Press, 2000. Print.
Russell,
Paul, An Introduction to the Celtic Languages, London and New York,
Longman, 1995. Print.
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