Re: Gaelic thing
| From: | Ray Brown <ray.brown@...> |
|---|
| Date: | Tuesday, July 9, 2002, 18:20 |
|---|
On Monday, July 8, 2002, at 02:43 , Keith Gaughan wrote:
> From: Abrigon Gusiq [mailto:abrigon@YAHOO.COM]
>
>> Sadly by forcing Irish Gaelic on people, they likely seperate
>> themselves other places that speak a related lingo, but who
>> would not care to join with the Erse Gaelic speakers..
>>
>> Places that are currently rejoing the Celtic lingo world,
>> like Cornwall, or places like Brittany, Nova Scotia (speaking
>> a mixture of Erse and Scot Gaelic), Mann (who used to speak a
>> local version of Gaelic), Wales and like.
>
> Um, maybe it's just a local thing here, but Erse *is* Scot's Gaelic.
> Irish, on the other hand, it Irish Gaelic.
Quite right - and the term is not very polite either.
'Erse' was originally a lowland Scots variant of the word 'Irish' and
was applied derogatively to the Gaelic speaking Scots highlanders,
implying that they were wild & uncouth like the Irish (thus, of course,
insulting both highlanders and Irish).
One normally now speaks of (Scots) Gaelic. Irish is and always has
been Irish (Gaelic).
I don't understand what Abrigon means by "Places that are currently
rejoin[in]g the Celtic lingo world.........."
When, pray, did Wales & Brittany _leave_?
My dictionary defines "lingo" as:
"language, especially one despised or not understood; the jargon of
a profession or class"
Does Abrigon mean that the 'Celtic' languages are inferior, or that they
are jargons kept alive by nationalists?
>> Better to join as one and be something new (like a natural occuring
>> Conlang), or sink in old pride.
Something new will *not* be a 'naturally occurring Conlang.' The
differences between the Gaelics are, I guess, of similar degree to
the differences between Danish, Norwegian & Swedish. Perhaps those
languages also should join together before they each 'sink in old pride'.
But the differences between Welsh, Cornish and Breton are greater; one
might just as well try to join, say, French, Spanish & Italian - it could
only be done artificially. But why should one do this?. Why should not
the Italians be proud of their own language, the French of theirs and
the Spaniards of theirs?
Why should the Welsh change their ancient language which, moreover, has
official status with English within Wales itself? But, of course, it's
only a lingo - not a real language! Fancy having official documents
written in a lingo!!
No - IMNSHO the world is poorer every time the last native speaker of a
particular language dies (Fortunately, Welsh is very far from that
position).
Ray.
CENEDL HEB IAITH, CENEDL HEB GALON
A nation without a language [is]A nation without a heart.
Replies