Mythbusters! Brag air na breugan!
There is a plethora of myths about Scottish Gaelic, the main one is that the language is on its last legs – the language is far from dead, but it needs enthusiastic speakers (and learners) to thrive in modern Scotland and beyond. Watch the video and see what learners think.
Myth: Gaelic is dying
“You know right across the world there are hundreds if not thousands of languages that are endangered at the moment. That’s why it’s so important to protect Gaelic.”
“There is increased respect from government and public agencies in Scotland, the heightened profile of the language in Scottish public life.”
“I’m seeing a lot more diverse folk coming through, it’s not linguists, it’s not your academics. Everybody wants to learn it.”
Myth: Gaelic was never spoken here
“It’s part of what connects us to our heritage and history of our own country, and you know for a country like Scotland that is innately so proud of its heritage it does quite bamboozle me that people can be quite dismissive, initially, of the Gaelic language.”
Myth: it’s too late to learn
You may think that you are too old, but it is never to late to learn a new language, here are some quotes from learners.
“It’s a great project to have, your using your brain but also your meeting lots of different people. “
“I don’t think it’s ever too late to learn and certainly from a health point of view we do know it helps with possible dementia issues, it keeps the brain active.”
Myth: Gaelic is difficult
Popular Gaelic tutor, Rona MacDonald absolutely nails it when she says “Gaelic is so difficult - it’s difficult because it’s a new language that you haven’t learned before it’s not that it’s more difficult than any other language. Make mistakes! It’s not about being perfect please don’t worry about the grammar if you make mistake it doesn’t matter you have to make mistakes to learn”.
People learn Gaelic today for many reasons. Some want to connect with their culture and other people want to better understand place names of Scotland. People often learn Gaelic because they want to sing the beautiful songs of the language.
If you need inspiration, take a look at some of the ways that others have approached learning Gaelic!