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| Subject: Gaelic speakers | |
Author: Ed Harris (Venezia) | [ Next Thread |
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] Date Posted: 18:17:28 11/06/04 Sat In reply to: Curnoack 's message, "another p.s." on 22:07:25 11/05/04 Fri My step-father is a Highlander, and was brought up speaking Gaelic at home, and spoke English at school. He never had problems such as those you describe, even after he went to a grammar school in Glasgow in the late '50s and early '60s. He has now forgotten most of his Gaelic simply because he has had so few opportunities of using it, since hardly anyone speaks it. This is not choice, nor is it persecution: it is simply the natural result of real circumstances in the real world. It seems odd to me that, at a time when the whole world is bending over backwards to learn fluent English, in the UK there is a deliberate and systematic attempt to make it harder for schoolchildren to communicate in English. Oh, and a funny story... A friend of mine was brought up in Wales and went to school there. On one occasion, there were not enough chairs in the class-room and he was sent next door to see if there were any spares. He knocked on the door and went in, and asked the Welsh Nationalist teacher if she had any spare chairs. She said that he could only have one if he asked for it in Welsh. So he said, "Look you, boyo, can I a chair have if you please, Ivan?" He was promptly given a detention! [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] |
| [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> Subject: Why Welsh nat? | |
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Author: David Hicks [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 19:08:54 11/06/04 Sat "She said that he could only have one if he asked for it in Welsh. So he said, "Look you, boyo, can I a chair have if you please, Ivan?" He was promptly given a detention!" But that's not Welsh. Why is someone a Welsh nationalist if they back the Welsh language? Isn't Welsh part of a rich united kingdom? The Tories support it in Wales sometimes. [ Post a Reply to This Message ] |
| [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> Subject: Indigenous Languages | |
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Author: Dave (UK) [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 19:27:46 11/06/04 Sat Ed makes a good point about the English language. It is indeed odd that Government policy seeks to promote indigenous minority languages in a world where English is the de-facto standard, and the second language of choice for those who don't speak it. It draws me to a greater point. When Britain was at its greatest, we had a truly global outlook on life. Our society that we are promoting today is trying to re-establish that global world-view. While I agree that we need to preserve these languages for posterity, as they are part of our heritage on these islands, I would never like to see us get into an Irish-Style parochial and politically motivated bilingualism. This would ultimately result in dividing and demeaning our nation. I laugh today when I watch Gaelic programmes on Scottish TV, and realise how they are so unsuitable for the modern era, with English words creeping in whenever an issue relating to science and technology is discussed. [ Post a Reply to This Message ] |
| [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> Subject: the risk of losing languages | |
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Author: Ian (Australia) [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 20:48:16 11/06/04 Sat Losing a language means losing a whole world view, and that is not a good thing. I think it is important to encourage the use of Celtic languages in the UK and Aboriginal languages in Australia. I see no reason to feel good about losing either Gaelic or Murrin-Patha, both of which I studied at university. Both have structures that reveal interesting ways of conceptualising the world. I also think it is important that everyone in our countries learn English. [ Post a Reply to This Message ] |
| [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> Subject: "English words creeping in" aren't you joking Dave - they're NOT English! | |
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Author: Random Jock [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 17:09:14 11/08/04 Mon "I laugh today when I watch Gaelic programmes on Scottish TV, and realise how they are so unsuitable for the modern era, with English words creeping in whenever an issue relating to science and technology is discussed." As a Gaelic speaker, may I remind you that most of what you have just written there is NOT English... Programme - French Television - Greek and Latin Suitable - part French Modern - Latin Era - Latin/Greek Issue - ? but not English* Science from Latin Scientia, again, not English. Technology - Greek Discussed - Latin I think you need to know a bit about the history [from ancient Greek- "historia"] of English, since it seems that English is "woefully" inadequate [inadequate from Latin "adaequatus", past participle of adaequre, to equalize] for expressing [Latin] the vagaries [French] of modern [Latin] civilisation [Latin], computing [Latin] and technology [Greek]. English speakers have no right to complain that other languages [from French "langue"] borrow! Don't you know that English is just pidgin Norman French and Germanic thrown together? It's the worst borrower of the lot! * [Middle English, from Old French eissue, issue, from Vulgar Latin *exta, alteration of Latin exita, feminine past participle of exre, to go out : ex-, ex- + re, to go; see ei- in Indo-European Roots.] [ Post a Reply to This Message ] |
| [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> Subject: Words have to come from somewhere | |
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Author: Roberdin [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 22:48:49 11/08/04 Mon Oh don't be so pendantic! You try inventing the million or so words that a language uses from no-where; all you'll end up is sounding like you're trying to drunkenly gargle a frog. [ Post a Reply to This Message ] |
| [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> Subject: Oh dear, there is no such language as English, we must all revert to Latin. | |
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Author: Dave (UK) [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 23:36:22 11/08/04 Mon [ Post a Reply to This Message ] |
| [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> Subject: Television = Greek and Latin? | |
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Author: Ian (Australia) [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 12:22:33 11/09/04 Tue "Television" is not English? You really ought to try and make some distinction between Greek and Latin *words* and words invented from Greek and Latin *roots*. "Television" is quite obviously an English word. To be consistent, you should also seek out the roots of these Greek, Latin and other words that you post as if they had simply been invented one Friday afternoon by a committee of linguists. They also came from somewhere. English a mongrel tongue? Absolutely! Borrowing words is what all living languages do. You say English is "the worst borrower of the lot": I would have thought the case could be made for it being the *best* borrower of the lot! [ Post a Reply to This Message ] |
| [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> Subject: Bravo | |
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Author: Ed Harris (Back in Shropshire) [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 12:30:34 11/09/04 Tue [ Post a Reply to This Message ] |
| [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> Subject: ? | |
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Author: Ed Harris (Back in Shropshire) [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 15:45:34 11/09/04 Tue Isn't there a character in the Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy called "Random"? Were your parents Douglas Adams fans? [ Post a Reply to This Message ] |
| [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> Subject: Well... | |
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Author: Dave (UK) [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 19:06:08 11/09/04 Tue He's probably related to all the other "Randoms" on this forum, by IP Address! [ Post a Reply to This Message ] |
| [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> Subject: Why Welsh nat? | |
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Author: Ben.M(UK) [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 19:28:55 11/06/04 Sat He didn't say she was a Welsh nationalist because she wanted the boy to ask in Welsh, but that someone who happened to be a Welsh Nat. wanted it. [ Post a Reply to This Message ] |
| [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> [> Subject: That's right | |
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Author: Ed Harris (Venezia) [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 23:29:50 11/06/04 Sat [ Post a Reply to This Message ] |