Mike
Don't panic! Gaelic follows the English!
Hello, I am Mike, how are you?
I live in New Zealand, I am from Kaikohe, and I am learning Gaelic in New Zealand.
My Gaelic is not very good, not yet!
Sorry, that is the extent of my Gaelic at this time as I have only recently started to learn. I discovered BBC ALBA Beag Air Bheag and as I have always wanted to learn another language, I decided to learn an old language that is a large part of my heritage. Much like many people from New Zealand we are from mixed Irish & Scots ancestry.
Like most I am very proud of my Scots heritage, while I cannot claim to have any links to aristocracy, most, if not all of my ancestors hailed from the Highlands and Hebrides and were common poor crofters, tenants, etc.
Here in New Zealand we have two official languages, English and Maori, spoken by our native people. A lot of our place names and a lot of Maori words are used in day to day conversation. In the Southern Island where most of my family come from many towns and places are named after Scots who settled there.
The Maori language was endangered much due to similar reasons Gaelic became threatened, English was the principal and most encouraged language taught in schools, students were discouraged and punished for speaking Maori and two to three generations of adults, possibly more have very limited grasp of their own language.
I was not interested in learning a language such as Maori, given I am not Maori and so many words, phrases, etc are used in everyday language here in any case.
I am excited to be learning Gaelic, particularly as the site has the recordings and structured lessons to help with the way these words are spoken, phrased, spelling etc. I am struggling along slowly, Rome was not built in a day and I am finding it a little easier as I go along and my knowledge and familiarity with the language increases and improves and the ear is slowly becoming tuned to it which is helping.
Anyway, I have attached a photograph of my young Border Collie sheepdog, I trained her from a wee pup to run in dog trials here and for general stock work, sheep and cattle, still a work in progress, but this was one of our training sessions a few years ago.
Goodbye for now.
Mike
Halò, is mise Mìcheal, ciamar a tha sibh?
Tha mi a' fuireach ann an Sealain Nuadh, tha mi à Kaikohe, agus tha mi ag ionnsachadh Gàidhlig ann an Sealain Nuadh.
Chan eil a' Ghàidhlig agam math idir, chan eil fhathast!
Tha mi duilich, 's e sin nas urrainn dhomh sgrìobhadh sa Ghàidhlig an-dràsta oir 's ann o chionn ghoirid a thòisich mi ga ionnsachadh. Lorg mi Beag air Bheag air làrach-lìn BBC ALBA agus air sgàth 's gu robh mi a-riamh a' miannachadh cànan eile ionnsachadh, chuir mi romham gun ionnsaichinn seann chànan a tha na pàirt mhòr de mo dhualchas. Mar iomadach duine eile ann an Sealain Nuadh, 's ann bho shinnsireachd Èireannach is Albannach a thàinig sinn.
Mar a' mhòr-chuid de dhaoine tha mi moiteil às mo dhualchas Albannach, agus fhad 's nach eil ceanglaichean sam bith agam ri na h-uaislean, thàinig a' mhòr-chuid dhe mo shinnsirean, mura tàinig iad air fad, às A' Ghàidhealtachd agus Innse Gall, agus b' e croitearan, màladairean, 's mar sin air adhart a bh' annta.
Tha dà chànan oifigeil an seo ann an Sealain Nuadh, Beurla agus Maori, a th' air a bruidhinn le na tùsanaich. Tha mòran ainmean-àite agus facail Maori gan cleachdadh ann an còmhraidhean làitheil. Anns an t-Eilean mu Dheas, bhon tàinig a' mhòr-chuid de mo theaghlach, tha mòran àiteachan air an ainmeachadh às dèidh Albannaich a thuinich ann.
B' ann air sàillibh na h-aon seòrsachan adhbharan a tha Maori agus Gàidhlig ann an cunnart; b' e a' Bheurla a' phrìomh chànan, agus 's i a bh' air a brosnachadh sna sgoiltean. Bha sgoilearan mì-mhisnichte agus air am peanasachadh airson a bhith bruidhinn Maori, agus tha dhà no trì ginealaichean de dh'inbhich, 's dòcha barrachd, gun mòran eòlais air an cànan fhèin.
Cha robh ùidh agamsa cànan mar Maori ionnsachadh seach nach e Maori a th' annam, 's tha mòran fhaclan, abairtean agus mar sin air adhart gan cleachdadh ann an còmhraidhean làitheil mar thà.
Tha mi air bhioran 's mi ag ionnsachadh Gàidhlig, gu h-àraidh seach gu bheil clàraidhean agus leasanan structarail air an làraich airson do cuideachadh le fuaimneachadh faclan, abairtean, litreachadh, 's mar sin air adhart. Tha mi a' dèanamh adhartas gu math slaodach, ach cha deach an Ròimh a thogail ann an latha, agus tha cùisean a' fàs beagan nas fhasa agus m' eòlas air a' chànan a' fàs.
Co-dhiù, tha mi air dealbh dha mo chù-chaorach a chur an cois seo. Bho bha i na cuilean, tha mi air a bhith ga trèanadh airson farpaisean chon-chaorach agus airson a bhith ag obair aig na caoraich 's a' chrodh. Tha sinn fhathast a' dèanamh adhartas, ach chaidh seo a thogail o chionn beagan bhliadhnaichean aig seisean trèanaidh.
Mar sin leibh an-dràsta.
Mìcheal
