Easy-to-Learn
"Talk sometimes in a foreign language, not to forget how bad you know it."
- Boleslav Paszkowski
Languages
SCOTTISH
GAELIC
English
Gaelic:
Transcription:
Gaelic: - Cha eil mi òg ach tha mi tapaidh.
[haN(j) el mi ɔːg ah ha mi tahpɪ]
English: - I am not young but I am smart.
The man you see on the picture is Alexander Graham Bell, a Scottish-born scientist, inventor, engineer and innovator who was credited with patenting the first practical telephone.
He was a tall man. Let's see how he would describes himself.
You already know that the ususal word order in Gaelic is
Verb + Subject + Object/Adjective
Ex.: Tha mi òg /I am young/
(lit: am I young)
Now, let's see how we can use this construction
to describe someone's appearance. Here are some examples:
He is big
Tha e mòr
[ha ɛ moːr]
She is small
Tha i beag
[ha i beg]
They are weak
Tha iad lag
[ha iəd lag]
Wait a minute.
You don't know Gaelic pronouns yet, right?
Ok, here they are:
English
Gaelic:
Transcription:
I am young
Tha mi òg
[ha mi ɔːg]
We are strong
Tha sinn làidir
[ha ʃinʲ laːdʲɪrʲ]
Dialogue 1
Mr. Bell: - Madainn mhath! Is mise Alexander Bell.
You: - ......../e.g. hello/. Is mise....... /e.g. Brad Pitt/
Mr. Bell: - Tha thu caol.
He is not old
Chan eil e sean
[xan(j) ɛl ɛ ʃɛn]
She is not ill
Chan eil i tinn
[xan(j) ɛl i tʲĩːnʲ]
You are not pretty
Chan eil thu brèagha
[xaN(j) ɛl u brʲiə.ə]
We are not healthy
Chan eil sinn slàn
[xan(j) ɛl ʃinʲ slaːn]
And now, take a breath and
try this conversation
one more time.
Dialogue 2
Mr. Bell: - Feasgar math! Is mise Alexander Bell.
You: - ....../e.g. hello/. Is mise ................
Mr. Bell: - Ciamar a tha sibh an-diugh?
You: - ........./e.g. I am well, thank you/
.................. fhèin?
Mr. Bell - Tha mi sgìth agus /and/ tha mi sean.
You: - ................/You are not old. You are pretty./
You (pl.) are slim
Tha sibh caol
[ha ʃiv kɯːl]
I am fat
Tha mi reamhar
[ha mi Rãũ.ər]
You (sing.) are clean
Tha thu glan
[ha u glan]
He is dirty
Tha e salach
[ha ɛ saləx]
English
Gaelic:
Transcription:
English
Gaelic:
Transcription:
Pronouns as Subject
Singular Plural
I - mi [mi] we - sinn [ʃinʲ ]
you - thu [u] you - sibh [ʃiv]
he - e [ɛ] they - iad [iəd]
she - i [i]
Now, you are ready
for a dialogue. No? Why not?
Ok, let's do it anyway.
Do you remember Mr. Bell's first phrase?
Cha eil mi òg ach tha mi tapaidh
/I am not young but I am smart/
I know, the phrase sounds a bit weird
but it's fine for the purposes of this Unit.
Let's see how to form a negative sentence.
Negative sentence
The Gaelic equivalent of the English phrase
"he is not" is
"Chan eil e"
(lit: not is he)
Some examples:
English
Gaelic:
Transcription:
UNIT 3: Physical Characteristics
Alexander Graham Bell, the Scottish-born American scientist best known as the inventor of the telephone, worked at a school for the deaf while attempting to invent a machine that would transmit sound by electricity. Bell was granted the first official patent for his telephone in March 1876, though he would later face years of legal challenges to his claim that he was its sole inventor, resulting in one of history’s longest patent battles. Bell continued his scientific work for the rest of his life, and used his success and wealth to establish various research centers nationwde.
See more facts here
