JamboX2 Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 After 9 years a pretty big mistake has been discovered in Bute... http://m.scotsman.com/lifestyle/heritage/bute-renamed-penis-island-in-gaelic-sign-blunder-1-3867056#comments-area ...makes you wonder how many Gaelic speakers there really are! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martoon Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 Vaguely remember a kids programme in the 80's called Bod. Must have given the Gaels a laugh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dia Liom Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 After 9 years a pretty big mistake has been discovered in Bute... http://m.scotsman.com/lifestyle/heritage/bute-renamed-penis-island-in-gaelic-sign-blunder-1-3867056#comments-area ...makes you wonder how many Gaelic speakers there really are! About 1% of the population. Don't worry we are used to this kind of ignorance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sooperstar Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 About 1% of the population. Don't worry we are used to this kind of ignorance. 1%? I'm not buying that. Must be way lower. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moshy Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 1% of gairloch? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FWJ Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 1%? I'm not buying that. Must be way lower. I would guess that the number of people that can read & write it is much lower than that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norm Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 People don't think there's 50,000 folk in Scotland who speak Gaelic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamboX2 Posted August 25, 2015 Author Share Posted August 25, 2015 About 1% of the population. Don't worry we are used to this kind of ignorance. Was a joke (although I admit to no knowledge of how high the number is!). Find it odd that this sign has lasted so long without a question being raised. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FWJ Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 People don't think there's 50,000 folk in Scotland who speak Gaelic? I reckon there's a big difference between the numbers that can speak it and the numbers that can read and write it. My father was fluent (he had to learn English in primary school in the '20s) but he couldn't read or write a word of Gaelic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jambo_Gaz Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 Take it down and keep it down. Its a dead and pointless language. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheile Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 Bit of a c@ck up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Murray Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 Take it down and keep it down. Its a dead and pointless language. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-33986596 The new Gaelic language school opened last week should help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jambo_Gaz Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-33986596 The new Gaelic language school opened last week should help. Waste of cash. It really is! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swarlos Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-33986596 The new Gaelic language school opened last week should help. There's a Gaelic school on Bonnington Road. Used to be at Tollcross. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUTOL Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 I reckon there's a big difference between the numbers that can speak it and the numbers that can read and write it. My father was fluent (he had to learn English in primary school in the '20s) but he couldn't read or write a word of Gaelic. I suspect there's more than a bit of truth to that. My dad could speak it and read it reasonably well, but I don't recall him ever writing it. But I doubt he would've noticed the 'mistake'. Or if he did I suspect he would've suspected vandalism to the sign, The figures are taken from the last census, I can't remember what the actual question was? Was there options for speaking/understanding and others for reading/writing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dusk_Till_Dawn Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 I appreciate that not many people use Gaelic but it seems a bit sad to let the language die out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All roads lead to Gorgie Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 I appreciate that not many people use Gaelic but it seems a bit sad to let the language die out It has its place in the culture of Scotland and it is useful to know a few words as many place names and topographical features in the north are Gaelic based so you can judge what to expect from a location as you travel around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FWJ Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-24281487 I tend to agree that it's a bit of waste of money and if honest I would let language die out. I get that will probably annoy some. Just don't see the point times changes etc. I'd certainly question the relevance of Gaelic to Caithness - and indeed Edinburgh. Gaelic replaced Pictish and has itself been replaced by English as the language of the majority in Scotland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Z Posted August 26, 2015 Share Posted August 26, 2015 Outrage over . . . well, whatever there's outrage over, and then the de facto spokesman for Scottish Gaelic says this? "You know when people speak Chinese the wrong way and they end up saying ?Your mother is a dog? instead of ?The rice is nice?? It?s like that.? Seriously? You're getting upset about a misplaced accent mark and you use this as your example. Brilliant. I hope your taigeis is nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sooperstar Posted August 26, 2015 Share Posted August 26, 2015 Outrage over . . . well, whatever there's outrage over, and then the de facto spokesman for Scottish Gaelic says this? "You know when people speak Chinese the wrong way and they end up saying ?Your mother is a dog? instead of ?The rice is nice?? It?s like that.? Seriously? You're getting upset about a misplaced accent mark and you use this as your example. Brilliant. I hope your taigeis is nice. Let us take a moment to remember, Justin, that you took offence at an assistant referee having the audacity to make a correct decision in a football match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Z Posted August 26, 2015 Share Posted August 26, 2015 Ahahahaha. Do not even bring my training regarding how to referee a football match into play here, from the perspective of a clueless supporter, thanks. Edit: In fact, now that I think about it, you've perfectly illustrated why this outrage is . . . misplaced. The same type of people who would raise holy hell over a missing accent are the same people who would rather the referees of the Caledonian national sport blow the whistle 327 times a match to get every last thing in the laws exactly correct instead of just playing the damn game. There's a reason why the Laws of the Game, in numerous places, specifically give the referee carte blanche to "flexibly decide that a condition or event, while a violation of a Law, should be managed with minimum fuss by determining that the condition or event was doubtful or trifling." Much like a god damn apostrophe above a letter, ffs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sydney Posted August 26, 2015 Share Posted August 26, 2015 I love the small languages in Europe, like Breton, Gaelic, Basque, etc. I'd hate for them to ever die out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dia Liom Posted August 26, 2015 Share Posted August 26, 2015 I suspect there's more than a bit of truth to that. My dad could speak it and read it reasonably well, but I don't recall him ever writing it. But I doubt he would've noticed the 'mistake'. Or if he did I suspect he would've suspected vandalism to the sign, The figures are taken from the last census, I can't remember what the actual question was? Was there options for speaking/understanding and others for reading/writing? Most native Gaelic speakers can't read or write to a high level as Gaelic education was only introduced in the '80s. I doubt most speakers over 30 would even notice if there was an accent over B?d (Bute) or not. Outrage over . . . well, whatever there's outrage over, and then the de facto spokesman for Scottish Gaelic says this? "You know when people speak Chinese the wrong way and they end up saying ?Your mother is a dog? instead of ?The rice is nice?? It?s like that.? Seriously? You're getting upset about a misplaced accent mark and you use this as your example. Brilliant. I hope your taigeis is nice. The guy you are refering to is no more a spokesman for Gaelic than you are for HMFC. Waste of cash. It really is! Learning a second language is much easier done at a young age. If promoting Gaelic saves Scotland from becoming a nation of monoglots, then I'd say money well spent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
64,124
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.