Fun with Scottish Gaelic ... even for Adults

March 2018.   As a beginning Gaelic learner in the US I always like to find new ways to practice.   Here are some online pages I have bookmarked.

If you don’t mind using children’s games to practice Gaelic … I think these games at the Lasadh site are fun.   The hardest part is that there are no English instructions.   You might have to use “intuition” or a dictionary to figure out how to get each game to start and then how to play.

1.   This is a word search game.   Click “cluich” underneath the letters matrix to enter the game.   The words listed on the right side are hidden in the letters matrix.   Click the left mouse button and hold as the mouse covers each word in correct letter order.   When correctly picked, the word disappears from the list and you get points.

https://faclan-falaichte.lasadh.co.uk/word-search.html?wordset=feelings

On the top right of the screen is a pull down menu to change the topic of the words list.   At the above link this is set to “Faireachdainnean” (feelings).   To change the list of hidden words and play again, change the topic (dathan – colors, aimsir – weather, etc).   Then click “cluich” next to the list to change the topic.   Then click “cluich” again underneath the letters matrix to start the new game.

2.   To get to a new type of game, click “Lasadh” in the top left corner of your screen.
You should see “Dachaigh/Tòimhseachain” with a little monster picture.

https://www.lasadh.co.uk/toimhseachain/

Under “Eadar-ghnìomhach” you can scroll through a list of games.   Some are very simple, such as how to make letters and sounds of letters.   But others are more challenging.

3.   For example, see the following links. These are word matching games with verb forms.

Maidseadh Fhaclan
Cliog air agus tarraing gach facal chun an fhacail cheart sa gheama teanas eadar-ghnìomhach seo:
Gnìomhairean Riaghailteach – An Tràth Seachad
Gnìomhairean neo-riaghailteach – An Tràth Seachad
Gnìomhairean – An Tràth Seachad

Click “cluich” to play.   Click “geamannan eile” (upper right) to change the topic.

From this game, “Lasadh” goes back to a main page with 8 buttons and 5 menus across the top.   You can get back to the games, “Tòimhseachain”, from the button on the bottom right.    It looks like most of the other buttons go to a wide variety of worksheets for GME classrooms.   But some might be good practice.

For example, do you know the Gaelic names for all the types of fruit on this worksheet — https://www.lasadh.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Faclair-mheasan-2.pdf?

4.  Here is a story about a cat shared in my current class (AGA Beginner Level) a couple of weeks ago:

https://www.lasadh.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Ire-2-suithean-1.pdf

5.  This work sheet is to pick the verbs and adverbs from the list and make sentences with them:

https://www.lasadh.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/gniomhairean-agus-co-ghniomhairean.pdf

6.  For lots more practice, see the Storlann website and especially the Ceumannan pages.   I purchased the Ceumannan 1-4 books from Gaelicbooks.org a few years ago.   I’m still slowly working through Ceumannan 1.   I find it helpful to read grammar explanations from different authors’ viewpoints.   
From the Storlann website you can get to all the Ceumannan online materials.   Here is the Ceumannan main page:

http://www.storlann.co.uk/ceumannan/index.html

Scroll down to see links for the Ceumannan 1-4 books (sound files etc) and the new Ceumannan 5 materials.

For example, this is the main page for Ceumannan 1:

http://www.storlann.co.uk/ceumannan/leabhar1/index.html

It has links for all the sound files referenced in the Ceumannan 1 book.

From Oisean an Sgoileir (students corner) you can get to more student materials.   From Oisean an Tidseir (teachers corner) you can see links to teaching materials and the reading material from the books (Ceumannan 1 Modal1, etc).

7.  Finally, here is a link to a page of Scottish Gaelic stories.   Each one has a recording linked to a video of the storybook pages with a bouncing ball that follows each line as it is read aloud.

http://sgeulachdan.scot/
This is great for hearing Scottish Gaelic spoken correctly.

Gràmar na Gàidhlig by Michel Byrne

December 2018 update — Storlann has reprinted this book (with an index in this reprint) and it is again available from The Gaelic Books Council at gaelicbooks.org for £15.

January 5, 2018  —  This book is very good grammar book for learners who are interested in being able to look up additional explanations for Scottish Gaelic grammar topics covered in other books or classes.   I like it because everything on each topic is all in one place (e.g., everything about adjectives is in Chapter 2), and there are many examples using complete Gaelic sentences to show a complete thought using the grammar point being discussed.   For me, it is easier to remember new vocabulary words if I know how to use them in a sentence, so understanding the grammar and seeing it in a sentence is very helpful.

Unfortunately, this book seems to be out of print (the 2002, 2004 editions) and hard to find (but see update above).   I’ve seen used copies listed as high as $100 and while I wouldn’t pay that much, others might be willing to.   One way to find a reasonably priced copy would be to periodically search the internet and used book websites.   When a copy appears in your price range, buy it immediately.   A recent discussion on Fòram na Gàidhlig suggested that a new edition would be coming out in the near future, but I haven’t seen any information on when that will be.

This book is not an advanced grammar but does assume you have some knowledge of Scottish Gaelic.   You should have an understanding of basic Gaelic sentence structure, to make the best use of the examples provided.    The book does not provide a series of progressive lessons, or practice exercises, but all the explanations are in English, and are clear and to the point.   Each topic (such as, 2.7 Adverbs) includes an explanation of the grammar topic, how the element is used in speech or writing, how Gaelic is different from English, specific Gaelic words or phrases in the category (such as 2.7.1 (Adverbs of) Motion, Position, and Direction), and sentences illustrating the topic.    However, the example sentences are in Gaelic and not translated so you may need a dictionary.

Highlights:

­-- The four-page list of Prepositional Idioms in Chapter 4.
­-- Section in Chapter 6 on “points to note” about the differences between tenses in Gaelic and English.   This gave me a better understanding about the English meaning of Gaelic sentences.
-- Seven-page Glossary with explanations of the grammatical terms used in the book.   Quite a few explanations and useful with other Gaelic books and for understanding English as well.

Table of Contents:

Glossary;
Common Sound Changes in Gaelic (Slenderising, An to Am, Lenition)
1.  Nouns and Articles (Gender, Case, the Noun, The Common Article, Plural, Vocative Case, The Possessive Article)
2.  Adjectives and Adverbs (Accompanying or Independent, How the Attributive Adjective Changes, Pre-Noun Adjectives, Adjective Modifiers, The Graded Adjective, Numerals, Adverbs)
3.  Pronouns (Personal Pronouns, Demonstrative Pronouns, Relative Pronouns, Prepositional Pronouns)
4.  Prepositions (Simple Prepositions, Compound Prepositions, Some Prepositional Idioms)
5.  The Verb Is (Is with Nouns and Adjectives, Forms of Is, ’S e,)
6.  The Verb (The Imperative, Tense Forms, Context Forms, The Verb Bi, Regular Verbs, Tense: Points to Note, The Verb as “Yes” and “No”, The Verbal Noun, Progressive, Intent, Complementing, The Passive with Rach, The Passive with Bi and Air, The Passive Adjective, The Passive Tense – Forms, The Passive with Ga, “Can Be” – The Passive with Gabh, “What’s to be done?”, Impersonal Tense Forms of Bi)

Details

Author:  Michel Byrne
Title:  Gràmar na Gàidhlig
Form:  Paperback
Publication/printing date:  2002, 2004, reprinted 2018
Publisher:  Stòrlann-Acair   [Description from Storlann’s website.  Gaelic Grammar with English explanatory text.  Level:  Secondary School, Adults]
Dimensions:  mm, width x height x thickness:  175 X 229 X 9
Pages:  141 (150 for 2018 reprint to add an index)
ISBN:  0-86152-753-4
Table of Contents:  Yes, 6 chapters
Index:  No (2002, 2004 versions), but the Table of Contents is detailed and covers 4½ pages. (The 2018 reprint has an index.)

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