Thinking In Gaelic I

by Sítheag Nic Trantham bean Bochanan

Before one can begin to speak any language, it is always wise to research the culture to which the language belongs, listen to the stories, and become finely tuned to the nuances of the people themselves, for there is where you learn the heart of what the language represents. This is especially true of the Celtic languages, for their eccentricities reach far back into the culture of our ancestors, their idiocyncrasies, and how they thought about the world around them. These things are pivotal to merging closer with the ancestor, having our thoughts flow along the same path as theirs, hopefully picking up the wisdom that the Gael has left for us to find: The answer to acknowledging all things as being endowed with spirit and therefore un-ownable... The power of calling someone or thing by name... The acceptance of the gender and non-gender of things. These are the lessons that ancient Gael knew very well, and kept dear to his or her heart through the language he or she spoke.

****All Things Are Endowed With Spirit and Therefore Un-Ownable...****

In Gaelic, each item in front of you, around you, and within you has a specific purpose in this universe and is endowed with spirit. Therefore, each item is acknowledged by having a word associated with it that is unique unto itself (though there are synonyms, and quite a few of them!). Because the latter is true, our whole reality has changed. The pen that we use to write with is still a pen, but we no longer accept that because it was made in a factory by an assembly worker to be sold as a writing instrument that this is the sole reason for its existance. To acknowledge this, our ancestors said that, in Gaelic thinking and language, you may be utilising the abilities of the pen, but you DO NOT OWN IT. That pen is (temporarily, at best) AT YOU.

"There is a pen at me." Tha peann agam. (HA pee-OWn AHK-um)
NEVER: "I have a pen."

The very same holds true for spouses, property, creative endeavors (which are considered authored by the sidhe, anyway), children, ideals, emotions, etc. However, one can establish relationship by using the posessive form of "my". This was known by the ancient Gael to be *only* an establishment of relationship:

"My pen..." Mo pheann... (MO fee-OWn) *notice the slight change in the spelling of the pen, it is not the same as when it was AT YOU (above). That is in the next lesson! NEVER: Mo peann.

****The Power of Calling Someone or Thing By Name...****

Now, each item has a spirit, and the Gael had a name for each item and person. The Gael knew that because each item and person had a spirit, the name associated with that spirit became sacred, and was handled in a special way according to how the name was used. One of the things that was held sacred was the way the Gael addressed items and people, otherwise known as the "vocative case". You could casually mention a pen to a friend, and even, in particular *this specific pen, here*. But, if you were to speak *to* the pen, respect was due, and a softening of the name occurred.

Tha peann air a bho\rd. "There is a pen on the table."
A 'pheann, tha gaol agam ort! "O, pen, there is love at me on you!"

It is the same with people's names. You can speak casually about them, but if you address them, respect is shown through the softening, provided the first letter CAN be softened. (More on that later.)

****The Acceptance of the Gender and Non-Gender of Things...****

Our ancestor Gael were very intuitive people. We know this not only from the folklore they have passed down to us, and the esteem they placed on the intuitive arts, but also the way they thought of each individual item in their unique and passionate world. Theirs was a language that somehow *knew*, not just assigned, gender and non-gender to items as *specific* as numbers and letters of the alphabet. They accepted male, female, and neuter as all playing an extremely important part of their reality...so important, that their language reflects this even today. Earlier we touched on the "vocative case" and how it softens the beginning of the names of things. Now we see the softening occur again in association with gender, specifically, the female of the species. See how it compares to the male in a rather familiar phrase (for those of you who read my mails):

"Afternoon good to you." AFTERNOON IS MALE. Feasgar math dhuibh.
"Morning good to you." MORNING IS FEMALE. Madainn *mhath* dhuibh.

Did you see how the word "math" (good) changed? That is because our ancestors wanted to have the beauty of the feminine so woven into the language that its poetry would never be lost...so they *softened* any adjective describing a feminine item. That is part of the reason why today you hear so many native speakers saying, "Ah, but it was much more beautiful told in the Gaelic..." Because everything had a spirit, and that spirit had its place in a well-balanced universe, everything had gender or non-gender. Our ancestors knew full well that male and female were not the full spectrum of what existed out in the universe, and so some words for female items ARE NOT aspirated, and some words for male items ARE. Then, there are those words which do not carry gender at all, and seem to transcend the need for gender placement. But more on this as we learn vocabulary!

Passion, love for the beautiful, and intuitive knowledge of the power of language shaped the reality of our ancestor Gael. As we embark upon gaining the knowlege of our ancestors' language, let's not ignore the hidden lessons within it -- for that is the true treasure the bard in each of us seeks.

prepared by Sítheag Nic Trantham bean Bochanan

Back to Top

'Clannada na Gadelica' is a trademark of the Clannada na Gadelica.

WWW Clannada.org