Cast list

I suppose to start with, I should give you a brief overview of where I am at the moment in terms of Gaelic-learning.

- I try to watch Speaking Our Language on BBC Alba each evening.
Happily, the whole series restarted this evening so I can finally watch the earlier episodes which lay the ground work. While I knew everything the episode was about (ciamar a tha sibh? Tha gu math, tapadh leibh. Madainn mhath, feasgar math. That was all), it was nice to get the explanation for why some letters were always written in blue/green. SOL also takes me to my next (and probably main) Gaelic source.

- I chat to my friend who is a native Gaelic speaker.
We mainly chat by text, though I have ventured an odd (rather bumbling and poorly constructed) sentence or two when we meet up in person. For the sake of this blog, he is called Tormod. He appears very very occasionally in the little practice clips throughout the second and third series of SOL, ordering lunch and what not, which is rather amusing. I'm not sure if he's in the first series, and I know he's not in the fourth.

- I watch other stuff on BBC Alba.
I like listening to it and trying to identify some of the words I know. I know I am improving as my recognition has definitely increased. What I now find difficult is identifying all the little words that have a lot of meaning in terms of tense and other grammatical function, such as tha/bha, gam/gad etc.

- I read Gaelic learning resources such as Gaelic in 12 weeks by Roibeard O'Maolalaigh and Everyday Gaelic by Morag MacNeill. I also use Am Faclair Beag and LearnGaelic.net.

So these are my main resources. I can get by through a few texts, though long complicated structures are still beyond me. Luckily Tormod seems to be patient enough with me and regularly texts me in Gaelic without my asking. I was worried about using him as a kind of practice buddy as I didn't want him to become a magister involens which I have been to others on occasion. Friend first, Gaelic helper second.

My aim is to eventually be able to hold a decent conversation in Gaelic rather like my Italian French skills (which have greatly deteriorated, sadly), or hopefully even better. I'd also like to be able to write decent length posts in Gaelic. Aim high, Spraff!*

*I think I may have to give myself a different pseudonym as a Gaelic learner just so I can do all the lovely lenition and slenderisation that make Gaelic so wonderfully interesting. I'll get back to you on that.