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Why is the Irish Language refered to as Gaelic abroad?

  • 28-08-2012 04:54PM
    #1
    paky
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 2,138 ✭✭✭


    Whenever I convert with people on my travels the topic of languages often comes up. Usually it starts with a question such as ''Do you speak your own language in Ireland?'' and I usually respond with ''Yes we do, we speak Irish aswel as English but its a minority language.'' The unassuming person often replies with ''Oh...Irish, is that Gaelic?'' and I often reply with ''No, its not''.
    It's very annoying when this happens, imo, tecnically speaking, Gaelic is not a language but a collective term refering to a set of langauges in Britain, France and Ireland, so refering to Irish as being Gaelic is technically incorrect.
    So why is it people refer to Irish as Gaelic when as far as understanding goes, I have never met a person who spoke Irish that could understand Scots Gaelic or let alone speak it?
    Tagged:


«13

Comments

  • #2
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 5,464 ✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Maybe they are confusing it with "As Gaelige"


  • #3
    Luap
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,649 ✭✭✭Luap


    We are gaelic-ers.


  • #4
    minidazzler
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 14,650 ✭✭✭✭minidazzler


    Because they don't know any better and you can't really expect them to.

    Do you know the name of every language spoken in the US? Creole, Spanish, English etc. We have a strange language which is similar to 2 or 3 other languages in the world, you can't expect the whole world to know the correct name of a language that is spoken fluently by less than 200,000 people.

    You might ask a Chinese person do they speak Mandarin or Cantonese, but there are a few hundred dialects and other languages of the same origin as both.


  • #5
    Kurz
    Closed Accounts Posts: 786 ✭✭✭Kurz


    I met a lad who was fluent in Gaelic, he kept going on about breaking ball and corner forwards, I couldn't understand a word of it.


  • #6
    Duckworth_Luas
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,743 ✭✭✭Duckworth_Luas


    paky wrote: »
    ...refering to Irish as being Gaelic is technically incorrect.
    Cád?


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  • #7
    Tombi!
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,689 ✭✭✭Tombi!


    Irish Gaelic.
    It's probably the most commonly known of the Gaelic languages, I think.

    And it is technically correct; it's refered to as "Gaelic" outside of Ireland. In the UK I think Gaelic is Scot's Gaelic.

    It's just a common name abroad.


  • #8
    TAlderson
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 85 ✭✭TAlderson


    minidazzler wrote: »
    You might ask a Chinese person do they speak Mandarin or Cantonese, but there are a few hundred dialects and other languages of the same origin as both.

    Yeah, and Chinese people are probably annoyed when people say "do you speak Chinese?" as if it's all one language.

    I had an Italian teacher who told me that she could barely understand a lot of people from the south, because they had dialects there that were so different from standard Italian (which is technically the Tuscan dialect). But of course, anyone who doesn't speak a word of Italian would probably assume everything sounds the same. If you don't speak the language, it's pretty difficult to distinguish between it and its cousins/relatives. The fact that Irish refers to itself as Gaeilge probably helps add to the confusion.

    -Tyler


  • #9
    starbelgrade
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,739 ✭✭✭✭starbelgrade


    The problem with making polite conversation with strangers is that there is always a chance that they will correct you on something you said & bore you to tears putting you straight on something you neither knew nor cared about and will forget about instantly as soon as you can squirm your way out of their now unwanted company.


  • #10
    BraziliaNZ
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 5,671 ✭✭✭BraziliaNZ


    minidazzler wrote: »
    spoken fluently by less than 200,000 people.

    I think you're being waaaaay too generous with that figure! I thought it was 10,000 or so?


  • #11
    neil_hosey
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,712 ✭✭✭neil_hosey


    having problems with people pronunciation of the language name, is the least of the worries the irish language has. Are you fluent OP? and if not, why the fúck would you give a shít how a firdiner pronounces it?


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  • #12
    Fromthetrees
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,846 ✭✭✭Fromthetrees


    People speak Irish outside of school?

    I wish I could meet one of these people.


  • #13
    Tombi!
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,689 ✭✭✭Tombi!


    Fromthetrees wrote: »
    People speak Irish outside of school?

    I wish I could meet one of these people.

    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=904


  • #14
    Tombo2001
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,165 ✭✭✭Tombo2001


    paky wrote: »
    It's very annoying when this happens, imo, tecnically speaking, Gaelic is not a language but a collective term refering to a set of langauges in Britain, France and Ireland, so refering to Irish as being Gaelic is technically incorrect.


    That, I didnt know.

    And I am Irish.

    So I wouldnt really expect a Canadian to know the difference either.


  • #15
    purplepanda
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,168 ✭✭✭purplepanda


    A Scots Highland Girl I knew used to speak Scots Gaelic / Irish regularly to a Galway lad in a company I worked for late '80's. :eek:

    My understanding was that Donegal / Ulster Irish was understood by Scots Gaelic speakers.

    Munster Irish could well be different, especially Waterford Ring Gaeltacht?

    OP The French spoke Gaulish in Celtic times, nearest spoken language today is Welsh or Breton.


  • #16
    Broxi_Bear_Eire
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,704 ✭✭✭Broxi_Bear_Eire


    purplepanda wrote: »
    A Scots Highland Girl I knew used to speak Scots Gaelic / Irish regularly to a Galway lad in a company I worked for late '80's. :eek:

    My understanding was that Donegal / Ulster Irish was understood by Scots Gaelic speakers.

    Munster Irish could well be different, especially Waterford Ring Gaeltacht?

    OP The French spoke Gaulish in Celtic times, nearest spoken language today is Welsh or Breton.

    Your correct Donegal Gaelic is very close to Scots Gaelic and is frequently spoken between people who speak one or the other.


  • #17
    Badly Drunk Boy
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 7,316 ✭✭✭Badly Drunk Boy


    What wrecks my head is when they pronounce 'Gaelic' as 'Gallic'. I've heard it a lot from seemingly intelligent people on BBC programmes. BBC!!!

    Gallic people were from France...


  • #18
    oldmangrub
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 66 ✭✭oldmangrub


    Breton, Welsh and Cornish are referred to as "Celtic languages" (there were others but they've died out completely)

    Scots Gaelic and Irish are referred to as "Gaelic" and are both descended from Old Irish.

    Gaelic is just a different word for the same thing. I'm grateful when people know we have an ethnic language and know we are not part of the UK. It's a big world we live in!


  • #19
    Sindri
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,059 ✭✭✭Sindri


    paky wrote: »
    Whenever I convert with people on my travels the topic of languages often comes up. Usually it starts with a question such as ''Do you speak your own language in Ireland?'' and I usually respond with ''Yes we do, we speak Irish aswel as English but its a minority language.'' The unassuming person often replies with ''Oh...Irish, is that Gaelic?'' and I often reply with ''No, its not''.
    It's very annoying when this happens, imo, tecnically speaking, Gaelic is not a language but a collective term refering to a set of langauges in Britain, France and Ireland, so refering to Irish as being Gaelic is technically incorrect.
    So why is it people refer to Irish as Gaelic when as far as understanding goes, I have never met a person who spoke Irish that could understand Scots Gaelic or let alone speak it?

    Gaelic doesn't exist in France. It's only exists in Scotland, Ireland and the Isle of Man. Also when they were interrogating the prisoners at Frongoch some of the prisoners, as a protest, replied in Irish. So they had to get a Scottish corporal (I think) who spoke Scots-Gaelic to translate.


  • #20
    Duckworth_Luas
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,743 ✭✭✭Duckworth_Luas


    Tombo2001 wrote: »
    That, I didnt know.

    And I am Irish.

    So I wouldnt really expect a Canadian to know the difference either.
    You didn't know it because it's not true. He's mixing up Gaelic with Celtic.

    Celtic is a family of languages spoken in ireland, Britain and France. In this family there are two branches, Goidelic and Brythonic.

    The Goidelic subset includes Irish (Gaeilge), often referred to as Gaelic in the English language. It also includes Scots Gaelic and Manx.

    Brythonic includes Welsh, Breton and Cornish.


  • #21
    oldmangrub
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 66 ✭✭oldmangrub


    ^^^^
    OP is talking about Breton, spoken in Brittany in France.


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  • #22
    Duckworth_Luas
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,743 ✭✭✭Duckworth_Luas


    Badly Drunk Boy wrote: »
    What wrecks my head is when they pronounce 'Gaelic' as 'Gallic'. I've heard it a lot from seemingly intelligent people on BBC programmes. BBC!!!

    Gallic people were from France...
    'Gallic' is how Gaelic is pronounced by a Scottish English speaker.


  • #23
    Duckworth_Luas
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,743 ✭✭✭Duckworth_Luas


    oldmangrub wrote: »
    ^^^^
    OP is talking about Breton, spoken in Brittany in France.
    So? OP is still wrong! Breton is not a Gaelic language, it is a Celtic language! I explained it in my post! :confused:


  • #24
    Tombi!
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,689 ✭✭✭Tombi!


    Duckworth_Luas wrote: »
    So? OP is still wrong! Breton is not a Gaelic language, it is a Celtic language! I explained it in my post! :confused:

    Isn't Gaelic just another name for Celtic languges?


  • #25
    xxyyxx
    Closed Accounts Posts: 223 ✭✭xxyyxx


    Fromthetrees wrote: »
    People speak Irish outside of school?

    I wish I could meet one of these people.

    You know of nobody who can speak Irish outside of your school? I find that hard to believe.


  • #26
    Duckworth_Luas
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,743 ✭✭✭Duckworth_Luas


    Brutal Deluxe wrote: »
    Isn't Gaelic just another name for Celtic languges?
    No!


  • #27
    oldmangrub
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 66 ✭✭oldmangrub


    Duckworth_Luas wrote: »
    So? OP is still wrong! Breton is not a Gaelic language, it is a Celtic language! I explained it in my post! :confused:

    I was referring to Sindri's post, not yours, you just posted before me so my ^^^^^^^ was a bit off.

    I explained that Breton is not a Gaelic language too. Just above Sindri there.


  • #28
    Mr Jinx
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 436 ✭✭Mr Jinx


    paky wrote: »
    Whenever I convert with people on my travels the topic of languages often comes up. Usually it starts with a question such as ''Do you speak your own language in Ireland?'' and I usually respond with ''Yes we do, we speak Irish aswel as English but its a minority language.'' The unassuming person often replies with ''Oh...Irish, is that Gaelic?'' and I often reply with ''No, its not''.
    It's very annoying when this happens, imo, tecnically speaking, Gaelic is not a language but a collective term refering to a set of langauges in Britain, France and Ireland, so refering to Irish as being Gaelic is technically incorrect.
    So why is it people refer to Irish as Gaelic when as far as understanding goes, I have never met a person who spoke Irish that could understand Scots Gaelic or let alone speak it?

    Someone speaking irish from Donegal might not understand or be able to speak to someone from Kerry or Cork, its all Gaelic, just different dialects


  • #29
    oldmangrub
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 66 ✭✭oldmangrub


    Mr Jinx wrote: »
    Someone speaking irish from Donegal might not understand or be able to speak to someone from Kerry or Cork, its all Gaelic, just different dialects

    Now it's not that similar. It's a different language, not a different dialect. Someone from Cork will be able to understand someone from Donegal a hell of a lot easier than someone from Scotland. You'd need a dictionary. Same with other languages of common root.

    Edit: Sorry I linked a Scots Gaelic/Irish dictionary to show you what I meant but it wasn't very good.


  • #30
    Cú Giobach
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,772 ✭✭✭Cú Giobach


    paky wrote: »
    It's very annoying when this happens, imo, tecnically speaking, Gaelic is not a language but a collective term refering to a set of langauges in Britain, France and Ireland, so refering to Irish as being Gaelic is technically incorrect.
    Calling Breton a Gaelic language is much much worse. Tut tut.

    Petra eo ar brezhoneg evit whoops?


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  • #31
    whatdoicare
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,398 ✭✭✭whatdoicare


    It's far more annoying when abroad and everyone tells you that Ireland is part of the UK... including people from the UK. :rolleyes: I just nod and change the subject.
    I have no idea where Gaelic comes from and why everyone in America corrects me when I tell them we speak Irish.


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