The Outlandish Companion - Diana Gabaldon [293]
In my own work, I’ve used several Gaelic dictionaries (listed later in this appendix), but have also been lucky enough to have the invaluable services of one Iain MacKinnon Taylor, an expatriate Scot and native Gaelic speaker from the Isle of Harris.
Mr. Taylor wrote to me, following the publication of Dragonfly in Amber, to say that he very much enjoyed my books, particularly seeing Scottish history treated with such accuracy and respect. However, he continued delicately, he did wonder whether perhaps I was getting my Gaelic from a dictionary?
The words, he gave me to understand, were largely correct, but were not used idiomatically (or, likely, grammatically!), as a real Gaelic-speaker would use them. Would I think it presumptuous of him, he asked, if he were to volunteer to assist with the Gaelic translation, in case I intended writing more books?
To this generous offer, my response was, “Mr. Taylor! Where have you been all my life?”
So it’s Iain Taylor who (now) vets the Gaelic inclusions in my own books for correctness of grammar and idiom. Consequently, there is a lot more Gaelic in the books than there would be if I were doing this on my own. The usual procedure is for me to write out what I want to say in English, then fax it to Mr. Taylor, who returns me the correct Gaelic version—frequently with additional comments as to appropriate usage.
Mr. Taylor’s twin brother, Hamish, also obliges now and then with assistance in particularly difficult bits of translation. Hamish Taylor still lives on Harris, where he is a lay-preacher, preaching in Gaelic every Sunday. As his brother Iain says, “When it comes to cursing, you really need a preacher to get it right!”
MANY PEOPLE WRITE TO ME (evidently under the wildly mistaken impression that I am a Gaelic-speaker) for advice or resources in learning Gaelic themselves. A few have asked me to teach them Gaelic. Unfortunately, I’m not equipped to oblige in this way, but I did think it might be helpful to provide a list of Gaelic books and resources, for those with an interest in this part of Scottish culture.
I’m indebted to several people from the CompuServe Writers Forum for help in compiling the following list of Gaelic resources (all comments regarding the publications, Web sites, etc., are those of the people recommending them, and are marked with the person’s name or initials). —D.G.
BOOKS, TAPES, AND OTHER GAELIC (GAIDHLIG) PUBLICATIONS
One that will be recommended to you often in Scotland if you ask is Speaking Our Language, based on a TV series on Grampian Television. It consists of tapes and books, which can be used separately and are produced by a company called Cànan, P.O. Box 345, Isle of Skye IV44 8XA, Scotland. —Barbara Schnell
I myself am using the Teach Yourself series, “Gaelic” by Boyd Robertson and Iain Taylor, published by NTC Publishing Group. Comes with two tapes of native Scottish Gaelic-speakers and has grammar, structure, etc. Mine was purchased at a Highland Games, fairly reasonable—about $45.00. I highly recommend it. —Tamara Bernard
First things first: Gaelic is Irish. “Gaidhlig” is Scottish Gaelic—there’s a big push in the speaking communities to reclaim the original name of the language and to move away from English influences on the syntax. Here is a brief list of resources:2
Am Braighe P.O. Box 170 Mabou, Nova Scotia BOE 1X0 Canada
A quarterly bilingual paper out of Cape Breton that focuses on events in the Gaidhlig speaking communities of North America. It’s $15.95 (American) for a yearly subscription. In the back it always has a list of publications for Scotophiles, including Gaidhlig learning resources, history books, etc. It’s a good read generally.—Michelle LaFrance
(The following titles are from D.G.’s bookshelf; this list includes books on Scots dialect, as well as those dealing with the Gaelic language, as many people seem interested in the overall linguistic environment of Scotland.)
The Concise Scots Dictionary