Tomhas na Teanga

Samhain 2009

Tá suim agam i dteangacha eile, ach níl aon teanga chomh maith agam agus atá an Ghaeilge (agus Béarla, dar ndóigh). I’m interested in other languages, but I don’t know any as well as Irish (and English, of course). Is í an teanga is fearr agam seachas iad ná an Ghearmáinis. The language I know best besides them is German. Thosaigh mé ar an nGearmáinis a fhoglaim in 1974, sílim, agus níl mé líofa go fóill, ná baol air. I started learning G in 1974, I think, and I’m still not fluent, not hardly. Cén fáth? How come? Thosaigh mé ar an nGaeilge a fhoghlaim in 1996! I started learning Irish in 1996! Cad é an difear? What’s the difference?

Nuair a bhí mé ar ardscoil, ní raibh ach ranganna scoile agam, agus de réir a chéile thit an córas áirithe sin as a chéile. When I was in highschool, all I had were school classes, and after a while that particular course of study fell apart. Cúpla bliain ina dhiaidh sin, ar an ollscoil, bhí orm ath-thosú ón tosach. A couple of years later, in college, I had to start over from the beginning. Agus ansin ní raibh ach bliain nó dhó agam. And I only had a year or two then. Rinne mé dearmad de beagnach gach aon rud a d’fhoghlaim mé, ach amháin focail áirithe agus roinnt coincheapanna. I forgot almost everything I’d learned, except certain words and some concepts. Tamall ó shin, thosaigh mé ar an nGearmáinis arís, tar éis bearna an-fhada. A while ago, I started to learn G again, after a long break. Agus níl aon fhoighne agam. And I have no patience. Ba mhaith liom gach aon rud a dhéanamh gan mórán dua gan mórán ama. I’d like to be able to do everything without a lot of trouble or time. Faraor, níl an saol mar sin. Alas, life isn’t like that. Ach rinne mé dul chun cinn ní b’fhearr ná riamh, mar seachas an ghramadach agus rialacha amháin, thosaigh mé ar í a léamh agus éisteacht léi, agus fiú cúpla focal a scríobh. But I made better progress than ever, because instead of only grammar and rules, I started to read it and listen to it, and even to write a few words. Mar sin féin, nuair a chuala mé comhrá tamall ó shin ar an traein agus daoine ag caint as Gearmáinis, cé nach raibh mé ag éisteacht go géar, thuig mé cé chomh lag is atá mo chuid Gearmáinise. Just the same, when I heard a conversation on the train with people speaking G, even though I wasn’t listening carefully, I knew just how weak my G is. Fós féin, tá mé ábalta leabhair a léamh aisti. Nevertheless, I can read books in it. Ní mór dom i bhfad níos mó a fhoghlaim, cinnte. I have a lot more to learn, for sure.

Ach maidir leis an nGaeilge, tá scéal eile ar fad agam. But regarding the Irish, I have a very different story. Ón tosach, cé go raibh mé ag foghlaim na gramadaí, bhí mé ag foghlaim frásaí chun comhrá a dhéanamh, agus ag éisteacht léi. From the start, although I was learning grammar, I was learning phrases to use in conversation, and listening to it. Bhí mé páirteach ar liostaí r-phoist ar an idirlíon (rud nach raibh ann nuair a bhí mé ar scoil). I participated in e-mail lists on the internet (a thing that didn’t exist when I was in school). Bhí mé ag foghlaim le daoine eile chun spraoi a bhaint as an teanga, seachas chun éirí go maith i rang scoile. I was learning with other people in order to have fun with the language, rather than to do well in a class. An rud ba thábhachtaí, sílim, ná go raibh, ón tosach, rudaí le déanamh agam leis an teanga, rudaí an-taitneamhacha. The thing which was most important, I think, was that I had, from the start, things to do with the language, very pleasant things. Bhíodh daoine ann chun mo bhotúin a cheartú, agus chun dúshlán a thabhairt dom – gach aon lá. There were always people there to correct my mistakes, and to challenge me – every day. Bhí fonn orm caint le daoine sa teanga, chun amhráin a thuiscint, agus chun mórán a léamh. I wanted to talk to people in the language, to understand songs, and to read a lot. Ní raibh sí ina hábhar scoile dom, ach ina teanga bheo. It wasn’t a school subject to me, but a living language.

Táim ag tosú chun an Ghearmáinis a úsáid níos mó, agus ag foghlaim i bhfad níos fearr ón léitheoireacht agus araile, ná ón staidéar oifigiúil. I’m starting to use G more, and learning a lot better from reading and so forth, than from official study. Tuigim freisin go bhfuil sé níos éasca teangacha eile mar an nGearmáinis a fhoghlaim tar éis foghlaim na Gaeilge. I understand that it is easier to learn another language like G after learning Irish. Táim i mo dhuine fásta anois (mar dhea), ach táim i mo thosaitheoir fós. I’m a grown up (so to speak), but I’m still a beginner.

I gcás na Gaeilge, bíonn an chuid is mó de na daoine ag a bhfuil sí á foghlaim, agus is dócha go bhfuil sé níos éasca Gaeilge neamh-fhoirfe a úsáid gan náire. In the case of Irish, most of the people who know it are learning it, and I suppose it’s easier to use imperfect Irish without shame. Agus mura labhróinn Gearmáinis, ba chuma le lucht a cainte, is dócha, ach tá fáth eile ann chun an Ghaeilge a fhoghlaim: an chúis. And if I weren’t to speak G, those who speak it wouldn’t care, I suppose, but there’s another reason to learn Irish: the cause.. Tá an teanga i mbaol, agus mura labhróinn í, bheadh an baol sin ní ba mheasa. The language is in danger, and if I weren’t to speak it, that danger would be worse. Tá comhluadar difriúil ann i measc lucht a cainte, mar tá cuspóir uasal neamhchoitianta againn. Those who speak it have a different camaraderie, because we have a noble, unusual goal. Nuair a labhraítear Gaeilge, tá an saol go léir níos fearr, mar tá teanga ársa uasal na hÉireann beo. When Irish is spoken, the whole world is better, because the noble ancient language of Ireland is alive. Táimse ag déanamh mo chion. I’m doing my part.