THE PASSING OF GAELIC

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21529, 29 December 1931, Page 8

THE PASSING OF GAELIC

TO THE EDITOR. Slit,—A wide circle of your readers will learn jvith regret that the grand old Gaelic tongue —a tongue calculated to be older than Hebrcw—is passing away, according to the latest census taken in Scotland. Modern philologists aver that this tongue enriched ancient Greek and Latin, and that it is the oldest European language; Ossian’s poems being the oldest European classic. In like manner Gaelic was the first British and Irish tongue. In Scotland recently the annual Gaelic Mod was held at Dingwall, Dr Neil Ross occupying the chair as president of An Comunn. Dr Rpss is the most distinguished Celtic scholar, and is the first Scot on whom the honour has been conferred of Celtic D.Litt. In the course of his opening address he said: ‘ If you desire to keep a language alive you will need to speak it. Sheer neglect has been the main reason for the decline of Gaelic. How frequently has been heard a non-Gaelic-speaking Gael express himself in words of regret such as these: It is a pity I never learned Gaelic when I had the opportunity. My parents spoke it verv well, but I haven’t got a word of it. I \v J ish I had.’ There ate hundreds of people to-day who are in this position. Such cases illustrate how, if we had all been like that, the language would have passed away under our very eyes in one generation. What lesson do we learn from this circumstance? The lesson is. Let parents who know the-language speak it to their children in the home. Unless Gaelic is spoken between parent and child in the home, the chance of its survival is slender. The child entertains a greater respect for the language pn being addressed in it by the parent. . . . Whenever a language ceases to be used in the playgrounds the fate of that language is sealed. ... Those of us who already know Gaelic will require to speak it to each other at our gatherings. And those who are not yet sufficiently familiar with it will need to practise it until they attain a reasonable proficiency. Let this be your hobby. It would be an intelligent hobby which would add to your knowledge and give you the satisfaction of doing your share to preserve the grand old tongue,” ... There are suitable books now obtainable for learning Gaelic. Gaelic literature is full of instruction and amusement, not procurable elsewhere, for the simple reason that only three-tenths of the Celtic classics have been translated into English. —I am, etc., „ „ A. C. Robertson. 24 Latter street, Timaru.