Best Celtic language to learn?

Question

I can't learn it right now, because my hands are full with German and Japanese. But I have half-Celtic ancestry (English, Scottish, Welsh, and Irish), so would eventually one day like to add a Celtic language to the list of ones I know.

I know that Welsh is the healthiest in terms of survival (Wales still has a strong linguistic identity unlike Scotland and Ireland - and growing), but how easy is it compared to the others?

Are Scottish Gaelic and Irish essentially just novelty languages today? Are are they still used in significant numbers elsewhere.

Thanks for reading and for the upcoming answers.

Answer 1

Hi there!

The Best Celtic language to learn is up for debate: it depends what your criteria are.

The most spoken Celtic language? In that respect, Welsh comes out joint top with Breton, although in the Irish census, a million or so people claimed to be operational in Irish Gaelic.

The language with the most constant orthography? That definitely would not be Welsh (the letter 'y' and its plethora of pronunciations is a pain in the backside, as is the non-standardness of diateric use), nor would it be Scots Gaelic. Irish is pretty easy to get one's head around, having gotten rid of a lot of silent sounds in a spring clean that S.G. did not experience, as is Breton, although the most constant, if not the most beautiful, orthography, is Cornish. Manx orthography is similar to English, and, due to this, is very ugly.

The easiest language to learn in a short time? Probably Scots Gaelic. It has the least number of mutations (1, whereas Welsh and Breton have 3) and the verbal system is much more logical. In Scottish Gaelic, nearly everything is conjugated with tha, to be, whereas the main verb itself does not change... so 'I am learning' or 'I learn' is tha mi ag ionnsachadh, 'I am saying' or 'I say' is 'tha mi ag ràdh,' and so on..

Geographic expanse and future prospects: Irish is taught to all pupils in the Republic, and is very common in parts of Western Ireland as a first language. Scottish Gaelic is, sadly, not taught that much in schools, although the new administration will hopefully turn around the decades of neglect of the S.G. language and revive it as Welsh was done. It can still be heard oft in the highlands and islands. Cornish and Manx are very limited in scope. Breton is spoken by anywhere between half a million and 1.2 million speakers in the entire Brittany, although the future of the language is not so secure, given that France does not accept it as a language. Welsh is spoken the more the more west one goes, and things look brighter, given that it has been revived..

Ireland and Scotland both have strong linguistic identities, but have suffered a lot of fall-backs, such as having the languages banned and then not having lessons in them for years... but Ireland is changing this around and Scotland will too, I hope.
Best wishes,

C.s.

Answer 2

Learn Celtic Language

Answer 3

All of the Celtic languages are difficult. The simplest among them, Manx, once spoken on the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea, has been extinct since 1957, 1962 or 1965 depending upon whose accounts you go by!

I think you can find CD or tape cassettes most easily for Irish Gaelic, then Welsh, and then finally, Scottish Gaelic and Breton.

Unfortunately, Irish and Scottish Gaelic have rapidly declined in the past 150 years. Possibly, as little as 3% of the Irish population now speaks Gaelic as their first language. It's not known for sure if there are any people in Scotland left who still speak Gaelic as their first language.

Certain dialects of Irish and Scottish Gaelic have definitely gone extinct. East Ulster Irish Gaelic vanished in the 1950's and the last speaker of the Sutherland dialect of Scottish Gaelic, Mary Stewart, died in 1972.

Welsh is not faring much better these days. Although I've seen figures that show 23% of the Welsh population speaking Welsh as a first language even these figures are probably generous. I have met only two Welsh immigrants in my hometown of Seattle who were bilingual in Welsh and English and that was back in the 1970's.

However, if you have the time, by all means, read about the Celtic languages all that you can. Listen to them on as many tape cassettes as you can find. Finding native speakers is going to be tough though. Occasionally, shops that sell Irish and Scottish imports can refer you to an Irish or Scottish Gaelic teacher in your community. I know that in Seattle, that's about the only way you will ever find one.

Answer 4

Welsh Gaelic is easy to learn. My Uncle taught me a few words and I didn't have any trouble learning it.