GEN-TRIVIA-SCOTLAND-L Archives

From: Muff Worden <>
Subject: Re: Gaelic Dialects and countdown
Date: Sat, 11 Dec 2004 12:54:47 +0000
In-Reply-To: <200412110803.iBB83ABB027113@lists5.rootsweb.com>

I'm chuckling about this - my funny image of the week was of my
"proposed CD," to come out in time to top the holiday sales charts next
November. I live in a country where particularly young folks listen to
a lot of English - in classes, on TV, in films, in music videos and on
CDs, and once they are older than 11 or 12 most are very competent in
the language, which - except for its strange habits of
spelling/pronunciation - is a lot easier to learn than Icelandic. So
lots of kids and professionals use a lot of English on their recordings
or in their singing. Well, I decided to turn the tables, heh heh, and
will do up a holiday recording in which I, the American, sing all the
holiday songs and carols in Icelandic. That'll learn 'em!!

There aren't the dialect variations of language here as there are with
Gaelic, just regional leanings of pronunciation. For instance, here in
the east the Gs and Ks are much softer than in the north, and there is
much more use of breathiness around consonants. Here, the word for
water - vatn - comes out "vah(ch)t" and you don't hear any hint of the
N. In Akureyri in the north you hear "VAHT" and in Reykjavik in the
southwest you hear just a touch of the breathiness (ch), as if you were
speaking off your pharynx. In Gaelic it's mainly the vowel
pronunciation that changes, from what I have heard - plus different
ways of saying things. On this trip I will be hearing Gaelic in Skye
and Sutherland, more than elsewhere, and am not used to those - have
mostly learned and heard Lewis Gaelic with a touch of the Barra, which
is a whole other thing.

And Joyce - my countdown has begun. Today is a heavy-duty work day in
this trash can I pretend to call a house, and then next Friday evening
I'm off on my trip, tra-la! In between, no more lessons to teach in
this town, just the daily prep for Wed. night's concert, and then final
lessons in Egilsstadir on Thursday and Friday morning. Wonder if I
will remember to take along everything I need?

Meanwhile, about to go onto the CD player is "Out of the Christmas
Flame," a new recording "hot off the press" by Rudsambee, the little
mixed choir in Edinburgh that does folk music of all nations. It was
recorded in Crichton Collegiate Church, Midlothian, for those of you
who know the area. Christmas music from all over, starting with the
Swedish carol my voice students are singing as a group on Wed. and
continuing for 21 songs, including a winter round written by a late
friend in the US, and an Icelandic Christmas song, an oldie, that I
sent them the music to last year. They do that in Icelandic - have an
Icelander in the group who helps with pronunciation. Nice CD, nicely
performed.

Cheers, all -

Muff





Muff Worden
Ranargata 3
710 Seydisfjordur
Iceland
Phone: +354-472-1775
Mobile/Cell/GSM: +354-849-2744
Web: www.geocities.com/mworden.geo/

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• Re: Gaelic Dialects and countdown by Muff Worden <>