by Emily McEwan | Sep 30, 2016 | All Posts, Language Learners
A reader emailed me with this question: Hello, I am interested in learning Gaelic. They stopped teaching it at secondary school the year we started, in 1959. I am also somewhat deaf and have to look at people’s mouths when they are speaking to me. Is it too late for...
by Emily McEwan | Jul 7, 2016 | All Posts, Language Learners, Religion
In a previous blog post about the Lord’s Prayer in Scottish Gaelic, I approached the prayer conceptually as a language learning issue. But Gaelic Revitalization blog readers asked for practical examples and a pronunciation guide, so I’ve created some...
by Emily McEwan | May 27, 2016 | All Posts, Awareness, Education, Government, Nova Scotia
This post offers a look at the current state of Gaelic education in the province of Nova Scotia. It also lets Nova Scotia parents know what they can do to try to get Gaelic taught in their child’s own school, if it isn’t currently offered there. For several years...
by Emily McEwan | Apr 28, 2016 | All Posts, Awareness, Government, Minority Languages, Nova Scotia
Two Gaelic flag-raising ceremonies on Wednesday, April 27 marked the start of Gaelic Awareness Month in the province of Nova Scotia. The first ceremony was for the city of Halifax and it took place in the Grand Parade at the heart of the city. Mayor Mike Savage and...
by Emily McEwan | Mar 16, 2016 | All Posts, Language Learners, Minority Languages
People are learning the Scottish Gaelic language all over the world. You might expect the countries to which Gaels emigrated in the 18th–20th centuries to be among the places where Gaelic language learning is the most popular. That is indeed the case, but another...
by Emily McEwan | Feb 24, 2016 | All Posts, Awareness, Nova Scotia, Songs
Ever since I wrote a blog post on the “Top Ten Differences between Gaelic in Nova Scotia and Scotland” I’ve been wanting to write a longer post about milling frolics. I gave a brief description of milling frolics in the previous blog post: A milling frolic is a social...
by Emily McEwan | Jan 22, 2016 | All Posts, Food, Nova Scotia, Religion
Christian worship through the medium of the Scottish Gaelic language is rare these days. I have been looking for ways to increase opportunities for Gaelic worship, both as a form of religious expression and as a way to practice and use Gaelic meaningfully outside the...
by Emily McEwan | Dec 9, 2015 | All Posts, Language Learners, Nova Scotia, Religion
I love the controlled chaos of a children’s Christmas pageant. Nothing ever goes exactly how it’s supposed to, but it’s always hilarious and heart-warming. In 2011 I wrote a Gaelic nativity play for Gaelic learners. I was motivated by the desire to integrate more...
by Emily McEwan | Nov 2, 2015 | All Posts, Awareness, Minority Languages
When I lived in the U.S., I noticed that a few people would wear poppies for Veterans Day on November 11. But I never did, and my daughter was too young to notice. In Canada, however, November 11 is called Remembrance Day and many people wear poppies before and on the...
by Emily McEwan | Oct 23, 2015 | All Posts, Awareness, Language Learners, Linguistics
This blog post is co-authored by my friend and colleague Antone Minard. Dr. Minard is a folklorist specializing in Welsh and Breton language and tradition. On a previous blog post about Gaelic tattoos, a reader recently made a translation request comment: “hi i...
