Reasons to learn Gaelic Adhbharan airson a' Ghàidhlig ionnsachadh
There are a number of reasons why people want to learn Gaelic. We’ve broken these down into culture, learning with kids, the benefits of bilingualism, social and career opportunities.
Culture
Scottish culture comes in many forms and plenty of people see Gaelic as a way of gaining an insight into the culture. People who move to Scotland often feel like Gaelic gives them a home. Scots have described heritage that they didn’t know was there being opened up to them and suddenly they see their culture in full colour instead of black-and-white. Once you gain access to the Gaelic culture, you get other benefits
Learning with kids
Learning Gaelic is a really fun activity to do as a whole family and there are plenty opportunities in Scotland to get the whole clan involved. Many parents learn Gaelic whilst putting their children through Gaelic Medium Education (GME). IT is a great opportunity to learn something together, to bind you and bring you closer through a shared experience. Many parents also enjoy the competition with their family members!
Bilingualism
It is important to keep your mind active at any age and many people have cited the benefits of bilingualism as a reason for learning Gaelic, such as to improve your own literacy skills. Learning a new language is always interesting and even if you don’t do this in a formal setting you can become passionate about the language by just engaging the brain. You will learn new things about yourself.
Career opportunities
There is a range of jobs which open up to you when you speak Gaelic. There are limitless opportunities. You can have any career you want, having Gaelic is an advantage, a bonus. Many teachers are looking to re-train through a Gaelic medium transfer course. It opens up opportunities so it’s a positive thing all-round. it’s a win-win situation
Social opportunities
Finally, there is a world of fun which opens up to you when you learn Gaelic. Friends often band together and hire a tutor to give themselves a bit of a boost. In Glasgow, there are Gaelic learners’ choirs and a Gaelic gin club. There are Facebook groups where the people are helpful. If you doing your homework and you are a bit stuck, just go on and ask and you will get probably more answers then you will ever need!
Unfortunately, many myths about Gaelic have become popular over the years, such as “Gaelic is dead,” or “I’m too old to learn Gaelic.”
There are many ways to learn Gaelic, available through a variety of institutions and utilising a range of teaching methods, including the resources on this website. See what others have done to learn Gaelic