Gaelic Writing
Sgrìobhadh Gàidhlig
We read in A2 Topic 13 about the old Gaelic alphabet which was based on the names of the trees:
Ailm, Beith, Coll, Dair, …
But originally these names existed for an ancient alphabet called ogham.
Rev. Thomas Davidson 1856‑1923 (ed.), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Check out the website www.ogham.co where you can find a tool that translates/transliterates words to the ogham alphabet and examples of writing in ogham found in Ireland.
Turn your own name or surname into ogham. What does it look like?
DÈ DO BHEACHD? Gaelic
Am faca tu a‑riamh snaidh-sgrìobhadh ann an ogham air clach sam bith?
Dè cho practaigeach 's a tha an aibidil seo nad bheachd‑sa?
B' e buaidh na h‑Eaglaise a thug an aibidil Ròmanach a‑steach an àite ogham, ach mar a bha a' tachairt airson cànain eile san Roinn Eòrpa, chaidh aibidil shònraichte a chruthachadh airson sgrìobhadh Gàidhlig.
'S e corra‑litir (rounded letter) a th' againn air sa Ghàidhlig Albannaich, ach 'seann chlò' no 'clò Gàidhealach' sa Ghàidhlig Èireannaich.
Chan eil mòran eisimpleirean againn ann an Alba den sgrìobhadh seo, agus cha deach leabhraichean a chlò‑bhualadh innte, mar a bha cumanta ann an Èirinn suas gu timcheall air 1950, ach chì thu e air soidhnichean-sràide ann an Steòrnabhagh fhathast.
WHAT DO YOU THINK? English
Have you ever seen an inscription in ogham on any stone?
How practical do you think this alphabet is?
It was the influence of the Church that introduced the Roman alphabet instead of ogham, but as was happening for other languages in Europe, a special/different alphabet was created for writing Gaelic.
We call it corra‑litir (rounded letter) in Scottish Gaelic, but 'seann chlò' or 'clò Gàidhealach' in Irish Gaelic.
We don't have many examples of this script in Scotland, and books weren't printed in it, as was common in Ireland until around 1950, but you can still see it on street signs in Stornoway.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/Bilingual_Stornoway_‑_geograph.org.uk_‑_2626511.jpg
Bilingual Stornoway by Colin Smith, CC BY‑SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by‑sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Gaelic
'S e an làmh‑sgrìobhadh aig Alasdair Mac Mhaighstir Alasdair , fear de na bàird Ghàidhlig a b' ionmholta a‑riamh is a bha beò eadar 1698 is 1770, aon de na h‑eisimpleirean mu dheireadh a th' againn de sgrìobhadh ann an corra‑litir an Alba.
Chithear an làmh‑sgrìobhadh seo air còmhdach leabhar a dh'athfhoillsich an cruinneachadh de dh'òrain a sgrìobh Mac Mhaighstir Alasdair air a bheil Aiseirigh na Seann Chànain Albannaich .
English
The handwriting of Alasdair Mac Mhaistir Alasdair , one of the most revered Gaelic poets ever and who lived between 1698 and 1770, is one of the last examples of writing we have of corra‑litir (the rounded letter) in Scotland.
This handwriting can be seen on the cover of a book that republished the collection of songs written by Mac Mhaighstir Alasdair entitled Aiseirigh na Seann Chànain Albannaich (The Resurrection of the Ancient Scottish Tongue).