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[Facts] Re: Gaelic, gaelic... and perhaps a side of gaelic
There is mostly a differance of pronounciation between the Irish & Scottish Gaelic that originated a long time ago and is fairly settled. They used a lot of the same names and a lot of the same words so it is sometimes hard to tell if a name is strictly Irish or strictly Scottish. Also in the mix are names (like Owen) that are actually Welsh. I took a look at the names you mentioned and here's what I think:
river = ABHANN (Irish) & GLAIS (sounds Scottish)
poet = FILE, BARD (sounds Scottish) & TADHG (Irish)
dark = Ciardha (Irish), dorcha & dubh (Scottish sound)
slender = SEANG (Irish) & CAOL (Scottish)
man = FEAR (Irish) & VIR (Scottish)
wolf = cú (Irish) & faol (Scottish)There is rather a distinct sound in the way their names are pronounced, Irish Gaelic names seem to have a more smooth sound to them where as Scottish Gaelic names are a bit more strong sounding, to me at least! :) I hope I helped a little bit.Examples of their strong, sturdy names:Douglas
Malcolm
Tavish
Hamish
Ian
Alistair
Angus
Archibald
Bruce
Duncan
Daesloch sounds like Scottish Gaelic (the loch part at least)Elspeth
Fiona
Isla
Lillias
Lorna
Mairead
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This message was edited 12/26/2005, 9:55 PM

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One correctionOn this topic, I don't know nearly as much as LadyBug, but I'm fairly certain that dubh is Irish Gaelic. It means "dark," while ciardha means the color black.
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Thank you very much for your input. I agree that the Scottish Gaelic names tend to have a bit of a 'hard' sound to English ears.
I am continuing to try and find deffinitive answers to weither the words listed above are Irish, Scottish, or simply Gaelic synonyms.
So is Irish Gaelic and Scottish Gaelic the same language, Gaelic, but with differences. For example, Canadian English, Australian English, Brittish English, Jamacian English, United States English, etc. are all English, and for the most part we can understand each other, but some words are very common in one area, but not in another. Like how the English use lift and torch for an elevator and a flashlight, respectively. In Canadian English, we have the words lift and torch, but they are not necicarily used in that form.
Another good example is aluminium. In American and Canadian English it is pronounced ah-loo-MIN-uhm, whereas in Brittish English it is pronounced ahl-yoo-MIN-ee-uhm; an entire extra syllable.
This is what I need to know for Irish and Scottish Gaelic. If I find a word that is listed as Irish Gaelic on the website, eg. 'ailill' meaning elf, does it mean 'elf' to those who speak Gaelic in Scotland? Does the word 'ailill' exist in Scottish Gaelic? If so, does it have the same meaning? Etc etc.Thanks again,~ SD
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