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To view this report,
click here: Gaelic Awareness Month Meeting, May 2009
www.cainntmomhathar.com
One of the most ambitious initiatives Comhairle na Gàidhlig has yet undertaken, Cainnt mo Mhàthar (My Mother's Language) is a project designed to record idiomatic, everyday Gaelic from fluent speakers in Nova Scotia. With its third and final stage complete, the project has produced nearly twenty-five hours of video recordings based on an extensive questionnaire developed with the needs of language learners in mind. Project Coordinator Shamus MacDonald and Fieldworker Jim Watson, who volunteered his time on behalf of the Highland Village, visited Gaelic speakers in all four Cape Breton counties to complete the project. Their recordings feature individuals and pairs speaking on a variety of everyday topics including the weather, folklore, childcare, baking, chores, music and clothing.
The Department of Canadian Heritage and the provincial Office of Gaelic Affairs have contributed more than $45,000 in combined funding for the third phase of the project. This funding was used to create a premiere website showcasing video and audio recordings of contemporary Gaelic speakers in Cape Breton. Besides making the Cainnt mo Mhàthar collection available online, it allowed Comhairle na Gàidhlig to continue its fieldwork with some of the province's best Gaelic tradition-bearers. Funding also allowed for the inclusion of recordings from other sources as well; including two important collections completed at the Highland Village Museum. The completed project gives language learners and the general public a good overview of Gaelic Nova Scotia, as related by contemporary tradition-bearers in their native language and available anytime, anywhere, free of charge.
Late in 2007, Comhairle na Gàidhlig hosted a series of twelve community meetings in Nova Scotia. Held in collaboration with the Office of Gaelic Affairs, the meetings represented an opportunity for the communtiy to hear about recent inititatives, take stock of our progress, and share ideas for the future. The meetings also marked the fifth anniversary of an historic community consultation process in which the Gaelic communtiy was engaged by government. Each evening began with clips from the Cainnt mo Mhàthar project and ended with open discussions and an invitation to join Comhairle na Gàidhlig. Approximately two-hundred people attended the meetings with nearly half filling out questionnaires; their comments have proven invaluable in defining our short and long term vision for Gaelic Nova Scotia.
Back by popular demand, Spòrs is a program that sees university students visiting elementary schools in the province to teach children about Gaelic language and culture through music, dance, songs and stories. Coordinated by the Gaelic Council and supported by the Service Learning Program at St. Francis Xavier University, this year students from the university visited schools in many areas of eastern Nova Scotia. These visits are intended to spark an interest in Gaelic culture among young people and provide an opportunity for university students to become Gaelic role models in their community.
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An rud is fhiach a ghabhail, 's fhaich e iarraidh.
If it is worth taking, it is worth asking for. |
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