From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Literature in Gaelic languages
Gaelic literature
(
Irish
:
Litriocht na Gaeilge
;
Scottish Gaelic
:
Litreachas na Gaidhlig
) is
literature
in the
vernacular
Gaelic languages
of
Ireland
,
Scotland
and the
Isle of Man
.
Gaelic literature is recognised as the third oldest literature tradition
[1]
of
Europe
, behind only
Latin literature
and
Greek literature
: literature has been written in Gaelic languages from the 1st centuries AD to the present day.
Latin
had been used extensively in the Gaelic lands, with the advent of
Christianity
, however, the
Gaels
were in the vanguard as regards using their own language to write literary works of merit.
History
[
edit
]
Old Gaelic, 300s CE?900s CE
[
edit
]
Before the arrival of
Christianity
in
Ireland
, the
Gaels
had a limited level of literacy in
Primitive Irish
. This manifested itself in
ogham
inscriptions in wood and stone; typically memorials to the dead or boundary markers.
[2]
The traditional stories of the people were circulated in the form of
oral culture
, rather than written down. Works of a Christian nature were the first to appear in the
Sean-Ghaeilge
(
Old Irish
), the earliest form written in
Latin script
, as it would appear that the Gaelic speaking
monks
wanted to impart the religion to their flocks in the native tongue. It is thought likely that the first church
hymns
and prayers were composed in Old Irish as early as the 6th century. The work
Amra Choluim Chille
is the earliest extant literary work of this nature left to us. It is written in a very early form of the
Sean-Ghaeilge
, and the
meter
has an old-fashioned appearance, more so than the rest of the literature of this period. Experts think that it was composed by
Dallan Forgaill
, towards the end of the 6th century, when
Colm Cille
had died.
Middle Gaelic, 900s CE?1200s CE
[
edit
]
Classical Gaelic, 1200s CE?1780s CE
[
edit
]
Gaeilge
and
Gaidhlig
, 1780s CE?present
[
edit
]
Main articles
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
General history
| |
---|
Gaelic culture
| |
---|
Language
| |
---|
Clans
| |
---|
Related
organisations
| |
---|
Related subjects
| |
---|
|