This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
Listen
Spellbinding development for Gaelic
09/03/2006
Gàidhlig
Half a million words are helping to ensure that Gaelic continues to cement its reputation as a language of the future, not the past.
The Gaelic spell-checker, launched today, has over 525,000 words and is designed to provide a useful everyday tool as well as helping to unite Gaelic-users behind a nationally-agreed standard.
Despite having twice as many words as expected, The European Language Initiative's spell-checker project - Pròiseact an Dearbhair - took less than three years to complete.
Education Minister Peter Peacock, who has ministerial responsibility for Gaelic, said:
"Gaelic has a proud history and we want it to have a flourishing future. The launch of this spell-checker is proof, if proof were needed, that Gaelic is a living language.
"For the growing number of people who are learning and using Gaelic, I'm sure this will quickly become an invaluable tool in their daily lives."
Project director Clive Leo McNeir, head of The European Language Initiative (TELI), said:
"I would like to make it clear that the spell-checker is being offered as a support to the Gaelic community, not an imposition. Its first year of operation should be regarded as a consultation period. We invite everyone to participate and contribute to the project. We would like to know if there are extra words that should be added, or if any errors are spotted. No database of this size can expect to be perfect. Working together we can make a good tool even better."
Bòrd na Gàidhlig chairman Matthew MacIver said:
'This is a very welcome development for Gaelic and is a great achievement by TELI. Recently, a number of important initiatives have been put in place to strengthen the Gaelic language and ensure its consistency and relevance in the modern world and other bodies such as LTS, SQA and HIE should also be commended for their role in this.
"This spell-checker should be widely publicised and I am confident it will be of great use to Gaelic speakers and learners at all levels and is another important step forward for Gaelic."
The spell-checker is available to download free-of-charge from the Gaelic Online website, run by Learning and Teaching Scotland, at http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/gaidhlig/spellpress.asp. The version being launched is designed to operate on computers using Microsoft Word. Versions for use with other types of software, including open source, are currently in development and will be announced shortly.
The spell-checker was produced by The European Language Initiative, the same team which created the official English and Gaelic dictionary for the Scottish Parliament - Faclair na Pàrlamaid - and its associated interactive online service. TELI has worked with colleagues at Dublin City University and the Irish Institute of Linguistics, who had previously devised the spell-checker for Irish.
The spell-checker cost £105,500, including the technical infrastructure as well as the linguistic aspects of the project. Funding was provided by Bòrd na Gàidhlig, Comunn na Gàidhlig, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the Scottish Executive Education Department. The Microsoft Corporation provided the search engine, valued at $23,000, which had been developed for use with Irish. The publishers Hodder Headline also allowed the database of their Teach Yourself Gaelic Dictionary to be used free of charge as part of the core material.
The spell-checker follows hard on the heels of the second edition of the Gaelic Orthographic Conventions which was launched by the Scottish Qualifications Authority in January. The conventions aim to provide consistency in the standard of written Gaelic - http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/sqa_nu_display.jsp?pContentID=8238&p_applic=CCC&p_service=Content.show&
Tha leth mhillean facal a' dèanamh cinnteach gur i a' Ghàidhlig cànan airson an àm ri teachd agus nach buin i idir ris an linn a dh'fhalbh a-mhàin. Tha còrr is 525,000 facal anns an dearbhair litreachaidh Ghàidhlig a thathas a' cur air bhog an-diugh. Tha e air a dhealbhadh a bhith na inneal feumail, làitheil agus cuideachd na mheadhan airson luchd na Gàidhlig a thoirt gu aonta stèidhichte, nàiseanta air litreachadh na Gàidhlig. Thugadh Pròiseact an Dearbhair gu buil ann an nas lugha na trì bliadhna agus bidh e na thaic mhòr don chànan.
Bidh an dearbhair ri luchdachadh a-nuas saor 's an asgaidh bhon làraich-lìn gàidhlig air-loidhne a tha air a stiùireadh le Ionnsachadh agus Teagasg Alba ( http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/gaidhlig). Tha a' chiad dreach d a thathas a' cur air bhog an-dràsta air a dealbhadh airson choimpiutairean a tha a' cleachdadh Microsoft Word, pàirt de phasgan-oifis Microsoft. Thathas ag obrachadh air dreach dan eile airson an cleachdadh le bathar bog eile, bathar bog fosgailte nam measg, agus thèid fios a sgaoileadh mu iad seo a dh'aithghearr.
Ann a bhith a' cur fàilte air an leasachadh ùr seo thug Peter Peacock , Ministear an Fhoghlaim, iomradh air cho cudromach 's a bha foillsicheadh den dàrna clò-bhualadh de GOC ro làimh ri cur air bhog An Dearbhair.
"Gaelic has a proud history and we want it to have a flourishing future. The launch of this spell-checker is proof, if proof were needed, that Gaelic is a living language. For the growing number of people, who are learning and using Gaelic, I'm sure this will become an invaluable tool in their daily lives."
Chaidh an dearbhair a dhèanamh le Iomairt Cànain na h-Eòrpa (TELI), an aon bhuidheann 's a rinn Faclair na Pàrlamaid agus an t-Seirbheis Air-loidhne Eadar-obrachail a tha na chois. Tha TELI air obrachadh gu dlùth còmhla ri co-obraichean aig Oilthigh Bhaile Ath-Chliath agus Ionad Eireannach Cànanachais, a bha air dearbhair a dhealbhadh airson Gàidhlig na h-Eireann roimhe seo.
B' e cosgais iomlan na h-obrach £105,000, a' toirt a-steach cùisean teicnigeach agus cànain a' phròiseict. Bha ionmhas a' phròiseict air a roinn eadar co-bhanntachd de bhuidhnean agus b' iad (an òrdugh na h-aibidil): Bòrd na Gàidhlig, Comunn na Gàidhlig, Iomairt na Gàidhealtachd 's nan Eilean agus Roinn Foghlaim na h-Alba (SEED). Thug Microsoft Corportation seachad gu fialaidh an inneal-rannsachaidh, luach $23,000, a chaidh a chleachdadh leis an dearbhair Eireannach.
Thug Clive Leo McNeir, stiùiriche a' phròiseict agus ceannard TELI, taing don Mhinistear, do na buidhnean a thug seachad taic, agus don fheadhainn a thug seachad brosnachadh air feadh na h-iomairt dùbhlanaiche seo.
"I would like to make it clear that the spell-checker is being offered as a support to the Gaelic community, not an imposition. Its first year of operation should be regarded as a consultation period. We invite everyone to participate and contribute to the project. We would like to know if there are extra words that should be added, or if any errors are spotted. No database of this size can expect to be perfect. Working together we can make a good tool even better."
Thuirt Mata MacÌomhair, Cathraiche Bòrd na Gàidhlig:
"This is a very welcome devlopment for Gaelic and is a great achievement by TELI. Recently, a number of important initiatives have been put in place to strengthen the Gaelic language and ensure its consistency and relevance in the modern world and other bodies such as LTS, SQA and HIE should also be commended for their role in this. This spellchecker should be widely publicised and I am confident that it will be of great use to Gaelic speakers and learners at all levels and is another important step forward for Gaelic."