Hi there,
I just finished Salty yesterday, I can't stop thinking about it! I love anything folklore based, and your writing style made everything feel so cozy and magical.
I have a question - is Muirin's way of speaking English based on Gaelic grammatical patterns?
Thank you, and I can't wait to see what you write next!
Hi operafish! Thank you so much, I'm so happy you enjoyed Salty 💕 You're right—While I very much tweaked things to suit my storytelling needs, as well as trying to keep her from sounding too much like Yoda, Muirin's way of speaking is based on my (extremely limited) understanding of Gaelic grammar. I attempted to map her limited English vocabulary onto Gaelic grammar patterns then slowly improved her understanding of English grammar along with giving her more words to work with as the story progressed. That said, I only know a few phrases of Gaelic; I'm planning to find a class to learn more because trying to learn on my own with duolingo didn't do it for me at all!
Even though Jean assumes Muirin's "foreign language" is Gaelic, I imagine a selkie language might combine elements of Scots and Irish Gaelic with the languages of Scandinavia and the Faroe Islands—all places that have connections to Selkie myth—mixed with pinniped communication!
