These “Speak Outlander” lesson videos are starting to remind me of those old Fosters commercials, except instead of learning "how to speak Australian," in this case, the language lesson is Scottish and the videos apply to words and phrases relevant to the plot of the upcoming Starz series. They also give us the opportunity to sink comfortably into Jamie Fraser’s accent for a little bit as we wait for this new drama to arrive.
The previously released video taught us how to say “Sassenach,” which means an English person or foreigner. It’s a word applicable to the lead character in Diana Gabaldon’s novels, and Ronald D. Moore’s upcoming Starz adaptation, as Claire Randall is “Sassenach,” being a British woman.
I don’t suppose Scotland has a term for World War II combat nurses who find themselves sent back through time to war torn Scotland in the 1700s, because that word would also apply to Claire.
But they do have the phrase “Craigh na Dun,” which means “the stone formation through which Claire travels back in time.” That’s the phrase we’re taught in the latest video, which is introduced by Gaelic expert Adhamh O Broin, before Outlander star Sam Heughan steps in to give us the speech lesson on how to say it.
In Outlander, Heughan plays Jamie Fraser, the Scottish Warrior to whom Claire is forced to marry after she travels back through time. Her involvement with Jamie is further complicated by the fact that she’s already married in her other (future) life.
Starz has been generous with sharing set photos and videos. Just the other day, the premium cable network shared a video featuring cast members wishing fans a Merry Christmas. And the series has also had a pretty active Facebook page and Instagram account, to keep fans filled in on what’s going on with the production of this series. Here’s a look at some of the recent photos.
Here’s one of the pictures from the Instagram page, showing a mysterious observer on a rainy night…
A scene from the start of the story perhaps? We shall see! Exactly when we'll see, we don't know just yet, but with the new year upon us, it hopefully won't be long before Starz sets a date for the start of Outlander.
