http://www.daltai.com/cgi-sys/cgiwrap/daltai/discus/show.pl?tpc=20&post=25902#PO ST25902

That thread has wandered off, and I realise I didn't actually answer the question.

The answer is "I don't know" - I don't conciously set out to teach my kids, so I don't monitor their speech in a way that would let me answer Cailíns question about when they started answering questions grammatically. What I have done is to speak Irish to them since birth, and read as much as possible to them when they were younger. I have less time now, but I hope that is partially compensated for by Gaelscoilíocht.

I would add that I have often heard the advice that one should not directly correct one's children, but should try to use the correct version in a related sentence.

Thanks A, for unearthing my query, I had forgotten what it was as well!

The reason for my question is that I'm suggesting that Irish has a longer fluency acquisition time in adults because of things like the different yes and no responses and the battery of declined prepositions you have to learn -- not that it's necessarily harder, but that it means you have to be more patient for a longer spell when you're starting to learn until you get all those pesky forms down. (Unlike French or Spanish or English, where you can learn yes and no in lesson one pretty easily and therefore can at least respond to the questions you understand right away.) I think this is particularly challenging for adult learners. Those of you who memorized them when you were in school probably didn't think about them as much as an adult beginner student would and therefore you might not have found them so challenging.

Someone who doesn't speak Irish who read my paragraph on this suggested I examine how small children learning Irish as a first language acquire these forms in Irish, then. I've personally noticed many of the kids I've heard speaking Irish give the sea and ní hea responses when they're small and I'm guessing they eventually grow out of that. But I don't know enough small Irish speakers to really assume that this is universal. I was just wondering if anyone listening in here had experience with small children specifically in Irish that confirmed or quashed this idea of mine.

For example, Thomas says he remembers the small daughter of the bean an ti in the Gaeltacht once who was about three and answered his an ndeachaigh, ceist with chuaigh gan stro.

It's a really a fascinating subject though. Wish I had time to look into it more. Thanks to everyone for their input.

You may find the following book helpful:
Ag tógáil clainne le Gaeilge
http://www.litriocht.com/shop/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=&products_id=717

My husband, who is at home with our nearly year-old son, plays Rabhlaí Rabhlaí to him every day. (Our son adores this CD.) You can buy this from Oideas Gael and elsewhere, though I don't think litriocht.com carries it any more. (For older kids, Scéilín ó Bhéilín is great as well.) Both of these are in the Munster dialect. For more info:
http://www.corca-dhuibhne.com/oidhreacht.html

We also read (very simple books) every day to our son.

We're in America, so we don't have the benefit of a Gaelscoil.

These answer forms are hard to master, maybe, but there are things like that in all languages. Irish isn't more difficult to learn, for a young child, than any other language. There are languages that are much much more difficult than Irish.

it depends on which level we talk about (phonological / phonetical / syntactical / morphological...)

I mean, when it is your mothertongue. Your reach the same level of fluency at the same age in any language.

I was answering to: "There are languages that are much much more difficult than Irish."

A Lughaidh,

>> Your reach the same level of fluency at the same age in any language.

Gan eisceacht? Dúirt cara liom, Gary Ingle, go bhfuil taighde ann anois -- i gcló áit éigin -- nach dtosaíonn leanaí Navajo ag caint chomh luath agus a thosaíonn leanaí a thógtar le teangacha eile. Tá an briathar Navajo thar a bheith casta agus is é an briathar an mhórchuid d'abairt ar bith sa teanga sin. Níl sa mhéid seo ach scéal scéil, ar ndóigh, ach... an féidir go bhfuil sé fíor? Caithfidh mé an cheist seo a chur ar Ghary arís.

A Chailín,

rinne Bord Sláinte an Iarthar taighde ar sealbhú na Gaeilge i measc leanaí. Seans go mbeadh freagraí acu.

http://www.gaelport.com/index.php?page=news&news_id=17

GRMMA a A!!

I can't resist asking and I'm sorry if I'm intervening or sounding off-topic.

Could you translate "Freagra ar cheist Chailín"?

freagra ar cheist Chailín

"Cailín" here is used as a name, just as if in English, if you referred to a particular person by the alias "Girl".

freagra = answer
ceist = question

freagra ar cheist = answer to a question

In Irish, "ar" loosely translated to English as "on", as in:

It was on the table
...ar an mbord

but you can never really give one-on-one translations for prepositions, you just have to accept that you use "ar" in Irish for such constructs.

ceist = a question

ceist Chailín = Girl's question (Remember "Girl" is used as an alias)

So in summation:

Freagra ar cheist Chailín
Answer to Cailín's question

(Message edited by Fear_na_mBróg on August 24, 2005)

Agus seans go mbeadh breis eolais anseo

http://www.naionrai.ie/index.ga

I beg your pardon, I've had my 'alias' since birth a Fhír agus ní feidir liom éalu as go heasca!
: )

GRMMA arís a A. Caithfidh gur thaighdeoir gairmiula thusa!

Colleen

A Chailíndoll,

Féach ar http://www.comhluadar.ie/ freisin. An bhfuil tú in Éirinn, nó in áit éigin eile?

Le meas,
Cionaodh

Taighdeoir gairmiúl? Ní hea. Ach is cara mór liom Google!

Ábhar suimiúil, a Chailín.

Mar foghlaimeoir aosaithe, cinnte is cruachás é!

Bhí frustrachas orm nuair thuig mé céist, ach níor féidir liom freagair--ach oiread sméid mo cheann!

Tá mé fiosrach faoi seo...Ba mhaith liom clois níos faoi na páistí ag foghlaim caint as Gaeilge.

Agus GRMA a ghachdaoine as na "weblinks".

(Brón orm faoi aon botún--fós is foghlaimeoir nua mé!)