Hi..I'm a fourteen year old girl living in the States where Gaelic speakers aren't exactly found by the dozens. My family is distinctly Irish, but none of my living relatives speak Gaelic. I'm struggling to learn it myself, and am beginning to feel quite lost. My email is ****** and if anyone would help me, I'd be much obliged. Thanks so much.

(Message edited by admin on September 26, 2005)

Hi,

First, be very, very, very careful giving your e-mail address over the internet. The people here are very nice and very helpful but there are some whacko's out there who might take advantage of having this kind of information. I say this as a father of a 14 year old...sorry, it's the Dad in me kicking in!!

OK...the parental reflex response is over now... :)

The first thing to do is find some good books that fit your learning style. Don't get worried about all the various dialects, just find something that works for you and your learning style.

If you live in the New England area, you can probably find someone close by to help you. Ditto for San Francisco and some of the other larger cities.

Other than that, stay connected to this site. Ask any question that comes to mind and do your best to stay motivated!!

At your age, I would recommend Buntús Cáinte (check the spelling...the fada in Cáinte might not belong)as a beginning effort. There is NO grammar at all but you learn by listening and repeating and following along in the book. The other end of hte spectrum would be "Learning Irish". It is VERY grammar intense and requires a certain amount of dedication to get through the sticky parts.

Whatever you decide, just try to have fun!!

quote:

At your age, I would recommend Buntús Cáinte (check the spelling...the fada in Cáinte might not belong)as a beginning effort. There is NO grammar at all but you learn by listening and repeating and following along in the book.

That course has been around for ages (well, since 1967), and I still think it is one of the best! Some of the situations in the dialogues are naturally a little dated, but there's a sweetness to the whole thing, and a good deal of humor. Quite a few people I know who have used it have supplemented it with Progress in Irish for grammar.

By the way, the presence or absence of a long mark ("fada") doesn't often distinguish between two different words, but in this case it does, and rather amusingly:

buntús cainte = foundation/basics of speech
buntús cáinte = foundation/basics of condemnation/blame

(Message edited by dennis on September 26, 2005)

Hi Katie,

Conradh na Gaeilge Shasana Nua, The Gaelic League of New England, may be very helpful for you. Their website is:

http://www.gaeilge.org/

I was curious, in your profile, you say:

Favorite Study Aids: Flashcards and somewhat helpful computer program.

What computer program are you using?

Also, here are some websites you might find useful:

http://www.csis.ul.ie/focloir/

http://www.maths.tcd.ie/gaeilge/gaelic.html

http://www.leyline.org/cra/languages/IrishPeople/#Less1

The second link is a few chapters from the book "Learning Irish" which is one of the best books available, and there are some audio files there, too. Just be aware that it's in the Cois Fhairrge dialect, and some of the spellings will be different. The first link is a superb dictionary, with standard spellings.

And finally, as James said, post questions you have here, and someone will help you!!

Aaron

Autumnmusic fair-play to ya for making the effort ;)

I'd agree with the others - take things step by step and use all the mizzilions of online resources - google it!

Slán,
Domhnall

Thanks so much, everyone for your help.

Aaron: this is the website I downloaded my somewhat helpful computer program from. (I call it my nifty flashcard program.) It's free, safe to download and give out your email address, and they don't send you junk mail.

http://www.byki.com/free_lang_software.pl

James: thank you, *Dad,* for looking out for me, but I've got it, thanks. ; )

I just wish my grandfather was here to help me with all this...he was a leprechaun, I swear, and I think he spoke Gaelic.

Slán,
Katie

Hi Katie,

I find that taking live classes is always helpful and more motivating than learning alone. If you're in nothern CT and would like to take a class, please contact Cionaodh () as we're holding classes on Thursday nights in Sturbridge, MA. (The classes are free of charge exclusing the cost of the book, Progress in Irish.)

If you're further south/east/west and would like to take classes, let us know and we can find someone close by who might be teaching -- or check the classes listing on this website.

Also, please let us know if you need recommendations for learning materials -- we usually have a good stock, and we sell books at cost (plus actual cost of shipping), so you'd probably get a good deal on any books you might need.

If you are considering taking a class, perhaps a family member or friend could take it with you -- that way you might feel a bit more comfortable.

You may also find joining email lists to be of help, although the warnings about people you meet on the internet still apply to those you meet on Irish language lists:

Gaeilge-B
https://listserv.heanet.ie/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=gaeilge-b&A=1

Learning Irish yahoogroup
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LearningIrish/?tab=s

Scríobh Katie:
>Hi..I'm a fourteen year old girl living
>in the States where Gaelic speakers aren't
>exactly found by the dozens. My family is
>distinctly Irish, but none of my living
>relatives speak Gaelic. I'm struggling to
>learn it myself, and am beginning to feel
>quite lost.

If you haven't already looked, take a gander at http://www.daltai.com/classes.htm and see if there are classes going on near you. Most larger U.S. cities have Irish classes available. In some places you'll certainly find Irish speakers by the dozens! And from my own experience teaching, you may well find another teen or two amongst the adults learning Irish -- I've had dozens in my classes over the years.

Irish is nearly impossible to learn (properly) on your own, as most readers on this list will attest. If you mention what region you're in (i.e., northeast, southeast, northwest, etc.), I'm sure folks on this list will recommend teachers/classes they know of.

The books previously recommended (PII, BC) are quite good; you might also look for the "Language/30 - Irish" CDs at your local book store or Amazon . . . it's not a course per se, but will teach you lots of helpful phrases, and it's cheap ($20 or less).

"Maith thú" for deciding to pursue this while still young, Katie! As most readers of this list know, learning a language gets exponentially more difficult the older you get.

Le meas,
Cionaodh

(Message edited by Cionaodh on September 28, 2005)

Scríobh Nicole:
>I find that taking live classes is always helpful
>and more motivating than learning alone. If you're
>in northern CT and would like to take a class, please
>contact Cionaodh () as we're holding
>classes on Thursday nights in Sturbridge, MA.

I should add, Katie, that if you had a way to get to the course location Nicole mentioned, we have two other students there who're in their teens, so you might feel a bit more at-ease than in an adult-only group. You'd only have missed two classes (of 12) and could make up the work easily enough.

Le meas,
Cionaodh

I'm in central CT...bit of a commute to Sturbridge, much as I'd like to go. : ) I found a class nearby, but it's a college course, and I'm definitely not in college yet.

Thanks everyone for all your suggestions! I'll do the best I can, and I'll get along somehow. My accent might me terrible, but I'll manage. ; )

I just wish Irish was spoken more widely (like Spanish) so I had more of an opportunity to practice it. Go up and say, "Dia duit!" to your average high school kid and your response is going to be, "Huh?"

Anyway, sorry for the novel, but thanks for all your help, it's awesome!

Slán,
Katie

If you say "Dia duit" in Donegal Gaeltacht, native speakers will smile and know that you are a learner :-) . I've never heard "Dia duit" in Donegal Gaeltacht, people say "halló" or ask "cad é mar atá tú?" (or "dé mar atá?").

That is a recent development. There is an article in the last issue of An Timire, by a priest commenting on (and lamenting) the loss of the old, religious blessings in a gaeltacht - I think up North.

You'll still hear them in Munster.

quote:

people say "halló"

Agus murbh Béarlachas sin....

Ní Béarlachas atá ann ach focal iasachta ! Béarlachas = cor cainte a thig ón Bhéarla. Ni hionann "English loanword" agus "Anglicism". Tá tréan focal iasachta Fraincise i mBéarla, ach ní dóigh liom go bhfuil mórán Francachas (?) ann (ach amháin nuair is mise a scríobhas i mBéarla, b’fhéidir!).

Má tá tú a’ cuartú Béarlachais, amharc ar "feicfidh mé thú / cífead thú / tchífidh mé thú" le slán a chur le duine. Béarlachas atá ann: "see you". Ní dóigh liom go n-abróchaí sin céad bliain ó shoin nuair nach rabh mórán Béarla sa Ghaeltacht.

Ná ní dhéarfhainn anois é.

"Slán go fóill(ín)" a bheadh agam.

Is Béarlachas agamsa aon focal iasachta go bhfuil leagan Éireannach/Gaelach ar fáil dhó.

Sa bhreis ar do chuir síos air atá i gceist agam leis an méid thuas.

Loanword domhsa - focal iasachta a bhfuil brí sainiúil nua ag dul leis. sampla - Angst sa Bhéarla - ní hionann agus eagla, an brí atá leis sa Ghearmainís. Sampla eile - "happy" ag muintir Chonamara - ní hionann go díreach agus áthasach ná meidhreach.

quote:

"happy" ag muintir Chonamara

An cuimhin leat an t-albam Solas Gorm le Tadhg Mac Dhonnagáin? Agus an t-amhrán "Goirmeachaí Fhinn Mhic Cumhaill"?

Is meis Fionn Mac Cumhaill an gaiscíoch cáiliúil,
Fear filíochta, fear fealsúnachta, fear fataí fuara,
Fear fíona, fear feamainne, fear Ford Fiesta,
Is mise Fionn Mac Cumhaill.

Anois nach gceapfá go mbeinn chomh happy le Johnny Mháirtín Learaí,
Ach le fírinne níl ach buairt is brón im' shaol,
[...]

Níor éirigh liom é cheannach riamh - níl sé ar fáil ach ar téip. Bainimse le glúin an CD!
Agus níl an amhrán airithe sin ar Imíonn an tAm, faraor.

[quote]You'll still hear them in Munster. [/quote]

Well, that's where the Irish branch of my family lives. ;-)

I actually learned 'dia dhuit' first...which spelling is correct?

If you look at the rules of grammar, Dia Duit is correct, I believe. But, you see Dia Dhuit written all the time, probably because it better reflects the actual pronunciation.

As far as i know both of them are correct.. And i've often asked people!

Both are correct, the standard form (you'll find in most books) is Dia duit. People say Dia duit or Dia dhuit, or something else like halló, etc.

Autumnmusic,

Depending on where you live in central Connecticut and your getting transportation, you might like to know that there are Irish language classes held every Wednesday evening beginning around 7:30 p.m. at the Irish club in East Haven. The website is http://www.iacc-ct.com/ where you will see information on the free classes for all levels of Irish. The club is not far from Exit 8 on I91.

There are also Irish classes in Danbury on Monday nights at the Danbury Ancient Order of Hibernians and in Fairfield on Thursday nights in the Irish American club.

All the messages above have given you great information and advice. Stick with it agus go n-éirí an t-ádh leat (and good luck)!

Mícheál

I meant to ask you, Autumnmusic, where is the college course taught in Connecticut that you mentioned? Lehman College at CUNY in New York has online courses and Harvard and Boston College in Massachusetts have courses, but I did not know about one in Connecticut. Thanks.

Mise le meas,

Mícheál