http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2195697239269953939&q=Gaeilge

It's not really short, but definitely watch it if you have time! Entirely in Irish! It's very enlightening and presentes a positive profile for the future of the language. I didn't realize so much was happening in the North.

Starting at about minute 23:45 in the film, the host visits a gaelscoil (did it ever say that? At least all the kids seem to speak Irish there) and I'm wondering if someone can comment on the quality of the children's Irish? They all seem to speak with ease, and from what I could tell they seemed to naturally speak Irish among themselves, and not just because an interviewer was present.

Enjoy!

In the beginning of the program, people have a strong Belfast accent (for example, English r's, oo-sounds like German ü, many glides after vowels as in English). Fergus Ó hÍr’s pronunciation isn’t perfect (many of his ch’s sound like k). He makes grammar mistakes sometimes. It isn't Ulster Irish but rather a kind of Standard Irish.

Éamonn Ó Cuív has perfect Connaught Irish.
Máire Ní Annracháin speaks Connemara Irish; there are some failings in her pronunciation (English r’s, too aspirated c’s, too many glides in the vowels).

Mary Ryan (the singer) has bad pronunciation (I wouldn’t understand what she sings if I didn’t know the song).

Ó Maitiú has a Belfast English-speaker accent.

Do you notice that Seán Pól O’Hare just has the same accent in English as the other people of the program while speaking in Irish? -- The "Gaelic" accent doesn’t sound like that (at least not in Donegal).

The young girls who are interviewed at the end have strong Ulster English speakers accent and they make mistakes. However, it is cute and nice to hear young people speaking Irish (I hope they’ll improve it in the Gaeltacht).

It’s a pity that Belfast Irish speakers don't try to speak Irish with a Donegal accent rather than with a Belfast English accent.

(Sounds like to be I'm never happy! :-D But I do prefer Gaeltacht Irish, and unfortunately, on the web, most of what you can hear isn't!)

Sure and I'll try to watch it in a bit.

A Lughaidh a chara, That is good that you are particular, someone has to be. But I suppose that as learners, not everyone has enough experience to do everything just right, though they ought to try. Its a hard line to walk, knowing when to be glad of a person's speaking it, if not perfectly, and knowing when to tell them to fix it, I'm probably not ever going to be in that position though unless I get significantly more clever, :)

Beir bua agus beannacht

I just watched the video and I enjoyed it ...

Lughaidh was so completely right.

1. I think I heard what you meant about Bellfast accents, the Rs etc.

2. To truth that singer was absolutely shameful. Either that was a bad recording or she is not only bad at Irish but also not the best at singing either.
3. The difference in one particular man's Irish and English was that I could understand a bit more of his English but other than that it sounded so similar it was downright perculiar.

4. I liked watching those girls, obviously they were learners who were still very much learning but they were trying.

Go Raibh maith agat a Lughaidh for your commentary, most helpful to be sure.

A Aindreas, I always like your threads that you start, Fair play duit.

Beir bua agus beannacht

cad a cheap tú Lughaidh faoi Gaeilge an cocaire Gaeilgeora,Eamonn ó Cathain? cibe as Beal Feirste é labhair é le guth duine as Gaoth Dobhair!

Ta clar radio aige anois ar RnaG le ceol domhanda

http://www.rte.ie/rams/radio/latest/Fri/rte-rng-ceoltatharlear-2002-2100.smil

Bhuel, ar a’ drochuair, cha dtig le Windows Media Player na doiciméid .SMIL a léamh... Cad é mar a ghníos tusa leis sin a chluinstean le do thoil? Cad é ’n t-earra bog a mbaineann tú feidhm as?

grma

Ní fólair dhuit RealPlayer a bheith agat. Faightear anseo é:
http://www.realnetworks.com/products/media_players.html

Abigail

Lughaidh, I'm fascinated by your very specific remarks on their pronunciation. Since you notice such details, do you consider yourself to have a fairly decent accent in Donegal Irish, and how is your accent while speaking English? I ask because, for example, if Máire Ní Annracháin used a Gaelic r, aspirated her c less, and didn't glide vowels so much, would you be able to distinguish her from a native Irish speaker? I'm just starting to become curious on how precisely an Irishman (or anyone) learning Gaeilge is able to eliminate his English accent ...

Lughaidh speaks English with a Breton accent, of course!

On a slightly more serious note, different people pick up accents differently, but I'm fairly sure it is very difficult to do conciously. (But that might be just my laziness).

I think prolonged exposure to the target accent is the only way.

Ceist agam ar Lughaidh (agus oraibh go léir).

If I come from a Galltacht area like East Cork or North Kerry, Clare etc, why shouldn't I speak Irish with the accent of that area - after all its hardly standard English? One assumes the sounds of regional Hiberno-English proceed directly from the dialect/ accent of Irish typical in that area. So am I not simply returning to what was there before Irish was abandoned. And this might be true of Belfast too?

Genuine question - interested to hear why not! And why I should try to sound like muintir Mhúscraí or muintir Chorca Dhuibhne?

Lughaidh, I'm fascinated by your very specific remarks on their pronunciation. Since you notice such details, do you consider yourself to have a fairly decent accent in Donegal Irish, and how is your accent while speaking English?

I dunno! I don't pay attention to my own accent when I speak. I'd say, a mix with French accent (but not too much!) and Northern Ireland accent (I lived there during one year)

I ask because, for example, if Máire Ní Annracháin used a Gaelic r, aspirated her c less, and didn't glide vowels so much, would you be able to distinguish her from a native Irish speaker?

I don't know, sure it would be much more difficult to know if she's native or not.

I'm just starting to become curious on how precisely an Irishman (or anyone) learning Gaeilge is able to eliminate his English accent ...

Listen to native speakers and try to pronounce exactly as they do...

Lughaidh speaks English with a Breton accent, of course!

Well, I don't think so, I don't even have a Breton accent when I speak French. I can if I want, for fun, but it isn't the natural way I speak French. So for English, I wouldn't have a Breton accent (and I wonder how English would sound with a Breton accent).

I think prolonged exposure to the target accent is the only way.

Yeah, that's it. When I was in Ireland, I think my Irish accent was much better than what it has become now, unfortunately. I don't hear much Donegal Irish, and even on the web, it's hard to find such recordings.

If I come from a Galltacht area like East Cork or North Kerry, Clare etc, why shouldn't I speak Irish with the accent of that area - after all its hardly standard English? One assumes the sounds of regional Hiberno-English proceed directly from the dialect/ accent of Irish typical in that area.

One assumes, but is it true? If Irish has died a long time ago in the area, maybe the local "Gaelic" accent has changed a lot. And if it may be true for the "music" of the sentences, you have to make the proper Irish sounds and not the English ones instead: I don't think the dialects of Ireland English have the same set of sounds as Irish (b, b', k, k', d, d', f, f', g, g', etc). So, maybe it could be right to speak Irish with your local English accent FOR ITS MELODY, but not for its consonants and vowels, if you see what I mean.

So am I not simply returning to what was there before Irish was abandoned. And this might be true of Belfast too?

I think Belfast English is English with kinda accent (=melody, and some sounds, as the oo-sound that's like German ü) that was the one of the Irish language while it was still spoken there. I've read books on ancient Eastern Ulster dialects (which disappeared during the first half of the XXth century), and it seems that Antrim Irish had many sounds and stuff that exist in Belfast/Antrim English now. But of course, it had other sounds as well: trilled r's, broad/slender distinction etc, that don't exist in Antrim English.

quote:

Lughaidh speaks English with a Breton accent, of course!

Well, I don't think so

Ag magadh a bhí mé. Níor chuala mé Béarla uait riamh.

Agus an gcuala tú blas na mBriotánach? :-) Bhuel, athrann sé de réir an cheantair, mar in Éirinn.

Chuala, ach i bhfad ó shin nuair a bhíos ar saoire. I Saint Brieux, más buan mo chuimhne, agus ar óiléain éigin le eibhir rua.

GRMA Lughaidh - an-suimiúil ar fad.

Chuireas an cheist sin mar go bhfuil aithne agam ar dhaoine áirithe i gCiarraí is i gCorcaigh a labhrann Béarla le blas an-láidir. Ach ag an am céanna níl focal Gaoluinne ar bith acu.
Caithfear a adhmáil gur daoine aosta atá i ceist don bhfurmhór agus go labhrann an aos óg le blas BÁC4.

Aongus suggested we look at the film “Fíorghael” and I noticed a quip by G. Bernie Shaw: “Ireland is the world’s biggest open air lunatic asylum!”

Chuala mé ag dul tharam é do raibh ‘cúpla focal’ ag GBS(dearg-ghealt é go cinnte!)…agus d’fhéadfadh GBS ráiteas seo a scríobh i nGaeilge dá mba mhian leis é:

”Is Éire gealtlann is mó faoin aer sa domhan!”

Tá an-cheist agam: Cén fáth ar luaíodh GBS in aon rabhán amháin leis an bhfocal “Fíorghael??”

Thréig GBS a chuid “Fíorghaelachas” nuair a d’eisimirce sé thar tír amach go Shasana agus faoi dheoidh a d’éirigh GBS ina “Fhíorghealtachas” in San Simeon,Kalifourhnia-The Hearst Castle…náire agus cáil mhíchlúiteach air de thoradh chlaonta drúisiúil aige-- lomóg thóna a bhaint as cailín freastail ann!!

Maith an fear-GBS!!

Many assumed that GBS was British until they saw him in action…then they realized that GBS was Irish!!



Ní féidir an dubh a chur ina gheal ach seal!!