...but frustrated doesn't even begin to cover it. After now three weeks of the Pimsleur CDs, it would seem that I am not even pronouncing "Hello" correctly. Or even close to correctly.
I swear I will get myself to the bookstore by Monday, at the latest, but meanwhile I'm wondering if I should just toss the CDs? Truly, I have reasonable hearing - I can hear my cats walking on carpet - but it seems I am missing, or misinterpreting, a large percentage of what is on those disks.
If one of you could be so kind as to post a simple, phonetic pronunciation of "Dia duit", it might renew my sense of purpose. (And in the name of all that is merciful and compassionate, do please post to me in English, at least for now, lest my husband and friends find me in a corner somewhere in a fetal position).

I am enormously grateful to those of you who can find some patience to share with me. And now, I'm going to go breathe into a paper bag....

Evie (you'd think if I must be fated to be an idiot, there could at least be some "savant" in there somewhere...)

Go raibh maith agat

Aaaaaaaaaaaand breathe! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh.....

Dia Duit is pronounced

"Deea ditch"

I used the Pimsleur CDs last year.
And, I too found it very difficult to pronounce 'dia dhuit'.

Initially, I thought it was "Deea gwit", but upon further listening, I was able to pick up a slight difference. Pimsleur pronounces it more like "Deea hwit".
The 'hw', though, is VERY similar to a 'gw' sound.

FYI--there's also an online transcript for Pimsleur Irish available at: http://www.gaeilge.org/pimsleurtranscript.html

I'm pretty sure one of the members of this forum (Cionadh?) is the kind soul who put this together.

Good luck.

I'm pretty sure one of the members of this forum (Cionadh?) is the kind soul who put this together.

Antaine, Nicole and Lughaidh did most of the work; I merely set up the page for it.

When will people realise that there is no definitive pronunciation in any language? Everyone speaks differently no matter what language they speak. As long as you are understood by listeners is all that matters. Getting hung up on a perceived pronunciation of "Dia duit," "Dia dhuit" etc. will give you a hernia and take from the enjoyment of speaking Irish. For god's sake, relax and enjoy it.

I use the Pimsleur CDs, and I can't seem to hear the pronunciation of "dia duit," either. It's one of the 3 or 4 different pronunciations each time. If the CDs help you understand and speak the language, then I'd keep them. If not, then I'd donate them to your local library, so guys like me can use them. :) I think that there are a few words that on the CDs that I hear different pronunciations, like the word for "ok," sounds different every time. But I push on. I hope knowing about my experience helps you push on as well.

Don't let that course get you down...you have to start somewhere right?

Actually, I have to agree with something someone told me when I first started learning Irish, "Every parent regrets getting their child a violin at first, and it's the same with Irish."

I have been playing with both Irish and Welsh at the same time for a few months now. And one of the things I have noticed is that the basic intro material that most languages like to start with are some of the most complicated things about Celtic languages.

For instance, you are having trouble with the greeting "Dia dhuit." It's funny because here is something that seems crucial in everday conversation, but the "dh" is one of the more difficult things about Irish because it is a sound not found in English. And to make matters worse, not everyone says it the same way...

Until you get better with the "dh, gh," sounds...you can relax because I was greeted with "Halo" in the Gaeltachts (Irish speaking areas) and not "Dia dhuit." So maybe it is a good idea to froget about "Dia dhuit" for now and come back to it later.

GRMA, everyone - and all the good counsel is duly noted!! I figure it's much like someone from another country trying to learn English in America, and then waking up to the fact that folks from Brooklyn sound different than folks from Maine sound different than folks from Alabama sound different than California Valley Girls...

I am going to take a long, hot bath, drink some lovely mellow Merlot, and meet with friends and like-minded folks tomorrow for a long ride in a very privileged place! (It's a bird and wildlife preserve, and a carriage club has permission to ride there once a year. We're fortunate to be invited along, and I love going there).

I hope everyone enjoys their own March 17th, however you choose to observe it!

Slán, y'all!

Evie

Now that I've read Evie's post, at least I know my own first encounter with the Irish language was not so 'unique'. Last summer I decided to spend my three weeks of vacation learning Irish, so I enrolled in a language course in Donegal. A week would probably be enough for a complete beginner, but I really believed that after three weeks (stage 1 to stage 2) I would be able to start reading at home and I was prepared to go through a wall for it. I may have an iron will, but my ears weren't up to it. As I found out in the first week, the sound patterns felt so "foreign" to what I'd been used to hearing for years that I was stumped. What a humiliating experience :-)) At first I thought my comprehension was simply a bit slow, which would be a reasonable assumption given that I had had an enormously difficult year behind me and should probably just take it easy on vacation, and then I started to suspect that I must have been going slightly deaf without noticing when still at home. One day in the countryside, I met a local person and asked them how to say "dia duit" properly and afterwards I had no more problem with it. By forming the "right" impression of the sounds in my mind, I was also able to pronounce them acceptably.

I've heard that in Gleann Cholm Chille that just 'speak at' you, rather than take it easy. Sounds like bad teaching practice.

Evie, you have cracked (solved) it at last. Everyone sounds different: you state "the fact that folks from Brooklyn sound different than folks from Maine sound different than folks from Alabama sound different than California Valley Girls...". 100% correct.

Enjoy your bath and merlot and your trip with your friends. Learning Irish should be fun and not a chore. Go n-éirí go geal leat.

I say "Dia Dhuit" as "Deeya Gwit"... actually I don't really pronounce a "t" at the end of a word, so it sorta becomes "Deeya Gwi".

No point in worrying about the way a language sounds so long as you are able to be understood. Indeed, it is often more important to understand. And this is my 9very) weak point in French. Oh I can make myself understood well enough, even though it's far from the accent of the Touraine or the Ile de France. But my ear often betrays me - and this after 4 years of immersion.

At Christmas in the local bar I thought I heard something about a'Pernod' (a Pastis type drink - and the final d is slient) and said "yes, thanks. I'd love one". This caused great mirth. My ear have missed a final syllable 'el'. In fact, the locals were talking about Père Noel - Father Christmas. No harm done. We got it sorted out and had a laugh about it. Mistakes are best enjoyed. And we learn from them.

'Tis true and all - if you learn to laugh at yourself, you will always be entertained!!

In any case, I'm *pretty* sure I've got the "I don't understand" phrase correct... That one could turn out to be crucial!

Now - any guesses as to how long it will take for my copy of Foclóir Scoile to arrive?! (American Zen: "I am the very essence of patience - is it here yet?")!!

Evie