A question to people who speak Gaelic?

Question

How hard is it to learn how to speak Gaelic? I've heard it's one of the hardest languages to learn, is that true?

What's the difference between Irish Gaelic and Scottish Gaelic?

Is it possible to teach yourself through books and audio CDs?

Answer 1

Yes, it's difficult but not impossible. There are strategies to minimise the difficulties though. If you are serious about learning post a comment or something and and I'll tell you how I did it without killing myself - or anyone else.
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Scottish, Irish and Manx Gaelic for that matter, are all descended from the same common ancestor - Old Irish. They are strongly related to each other and within each they have their own dialects. Donegal Gaelic bears more similarities to the southern dialects of Scottish Gaelic than it does to Scotland's northern dialects. There are countless similar examples of comparison in the Gaelic world.

You can learn Gaelic from books and CDs, at least, it's a good way to start before you start forking out on summer colleges and the like to perfect your skills.

The BIGGEST question before you part with any cash and to avoid disappointment later is, which Gaelic do you want to learn? Your name is Riley. Are your family Irish? From where in Ireland? Do you want to learn modern standardised Irish Gaelic or can you pin-point where your family came/come from and maybe want to learn the local dialect if materials are available?

The first link below will put you in touch with a subscriber list which has a number of experts willing to help beginners begin and to dispense free advice on what you should begin with. Both their breadth of knowledge and their patience never cease to amaze me. It is also linked to Scottish Gaelic and Manx Gaelic lists if that is what you are looking for instead.

The second link is for Beo, an online Gaelic magazine, the best thing like it in the Irish Gaelic world.

Finally, you are welcome to email me. I live in the Donegal Gaeltacht and have learned Gaels around me on every side.

Answer 2

Hi Riley, I'm Irish, so maybe a bit biased. In Ireland we all learn Irish (or Gaelic as you call it) from the age of 4 when we start school, so its hard to remember back to then and say whether or not is was hard!

The belief that it is a difficult language to learn comes from the fact that there is a different grammer set for past tense, present tense and future tense and also different grammer sets for I, you, he, she, we, they. I know these exist in the English lanuguage also, but in Irish its a bit more complicated.

Only 3% of the Irish population actually speak Irish...so maybe thats your answer. That said though, I think with a good teacher, commitment & a little practice you should do ok.

Answer 3

It`s not hard at all. I have studied Scottish Gaelic, and if you have a good teacher, it is not that difficult. There are not that many irregular verbs only 12 of them!! Compare that to french!
I think the greatest challenge is to find somewhere where people speak it so you can learn.
There are actually many places you can go, there are several places in the united states, but the only university in North America that has three levels of Gaelic is Saint Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia, Canada. And there is Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, The Gaelic college on Skye Scotland.
As with any new language there are difficulties in getting new vocabulary and verbs and sentience structures in your head, but you`ll find that if you learn Spanish or French too.

Answer 4

I myself am a Cork guy and also speak Irish. Therefore whether it's difficult or not dosn't really occur to me. I can, however, see how it can be viewed as an extremely hard language. Its word order is completely arseways as opposed to most other languages. Everyone in Ireland learns Irish from at least the age of four to at least the age of 17. Some people learn Irish as their first language. In the south and west, parts of the north and a small area in the east, there are communities where Irish is spoken as the first language. These are called Gaeltacht areas. They are in Cork, Kerry, Clare, Galway, Mayo, Donegal, a small area called Rinn in Waterford and a small area called Ráth Cairn in Meath. There are Irish speaking schools all over the country called Gaelscoileanna at primary level and Gaelcholáiste at secondary level. Irish could be found confusing as every noun has at least 3 forms. One for singular, one for plural and one for the genetive case. There are also masculine and femininine nouns and those in turn are divided up into several different sections. There is also diferent grammar for me, you, he,she, you(plural), we and they. Irish is definitely one of those languages you grow into rather than being able to pick up a book and learn the rules. Scot's and Irish Gaelic? As far as I know Scot's gaellic is practically defunct. There is, as far as I know, different pronunciation but again I'm not sure. Irish is also confusing in that different nouns and pronunciation are used in different parts of the country. Pronunciation in the South is cmpletely different to that in the west. There are also only 18 letters in the Irish alphabet. There is no j, k,q, v, w, x, y, z unless they are in other words from other languages. There is also different grammar depending on whether you are in the past, present, future or coditional tense. Hope that was helpful.

Answer 5

very few people communicate Gaelic at the instant - purely around 60,000 people in Scotland, additionally communities in Canada, although because it particularly is effectively a radical relative of Irish you are able to upload some hundred thousand extra suitable people. As to why people might communicate it, that's a cultural component, to be pleased with your roots, and a distinctive language opens a thoroughly distinctive worldview. that's profoundly ignorant to assert the government could make it unlawful to communicate it - it is your loss, no longer the Gaelic audio equipment.

Answer 6

yes it is, I have tried and since give up.

Answer 7

gay people have their own language now???

we're doomed...

;-)

peace