- This topic has 41 replies, 1 voice, and was last updated 4 years, 10 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
i would also suggest including sample sentence and phrases ( that you could learn) which would show the various contexts in which a certain word can be used.
Learning a word and its direct English translation is easy, the hard part is knowing when and how to employ it ( or not)
Absolutely, lots of example sentences to show both grammar, words and expressions in context!
Just in case anyone is interested, this is a (very preliminary) overview of how the book is (or rather will be) in terms of content, divided into 55 chapters.
Grammar explanations and examples, 165 pages. Most of this is already done. Around 80-90% of the grammar finished. I have some examples for all grammar aspects, but will add more. The remaining examples depend on which words I’ll use, which in turn depends on the words in the dialogues. So every time I write about a grammar aspect, I write down 2-3 examples using a rather limited basic vocabulary, then I’ll add 2-3 more for each aspect with specific words. I’d say the grammar section is about as detailed as in Learning Irish, though with a bit more examples. Definitely much more detailed than Colloquial Irish, and perhaps a tad more detailed than Learning Irish though it’s close.
Vocabulary list for each chapter, 55 pages. Not much done here. This will of course depend on the dialogues. My way of thinking is this: far too often courses introduce words for the chapter, then don’t use some of the words after that. I want to avoid that, you learn words by using them. So the first time a word is introduced, it will be in the vocabulary list, in some grammar example and in some exercises for that chapter. But then I’ll make sure that each word (except perhaps those in the very last chapters) return regularly, so that if you learn a new word in chapter 16 and use it then, it might turn up in an example in chapter 21 and in chapter 40, in a dialogue in chapter 28 and chapter 50, in exercises in chapter 19 and in chapter 35. The idea being that every word should turn up in at least five chapters except the chapter in which it is introduced. Common words more often, of course. This is the reason not all examples for the grammar aspects, and very few exercises, are still written. With the grammar done, and some examples already there, it’s no problem writing these. The challenge is to make sure all words are repeated often enough.
Irish-English and English-Irish glossary at the back, 100 pages (2*50) The easiest part. Copy the vocabulary lists for each chapter into excel, sort by alphabetical order, read through to make sure words that belong together go together.
Dialogues, 55 pages. The real challenge, apart from (or rather strongly linked to) picking the words. First I have to organize the grammar sections into order and into chapters (mostly done) to know what grammar I can use for each dialogue.
Appendix per chapter with alternative forms, 30 pages. This is almost done already, I’ve done it at the same time as I’ve written the main grammar in the chapters.
Exercises, 55 pages. Hardly any done. Will depend on the words, as explained above.
Key to exercises, 20 pages. Goes with the above, of course 🙂
Cultural facts, 15 pages. I might include these, 2-3 short interesting facts for each chapter. Just for fun. 🙂
General introduction, 5 pages. Mostly done.
Spelling and pronunciation, 20 pages. 5-6 general pages after the introduction, 15 pages detailed guide at the end. The detailed guide is done.
So that’s it. The idea is to have a grammar as detailed as Learning Irish (and I think I have – or will have, very close already), a vocabulary of about 2000-2200 words (about 25% more than LI), dialogues (not found in LI), and more examples than LI. The cultural facts is of course something not found in LI either. Just to be clear, I haven’t looked that closely on LI as this is about Corca Dhuibhne Irish, I just refer to it here as it’s the most extensive course I’ve read in Irish.
Wow, that sounds amazing Jonas! The cultural facts sounds interesting, what kind of things are you
thinking of including in that section?Actually Jonas, what approach are taking to the case system?
Speakers in Corca Dhuibhne today don’t typically make use of the
genitive if an adjective follows the noun, or if the noun is followed by
a relative clause. For example, I heard:
Tigh an bhean mhacánta The mild-mannered woman’s house.
The genitive plural as a complicated usage as far as I can tell, it still continues
to be used in fixed phrases where it has an adjectival meaning and with personal
numerals. However outside of this:
(a) Weak plurals are becoming rarer and hence less words could theoretically
possess a genitive plural.
(b) For masculine words which have a weak plural, the nominative plural is more
commonly used these days, e.g. Meaning you have the same basic form in both the
genitive singular and plural.
Ramhaí na mbáid The oars of the boats.
Fear an bháid The boatman.
(c) Only feminine weak plurals seem to still regular have a genitive plural:
ag briseadh na bhfuinneog Breaking the windows.Will all these sort of features be explained? Outside of Learning Irish, a lot of learning
texts have slightly archaic grammar.Wow, that sounds amazing Jonas! The cultural facts sounds interesting, what kind of things are you
thinking of including in that section?Thanks, nice to hear that. The cultural facts will be very short. On the top of my head, explaining Irish names (why is it Muiris Ó Súilleabháin but Eibhlin Ní Shúilleabháin), of course some facts about the Blasket authors (would be more than one fact, several of them spread out across chapters, not a long essay in one place), explaining the naomhóg… these kind of things. 🙂
Actually Jonas, what approach are taking to the case system?
Speakers in Corca Dhuibhne today don’t typically make use of the
genitive if an adjective follows the noun, or if the noun is followed by
a relative clause. For example, I heard:
Tigh an bhean mhacánta The mild-mannered woman’s house.
The genitive plural as a complicated usage as far as I can tell, it still continues
to be used in fixed phrases where it has an adjectival meaning and with personal
numerals. However outside of this:
(a) Weak plurals are becoming rarer and hence less words could theoretically
possess a genitive plural.
(b) For masculine words which have a weak plural, the nominative plural is more
commonly used these days, e.g. Meaning you have the same basic form in both the
genitive singular and plural.
Ramhaí na mbáid The oars of the boats.
Fear an bháid The boatman.
(c) Only feminine weak plurals seem to still regular have a genitive plural:
ag briseadh na bhfuinneog Breaking the windows.Will all these sort of features be explained? Outside of Learning Irish, a lot of learning
texts have slightly archaic grammar.That’s an easy question, already wrote that part 🙂
I’m pretty much going with what you say. I first introduce the genitive and explain it, then show how it is formed (actually, this is split between several chapters. When the genitive is first introduced, I just explain how to form it for nouns in category one). After that I explain the main usages (some minor ones are saved until later chapters).
I first show the genitive in usage, but then also point out the cases in which it is not used in current speech – such as when followed by an adjective. I already said the main principle is that nothing in the book should be alien to Corca Dhuibhne. I should add a second principle: nothing in Corca Dhuibhne should be alien to the learner. So all of those aspects you list, which are part of current speech, are explained.
As for the dative, I do talk about it but towards the very end, and explain that it is rarely used these days. I do explain how it is formed and would be used, but as I said, also explaining that it’s usage is very limited outside set phrases and a quite small number of words. I also explain that some dative forms are quite often used as nominative forms these days (muic, cois…).
Did Jonas finish the book?
What happened?
Did Lughaidh create a Gaoth Dobhair version?
DOes anyone know?
g.r.m.a.I started!
now I don’t progress very quickly with it because i have millions of other projects at the same time 🙂Good to see you comment here, Lughaidh
do you know of any Gaeilgeórí groups in the Dublin area speaking Canuint Gaoth Dobhair?
grmaI know nothing about what happens in Dublin, I spent only a few days in Dublin, in my life 🙂
I hope someone else will be able to help you! I guess there are people from GD in Dublin, but I don’t know if they meet together somewhere…I know nothing about what happens in Dublin, I spent only a few days in Dublin, in my life 🙂
lol
Lughaidh, you’re right.D’úrt Jonas liom ar ball gur chaill sé a fhocal faire le theacht isteach ins an fhóram seo, ach d’iarr sé orm inse daoibh go bhfuil eadar 70% agus 80% don leabhar déanta aige.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
