New to Irish, a few questions first.

[Saor]

I would like to learn Munster Irish (Cork or Kerry) before the standard form of spelling came in (1948). Research is telling me to go with Teach Yourself Irish by Myles Dillon & Donncha Ó Cróinín. I have a few questions first.

1. I have the 1977 edition of the above book, is the spelling before or after 1948?
2. If one learns everything in the book, and for example I go to the Kerry Gaeltacht and attend a beginners/intermediate Irish class, will I run into problems of any kind with the Irish I learnt from the book?
3. When the standard form of spelling came in, the spelling was changed, but does the pronunciation of the words remain the same?

Thank you.

[Cionaodh]

1. I have the 1977 edition of the above book, is the spelling before or after 1948?

After. The 1st edition of TYI was published in 1960.

2. If one learns everything in the book, and for example I go to the Kerry Gaeltacht and attend a beginners/intermediate Irish class, will I run into problems of any kind with the Irish I learnt from the book?

Limited vocabulary — if you take a beginner course, that won’t be a problem. There are some minor differences between Kerry Irish and the Cork Irish taught in TYI, but nothing you’d need to worry about.

3. When the standard form of spelling came in, the spelling was changed, but does the pronunciation of the words remain the same?

Spelling usually doesn’t affect pronunciation unless the learner is self-taught. People who learn a language from a young age learn all the sounds first, and then spelling comes along later (and we try our best as readers to reconcile in our mind what we see in print with what we’ve been taught to say years before).

[Saor]

Thank you Cionaodh, I forget I had posted this.

If anyone could answer this for me. When people say they are not learning the standard, what do they mean? Are they learning the Irish before the standard spelling came in 1948?

And when someone wants to learn Munster Irish, usually its teach yourself Irish by Dillon & Ó Cróinín is recommend, but why if its in the standard spelling?

Thank you.

[Héilics Órbhuí]

Usually “standard” Irish refers to the Caighdeán Oifigiúil. It’s a kind of Irish that was designed for official use on government documents, radio and television, etc. and is a kind of “middle ground” between the major dialects. It’s more than just spelling – it affects the grammar and lexicon as well. The “authentic” dialects like Munster, Connacht, Ulster, are much more than just spelling differences. A book can be written in Munster Irish and be spelled however the author or the editor choose. It doesn’t change that the grammatical features and word usage are Munster. As an Irish learner you’ll be forced to be somewhat adaptable to spelling, as there is a lot of variation. As the poster above says, you have to learn to concentrate on sound and let that guide your understanding of what you’re seeing in print, and not the other way around.

[Author]

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