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For those who like the Myles Dillon ‘Teach Yourself Irish’ here is a link to the audio recordings. http://www.iu.edu/~celtie/irish_archive.html
A few disjointed thoughts on the above –
Signs in Irish only shouldn’t be a big deal for anyone. As is rightly pointed out, go abroad on holiday and we quickly learn what the signs mean, because we WANT to, and I believe, that is the over-arching issue here, the lack of will in the Irish themselves to maintain their own language. ‘No Béarla’ demonstrated the same embarrassingly well. IMHO a good analysis of the historical roots of this phenomenon is given in section two of Seán Ó Riain’s paper ‘Ireland in the 19th Century: the struggle for autonomy’. http://www.seanoriain.eu/English2.htm
As for placenames I really don’t see why we have any English on the signs at all. What country with any self respect would still be using the names imposed by former colonial masters ninety years after their departure? My own belief is that the English language impositions on Irish placenames should be consigned to history with the only English placenames remaining being places which were founded with an English name. FWIW I stopped seeing the English on road signs years ago. When I’m driving, if I see the names in Irish I’m more likely to keep thinking in Irish.
I have more hope for the language in the USA than I do in Ireland. If the folk over there would start Irish medium education on earnest, the war would be won. The demand for Irish language publications would increase significantly and keep the boat floating on this side of the Atlantic. Perhaps our best untapped resource is the descendants of the Irish abroad. I don’t see us founding any Irish colonies but we have plenty Irish former colonials to Gaelicise! And many of them have fire in their bellies and I doubt if any are burdened with an inferiority complex which would keep them in fear of being looked down on by the British. (BTW I am not anti-English, just pro-Irish.)
Last rant: I have had the notion for some time that amateurs in Ireland can preserve the dialects by recording as much as possible over here and putting it on You Tube for the diaspora. I have a few ideas about such things that I could do myself, but I’ll keep that to myself for now in case it turns out I can’t put my money where my mouth is.
Saw another interesting thing today on Facebook. These folks have given their lives to this language.
1) Are they and their children “native speakers” in some way? Interesting question.
2) Have they helped or hurt the survival of the Irish language?
3) Has each of us done as much for the language?
4) Have you raised your children in Irish/ or do you plan to raise your children in Irish?Agus tá leabhar ann chomh maith. http://coisceim.ie/dimighsin.html
Just ruined my eyes trying to see what the historical dictionary has to offer. Couldn’t see (boom boom) anything more exciting than ‘bensagart’ (sic). So ‘bansagart’ it is, I suppose.
Chan fhuil mé cinnte, ach sílim gur ‘Na tailliúraí’ é. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55doso6tgeo
Aonghus, I have no idea how you found them, but many, many thanks!
I would happily stand you a pint for that one!
Seán
pluideog – small blanket (according to Ó Dónaill)
BTW, I don’t know what an ‘afghan’ is in this context. Where I was brought up, they were big, hairy dogs. 😉
Ní oíbríonn an nasc a chuir sibh seo. Níl a fhios agam má bheadh feadhb ag mo riomhaire nó leis an nasc a chuir sibh.
Tchím go bhfuil an ceart agat, Fhéabair. Cuir an seoladh uilig i do browser (mar a dúirt Seáinín cheana féin) agus beidh sé ceart go leor duit.
Go raibh maith agat, a Aonghuis! All sources of information on this morphological bosca bruscair are much appreciated! 🙂
Thank you, gentlemen, I shall follow up both leads.
10 000 nouns – and here’s me thinking that I’m an anorak! :gulp:
Dia daoibh.
Tomás an t-ainm atá orm. Is as Albain mé. Rugadh agus tógadh mé i nGlaschú. Tá mé i mo chónaí i nGlaschú go fóill.
Tá mé trí bliana is tríocha d’aois. Tá tríur i mo theaghlach, míse agus mo thuismitheorí.
Thosaigh mé ag foghlaim na Gaeilge mar is as Eirinn mo sheanthuismitheorí. Níl mórán agam anois ach ba mhaith liom a bheith líofa.Cad é mar atá tú, a Thomáis?
Níor mhaith liom a chur éad ort, ach tá mé ag dul chuig cúrsa i nDoire amárach agus tráthnóna Dé Domhnaigh. 🙂
Seán
