How can I learn gaelic without a teacher?

Poststructural Pub
21

This is funny as I had the same impression. When friends asked me how irish sounds, I told them: “like the soft version of Klingon”.
Shame on them, they didn’t even know Klingon :laughing:

22

Most dictionaries don’t offer phonetics because pronunciation can vary from dialect to dialect (for example, I pronounce “saol” as “seel,” but a speaker from Cork would say “sale”). The one that does, I think, is Foclóir Scoile, which I believe is produced by An Gum. It may be available at www.litirocht.com …heaven knows they have just about everything there!

Another thing you might like in that vein is “EasyReader.” It’s a computer program that runs in the background and includes a dictionary, spell check and grammar check. What’s cool about it is you can select your dialect and it will pronounce the word for you in that dialect. I’ve had it for about nine months, and really love it. It’s not really a learning program (even though it looks like one) and it’s a bit buggy, but it’s still tremendously useful It’s available from http://www.irishforlife.com/

Having mentioned litriocht.com, I should also mention that they have children’s books and storybooks for learners, which can be a good way to practice your reading skills. Oideas Gael also has some good books for learners, but I don’t think they have an on-line ordering option (if you want to check it out, though, their webpage is at http://www.oideas-gael.com/ (my dream is to do a course at Oideas Gael!).

BTW, be wary of the grammar section of the Pocket Oxford. It has some serious mistakes in it, and we’ve also found misspellings in the word entries. If you want a small dictionary, I recommend the Collins Pocket, the Collins Gem or Foclóir Póca.


Redwolf

23

Oh, great! As if I don’t have enough books piled up beside me waiting to be read. Now you give me a link to www.litrioch.com and I saw at least fifty more books there I’d like to read. :really:

djm

24

Redwolf,

What’s your opinion on “Now You’re Talking” ? Ever seen that? ( though IIRC, it’s Munster dialect…)

25

“Now you’re talking” is Ulster, actually. I’ve not used it, but the impression I’ve gotten from people who have is that it’s a good program. It’s very much a beginner’s program, but it gives you a good start.

Here’s a link to the review page at IGTF:

http://www.learnirishgaelic.com/productcomparison/productdetails.php?cmp_product_id=2

Redwolf