About the Irish Language
Today, about one-seventh of the population of the Republic of Ireland speak Irish, which amounts to about 500,000 people. While Irish is the official language of Ireland, it has been overtaken by English as the main spoken language. As a result, revival programs were created by the government, and it is taught in all of the schools in Ireland so that students can learn Irish. The following areas: Munster, Connacht, Donegal, Leinster, and Ulster, are where dialects of Irish are most prominent.
Irish Gaelic and Scottish Gaelic are the two distinct varieties of the Irish language. The first variety, Irish Gaelic, is more commonly referred to simply as "Irish". As a Celtic language which is part of the Indo-European group of languages, ancient texts were difficult to interpret because written Irish was based at first on Latin orthography and British pronunciation. Scandinavian words referring to navigation and urban life were infused into the vocabulary after Viking invasions in 8th century Ireland.
The Irish language was spoken by the entire population of Ireland until the 17th century. While it was hypothesized that Irish would become non-existent in the 19th century because of the English influence, the language experienced a come back after the Irish Free State formed in 1921. In 1945, a standard written form of the Irish language was implemented.
Examples of English words with Gaelic origin: whiskey, shamrock, bard, glen, galore and bog.
Irish Looks like English, But Watch Out!
When it comes to learning Irish vocabulary, be warned that "false cognates" exist. These are words that are tricky because they resemble English words but have a very different meaning. The phrase "Have no fear!" might get you in trouble, because fear means man! If you tell someone they are bád, you're calling them a boat! When you ask someone for a bean, you may not realize you requested a woman! False cognates are common when one attempts to learn Japanese or learn German as well.
Irish Grammar and Pronunciation
While the English alphabet has 26 letters, the Irish alphabet only has 18. The remaining letters, such as "j" and "z," may be used in loanwords from other languages, but are not used in Irish vocabulary words. To make matters a bit more complicated, Irish nouns, adjectives, pronouns, and articles have a gender assigned to them. And, the gender of Irish nouns does not always appear as logical. For example, bean (woman) is a feminine noun, whereas cailín (girl) is a masculine noun. This gender rule is similar when you learn French.
Learning Irish pronunciation can be challenging because the words are not pronounced as spelled. For example, these words are quite tricky: niamh (brilliance) is pronounced "nee-av"; teamhair (hill) is pronounced "t'yower"; and suidhe (sit) is pronounced "see."
Good Irish software can be so useful for Irish language learning since regular practice with speaking, reading and writing is necessary. It's easier than ever to learn Irish Gaelic and to begin to speak Irish with the language resources and Irish language software from Transparent Language. With Learn Irish Now! and our other language learning products, you will speak Irish, learn Irish vocabulary, conjugate Irish verbs, understand Irish grammar, and master Irish pronunciation quickly. Best of luck or "Go n-eiri an t-adh leat" as they say in Ireland, with your Irish language learning!
