Can you speak Irish?

I'm stuck between proficient and basic.

My Irish teacher was pissed off all the time about the way he had to teach Irish. He would always rant about it randomly.

Felt bad for him. He really does love the language, but he had to teach me and the rest of the class absolute shíte.

You know there's a problem in the way it's taught, when students can speak a third language much better in the space of 5 years in comparsion to learning Irish for 14 years.

It's a sad sight to see.

English is my first language, but I like to think that if I somehow got lost in the Gaeltacth I would be able to talk mysef out of there.

Sure, isn't that all that the language is good for these days?:D

we'llallhavetea wrote: »

no

and my mam and all her family are fluent. i'm a disgrace

Would they feel disgraced if they were ignorant about something you studied?

WesternNight wrote: »

I can only imagine that people's hatred of the language is a result of the way it's taught. Which is a shame, really. It's not a terrible language

Mongolian is probably not a terrible language, but if people were forced to learn it up to leaving cert it might instil the same bitter dislike for it, no doubt many Welsh people feel the same, it would certainly not be particular to Ireland -though some make it out like it is. I think there are far more important lessons that should be taught in school, if any are to be compulsory, lessons like investing money, getting a job, managing money etc. If people were free to choose there would not be such upset about it, people get just as pissed off about having to learn "useless calculus" in maths. In college I was pissed off at having to learn a few redundant computer languages. We were also taught paper tech drawing, a bit might have been OK but we did minimal amounts of CAD which was fully out at the time.

Diabhal Beag wrote: »

I am fluent in Irish. People should really take an interest in learning our own language or it will die out

Some people would not really mind if it did die out, they do not consider it their "own language" and are not particularly attached to the traditions of the land they happened to be born in (i.e. not just Irish). Many people just step back and look at the rational practicalities of things. I expect many people are not "proud to be Irish", not in a bad sense at all, they are apathetic towards the land they live in (neither proud or "not proud"), and would be no matter where they lived, yet many patriotic sorts might try and make them feel ashamed, and they might even end up feeling ashamed as it is so drilled into them.

On a trip to France afew years back, me and some mates got endless enjoyment on the Paris metro by saying in a loud voice "Buiocheas le Dia, feck ar an bhean ramhar seo!" and "Ta alán fear dubh san Fraince"

So no, with the exception of talking about foreigners in pidgin Irish, I dont speak it!

I'm sh*te at learning to speak/understand languages. Better at learning to read/write them.

Sadly thought, the only 2nd 'languages' I learned well were computer languages, and those are even fading with lack of use.

creggy wrote: »

I'm stuck between proficient and basic.

My Irish teacher was pissed off all the time about the way he had to teach Irish. He would always rant about it randomly.

Felt bad for him. He really does love the language, but he had to teach me and the rest of the class absolute shíte.

You know there's a problem in the way it's taught, when students can speak a third language much better in the space of 5 years in comparsion to learning Irish for 14 years.

It's a sad sight to see.

Weird, I think we just 'turn-on' language...I read that as teach (house), twice:P

I moved here when I was 12, so I never had too Only two wrods I know are Slan and Bonne (sp?) :pac:

Basic.