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Can you speak Irish?

PK2008

A follow on from the Irish language thread, it seems there is some debate about whether we should keep teaching Irish in school. Now we all know the Irish language is a little entwined with our (fractured) sense of national identity and all that entails so its possible alot of people vote to keep it a mandatory school subject due to a sense of guilt rather than an actual love of the language.

So the simple questions is this after all your years sitting in Irish classes how would you rate your Irish language skills:

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rovert

Im not a provo

uch

rovert wrote: »

Im not a provo

your point is ??

AnonoBoy

Head_Hunter wrote: »

Not a second language and at 5/6 years old, they have enough to learn already without another difficult language forced upon them. Just my opinion, but I'm sure some people will agree.

Nah, kids pick it up really well.

My niece went to France when she was 4 and came back fluent in French and English two years later.

Here's what a quickly selected site on the internet has to say on the subject:
http://daycare.suite101.com/article.cfm/foreign_language_in_preschool

AnonoBoy

rovert wrote: »

Im not a provo

Nil me in mo phrovo?

ironictoaster

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.

Abrasax

AnonoBoy wrote: »

Nil me in mo phrovo?

Chucky our law.

Mars Bar

Basic which is pretty sad...

regarding learning young, my French teacher was from Paris and is married to an Irish fella. Her children are fluent in french and they speak it at home (yes she made her husband learn it too), fluent English and go to an Irish primary school. She said to me that when they go to secondary school they'll be picking up Spanish as she's also fluent in Spanish.

I envy the kids really. And they could probably get 400 points in the leaving before adding in maths and all the rest of the subjects.

Magenta

I wish I had gone to a Gaelscoil. I'm looking to re-learn the language now.
I love speaking it but I've forgotten so much of it.

dlofnep

rovert wrote: »

Im not a provo

Nobody asked you if your were a provo. What question exactly was it you were responding to?

AnonoBoy

Abrasax wrote: »

Chucky our law.

You chucked it on the floor?

Knifey Spoony

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

WesternNight

Knifey Spoony wrote: »

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

As long as people keep thinking like that, it is

L.Jenkins

Shamefully, I can't speak Irish, but I'd love to learn!

Knifey Spoony

WesternNight wrote: »

As long as people keep thinking like that, it is

I would like the opportunity to use it more often and I like to think that I have a good standard of it now. Had a rubbish standard until 5th and 6th year when I had to get good out of fear of the teacher that I had.

But it is a shame that all that time I put into it is now going to waste.

rubadub

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.

ballsymchugh

somewhere between proficient and fluent. my reading has gone downhill since the leaving but can speak it well.
it's all in the teaching. divide the subject into literature and non-literature which would be taught along the lines of french, german etc.
there's also the option of teaching it the way french is taught in quebec. anyone who's parents are native to quebec must go to a french speaking school. and those who don't are excellent at french anyway. my 6 year old cousin speaks 2 languages better than me. the quebecois aren't canada's favourite people, but Christ they defend their language and heritage better than most. and their french doesn't have as much english in it like they have in europe.

Agricola

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!

landsleaving

I'd say I'm proficient, was nearly fluent by the end of school (didn't learn through Irish though) but I haven't spoken much since, except for an Irish test for a job a while back, but I did pretty well so that's good I suppose.

I think I'd be better if I didn't have the worlds nastiest woman as my leaving cert Irish teacher though. She was a piece of work. If Irish had been optional I'd probably have appreciated it more as well, but I just can't stand being forced to do anything... even if I want to do it. Takes all the fun out of it. As does a massive essay in Irish every f'n weekend. Having a friend who's fluent around to translate is great though!

So in short, yes, I'm decent at Irish.

cafecolour

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.

star.chaser

cupla fockall

Nulty

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

Intothesea

Proficient but still learning. Some of the greatest pieces of literature I've come across are either Irish or originally Irish (http://www.ucc.ie/celt/ is a great resource). Always had a fondness for it growing up, thanks in no small part to some passionate teachers. I've found it to be a good cure for homesickness when I'm abroad for long periods of time because the forms, expressions and metaphors deftly bring me back into the fold of specific Irish consciousness, mentality and humour.

Vinta81

I moved here when I was 12, so I never had too

Only two wrods I know are Slan and Bonne (sp?) :pac:

pickarooney

Poll is missing an option "can discuss the impact of mass emigration on the psyche of rural Ireland in the early 20th century but can't order a beer"

MickShamrock

Basic.

pickarooney

By the way, 'proficient' is a higher level than 'fluent'.

Hagar

Vinta81 wrote: »

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

Sorry you'll have to cut that down to one word, then you'll be sorted innit.

witchgirl26

I'm pretty much fluent although wasn't always the case. Got sent to an all-Irish secondary after primary school as twas a family tradition to go there. Did not too well in my first year there & then shipped myself off to the Gaeltacht for 3 weeks during the summer & ended up being the best thing I ever did.

I love being able to speak Irish well - people I know from other countries are fascinated by it because it isn't spoken in loads of different places. My sis-in-law (who's English) is now even thinking of learning some more (she has some basic phrases) as she thinks my niece should learn it growing up.

we'llallhavetea_old

rubadub wrote: »

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

no i guess not, but its their first language. my mam and her siblings couldn't speak english until they went to secondary school, this blows my mind!
i was rared listening to irish, too busy building forts too take it in

i can understand connemara irish, just can't speak it back

GLaDOS

Basic to to none, haven't used it since leaving secondary 2 years ago