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The "Irish Language"??

  • 22-02-2011 9:40pm
    #1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 65 ✭✭


    Looks like you guys are all speaking/typing English. Are they talking about Gaelic?


«1

Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 18,159 ✭✭✭✭phasers


    No we're typing in Irish, irish computers have a special programme that translates it for us.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,082 ✭✭✭Pygmalion


    Mr. Spock wrote: »
    Looks like you guys are all speaking/typing English. Are they talking about Gaelic?

    What the hell is "Gaelic"?

    Are you talking about the Irish language?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 65 ✭✭Mr. Spock


    Pygmalion wrote: »
    What the hell is "Gaelic"?

    Are you talking about the Irish language?

    I don't know how to spell it. Does anyone speak it? I was under the impression that you all spoke English on the reg.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,082 ✭✭✭Pygmalion


    There isn't really an Irish language tbh, that thing started as some stereotype of the Irish as being incomprehensible due to the thick accents when we started emigrating to America.


  • Registered Users Posts: 721 ✭✭✭Xivilai


    Its not usually called Gaelic here.. Gaelic refers to languages that developed out of a language which was spoken widely in Ireland yonks ago..

    Its called Irish here and the Scottish version is called "Scottish Gaelic"

    Or Gaeilge / Gaidhlig


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  • Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 30,832 Mod ✭✭✭✭Insect Overlord


    BuzzKillington.jpg

    Mr. Spock, there is indeed an Irish language. It's known as Gaeilge/Gaoluinn here, or Gaelic if you're using the Anglicised term. I'm studying it for my Masters. :cool:

    Modern Irish is a descendant of a Celtic tongue from the Indo-European branch of languages. Other Celtic languages include Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, Breton, Manx and Cornish. There are less than 1,000 native speakers of these last 2 languages. Up until c.1750/1800 the dialect spoken in in Scotland was pretty much identical to that of Ireland.

    There are roughly 70,000 native speakers of Gaeilge, with about 200,000 fluent or near-fluent users of the language.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,919 ✭✭✭Grindylow


    Ireland has its own language?

    Wow I never knew..

    Taim iontas orm.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,498 ✭✭✭Jamie Starr


    tá mé..... há mé......hááááááááá!


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,059 ✭✭✭Screaminmidget


    Án mhaith ar fad go mór liom :D


  • Registered Users Posts: 16,931 ✭✭✭✭challengemaster


    There are roughly 70,000 native speakers of Gaeilge, with about 200,000 fluent or near-fluent users of the language.
    I highly doubt anywhere near that are fluent, but to put that in context

    Thats 0.045% of the population.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,919 ✭✭✭Grindylow


    I highly doubt anywhere near that are fluent, but to put that in context

    Thats 0.045% of the population.

    No... If it's at 70,000, it's 1.57%

    If it's at 200,000, it's 4.5%....


  • Registered Users Posts: 16,931 ✭✭✭✭challengemaster


    Noel2k9 wrote: »
    No... If it's at 70,000, it's 1.57%

    If it's at 200,000, it's 4.5%....

    there's a reason i hate google :D

    edit: and 4.5% is MUCH harder to believe


  • Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 30,832 Mod ✭✭✭✭Insect Overlord


    I highly doubt anywhere near that are fluent, but to put that in context

    Thats 0.045% of the population.

    Between Gaeltacht natives, Irish teachers, students and other enthusiasts (worldwide) I reckon 200,000 is an accurate enough estimation.

    Also, it's well above your suggested percentage figure. ;)

    You already fixed that!


  • Moderators, Education Moderators Posts: 29,509 Mod ✭✭✭✭randylonghorn


    there's a reason i hate google :D

    edit: and 4.5% is MUCH harder to believe
    2nd year Science.

    Needs google to work out a percentage!!

    Now THAT's hard to believe!! :pac:


  • Registered Users Posts: 16,931 ✭✭✭✭challengemaster


    Between Gaeltacht natives, Irish teachers, students and other enthusiasts (worldwide) I reckon 200,000 is an accurate enough estimation.

    Also, it's well above your suggested percentage figure. ;)

    I'm working off of about 4-5 hours sleep here, and lots of muscle pain. I'm allowed make some mistakes when using google :P

    Better apologise before you get offended tho! :p

    Funnily enough, I'd be much more enclined to believe 0.045%, hence why it didn't strike me as being wrong. Sign of the state of the language tbh.


  • Registered Users Posts: 16,931 ✭✭✭✭challengemaster


    2nd year Science.

    Needs google to work out a percentage!!

    Now THAT's hard to believe!! :pac:

    I don't normally keep a calculator on me at all times... nor am I bothered working out percentages in my head these days :p


  • Moderators, Education Moderators Posts: 29,509 Mod ✭✭✭✭randylonghorn


    I don't normally keep a calculator on me at all times...
    ... iphone?
    ... nor am I bothered working out percentages in my head these days :p
    [sympathy] Overstrained it? [/sympathy]



    Anyway, fun as it is to bait CM, what's with all the threads springing up re: Irish?

    2 in LC to-day, one here, 2 current in AH! >.<

    Go bhfóire Dia orainn!!

    (I blame Inda!!)


  • Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 30,832 Mod ✭✭✭✭Insect Overlord


    (I blame Inda!!)

    Got it in one. ;)

    Maybe that was his plan all along! Reviving interest in Irish by making a (perceived) threat to it!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 20,759 ✭✭✭✭dlofnep


    I highly doubt anywhere near that are fluent, but to put that in context

    Thats 0.045% of the population.

    Fluent or near fluent, it sounds about right. Gaeltacht population is nearly 100,000, of which over 70% are fluent. So about 70k, then on top of that you have people who moved from the gaeltacht to cities (probably about another 30k or more) - that brings us to 100,000 fluent speakers.

    Now add onto that all children that attended gaelscoileanna - No idea myself, but we'll say 50,000. That brings us to 150k. Add onto that another 50k from people who are just good at speaking it, or are engaged with conversational circles, primary school teachers, or doing well at school at it.

    Putting that into context - is 200k really that ambitious? We've had 100+ people that have popped into our local conversational circle here in Waterford, many of which were fluent or near fluent. There are more people than you think have good Irish.

    My Irish is decent, terrible grammar mind you - but more than confident at speaking it and a wide enough vocab to discuss most topics.


  • Moderators, Education Moderators Posts: 29,509 Mod ✭✭✭✭randylonghorn


    Got it in one. ;)

    Maybe that was his plan all along! Reviving interest in Irish by making a (perceived) threat to it!
    He's got a plan?!

    The more I see of him, the more I doubt it tbh! >.<


    dlofnep, I recently overheard snippets of two separate conversations in Irish in an hour's shopping in Kilkenny, much to my surprise I have to admit!

    And while I know Kilkenny isn't a million miles away from an Rinn, the accents weren't right ... in fact, one had a strong Kilkenny accent but was speaking what I am sure was West Kerry Irish!


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  • Registered Users Posts: 5,378 ✭✭✭Duffy the Vampire Slayer


    Several times people have assumed I'm fluent because I'm from the west :confused: I can hardly speak a word of Irish and the nearest Gaelthacht is an hour away.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 20,759 ✭✭✭✭dlofnep


    dlofnep, I recently overheard snippets of two separate conversations in Irish in an hour's shopping in Kilkenny, much to my surprise I have to admit!

    And while I know Kilkenny isn't a million miles away from an Rinn, the accents weren't right ... in fact, one had a strong Kilkenny accent but was speaking what I am sure was West Kerry Irish!

    There's a conversational group in Kilkenny as far as I know. We've been planning on dropping up to them for ages - Haven't made it up yet - procrastination and all that!

    Since I got involved in the Irish language, you'd actually be amazed at how often you might hear it because your ear is trained to listen to it. Normally you don't pay attention to people talking, but something as simple as an Irish word can alert you straight away.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,298 ✭✭✭Namlub


    I can't speak English


  • Registered Users Posts: 583 ✭✭✭rorrissey


    I've spoken Irish gach aon lá do mo shaol le mo thuismitheoirí agus conáim i gCathair Chorcaí... Woo for me being the odd one out? :p


  • Registered Users Posts: 77 ✭✭LeopoldButters


    Is fearr Gaeilge bhriste ná Béarla cliste! - well for another few years anyway but we are getting there :)


  • Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 30,832 Mod ✭✭✭✭Insect Overlord


    I keep programming the car stereo so that I can find Raidió na Gaeltachta, but my mother keeps replacing it with Lyric FM! >_<


  • Registered Users Posts: 583 ✭✭✭rorrissey


    I keep programming the car stereo so that I can find Raidió na Gaeltachta, but my mother keeps replacing it with Lyric FM! >_<

    They actually have a class show on at night, An Taobh Tuathail they call it. I think it's on weeknights at 11pm. Really cool music it's worth checking out, it's the only thing I really listen to on there. Totally not just mentioning this because my cousin is the DJ... (;


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 14,670 ✭✭✭✭Wolfe Tone


    Is maith liom caca millis


  • Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 30,832 Mod ✭✭✭✭Insect Overlord


    rorrissey wrote: »
    They actually have a class show on at night, An Taobh Tuathail they call it. I think it's on weeknights at 11pm. Really cool music it's worth checking out, it's the only thing I really listen to on there. Totally not just mentioning this because my cousin is the DJ... (;

    Haha, nice plug. :)

    I tend to flick over to RnaG when I'm driving, just to catch up on the news or to hear the odd piece of music. Some of their day-time interviews can be excellent as well though.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 80 ✭✭Tucker688


    Is Lads an Ghaeilge uafásach a bheith ag labhairt ar an bhfóram seo, pointless go bhfuil fiú é sna scoileanna seo lá gcuirfidh sí faoi deara ach strus do na páistí nach mbeidh a úsáid


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