Books

Learning Irish: An Introductory Self-Tutor

Average customer rating:

How does this book compare to others for learners?
I RECOMMEND THIS TEXT
Not for beginners
Decent book
Intense!

Learning Irish: An Introductory Self-Tutor
Michael O'Siadhail
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0300043406

Book Description

Book designed to be used in conjunction with cassettes "'Learning Irish", ISBN: 0300064632 - sold separately.

Customer Reviews:

How does this book compare to others for learners?.......2007-03-09

Many others have reviewed fairly the strengths and weaknesses of LI. I wanted to offer advice to beginners wondering if this is the best book for their needs. Yahoo groups are making their way through LI as one group focused on Connemara dialect-- for the Cois Fharraige version as spoken along the Co Galway coast is that which Ó Siadhail teaches; other Yahoo groups are learning Munster or Ulster Irish with different texts; another group takes the Standard "school" Irish via Mairead Ní Ghrada's primer "Progress in Irish." So, you have options that combine introductory textbooks with web- based discussion lists, often with sound files added by learners. This improves upon the dodgy semi-audible cassettes that some editions of LI come with and others do not. A CD version is rumored.

This book also came out in different printings; the latest 1992-era cover boasts of it being an improved edition, but little changes within beyond a somewhat clearer font and resetting of the layout (not enough if you ask me-- this book takes scrutiny and sharp eyes to make out crucial accents over many small-type letters; the italics are not easily discerned from a quick glance of many passages). LI contains errors; the answer key is not always correct, and explanations occasionally are lacking for idioms or vocabulary necessary for what a chapter may expect you to translate. This can be a far more frustrating book than an idealistic learner may expect.

I have taught grammar in English, but the linguistic explanations provided here at times bewilder me. It's not a well-organized progression of content for each lesson. Not until Ch. 12 do you learn the copula. Verbs begin to be taught in greater number later than you'd expect. The author may insert essential information into a tiny footnote or a blip of a phrase (often an exception to a rule he's explaining, or an idiom otherwise not to be found in the 30 chapters) within an otherwise unrelated paragraph. This book, the back cover tells us, is for the self-tutored learner or the intrigued linguist, but it may please the latter who's able to understand the convoluted and compressed paradigms and examples better than the clueless newbie.

I do like the little texts ending each chapter to translate from Irish-- these are my "reward" for finishing a chapter after the grueling work of making the English sentences in the other exercise into Irish. Despite answer keys, much will elude you as to what Ó Siadhail wants you to write and what you thought you must write given the past lesson. Also, that lesson may give you many words that you will not use until much later-- if at all. This hit-and-miss approach may reflect real-life uses of a language learned in the real world, but it does try a learner's patience.

Still, it's the only book teaching a dialect between north and south, and thus considered as the Connacht mean between Munster and Ulster extremes! Unlike most primers, it plunges you into a dialect with its own irrational peculiarities, and this immersion is necessary once you leave standard "school" Irish texts for learners behind. However, for absolute beginners, I would supplement this with a more concise, friendlier introduction such as Gabriel Rosenstock's "Beginner's Irish." This concise text is more "updated" than "Progress in Irish," but "PiI" features short chapters and the latter is easier to consult; Rosenstock combines an overview of the language with samples of how it works and has evolved alongside lessons.

If you're only curious for now about the language's context and what it's like past and present, "The Irish Language" by Darerca Ní Chartúir is recommended. Grammatical explanations much more detailed but also much clearer than those in LI can be found in a reference guide that anyone slogging through LI will soon need: Donna Wong's "A Learner's Guide to Irish". (I review Rosenstock, Ní Chartúir, and Wong on Amazon.) Nollaig Mac Congáil's "Irish Grammar Book" is a shorter reference while Éamonn Ó Dónaill's "Teach Yourself Irish Grammar" (unlike the dreaded revision of "Teach Yourself Irish"!) is another useful self-learning text combining explanations and exercises.

I RECOMMEND THIS TEXT.......2007-02-23

The book does not require a lot of prior knowledge of Irish, but it will require you to learn some grammatic terms that you may not be familiar with. The progression of the lessons seems a tad random compared to other foreign language methods, but it eventually goes everywhere it needs to. The text leaves something to be desired, at times, for its explanations which can be a little vague, but (with repetition) mastery is still possible. The cassettes are helpful, but they would be MORE helpful if they were CDs (for purposes of navigation). The cassettes would be more helpful, too, if they also went through the vocabulary for each lesson rather than just the exercises. Get ready to take notes and do some individual research.

Not for beginners.......2006-12-01

This was the first book on Irish that I bought. It set my learning back ten years. Irish is a complex language that has sounds and grammar not found in English or other western European languages.

If you are a beginner to Irish take a course in it. Go to [...] and look for courses in your area. If you are learning on your own, first look at Buntús Cainte (isbn 1-85791-065-6) to learn how to speak and "hear" Irish. For a good modern grammar look at Irish Grammar Book by Nollaig Mac Congáil (isbn 1-902420-49-7).

Then, after you have a good exposure to Irish and want to learn the Connemera dialect, buy this book.

Decent book.......2006-12-01

This is a decent book for learning Irish. It has its share of mistakes, though. Unless the tapes have been updated, they're full of mistakes as well. In terms of learning the language with grammar, though, this book does a good job. If you could buy only one book to learn Irish, this might be it if you had pronunciation guidance.

My personal reccomendation if you actually want to learn Irish and don't have access to an instructor or course where the teacher is a native speaker is the following set of books:

O'Siadhail's book
Irish on Your Own (with CDs and RTE's Turas Teanga DVD for Pronunciation)
Teach Yourself: Irish grammar -- for an easy to read Grammar reference
Foclóir Poca for a small dictionary
Foclóir Scoile for a medium dictionary
The two-book set of An Gúm dictionaries (Foclór Gaeilge-Béarla & English-Irish by De Bhaldraithe) for a large dictionary set.
Dineen's dictionary if you're interested in older Irish (but not Old Irish).

You should also take advantage of Raidio Na Gaelteachta on the web as well as TG4's Irish language programming on the web for modern usage and pronunciation.

Intense!.......2006-11-04

If you want to learn to speak Irish, this is the book and tapes for you. To me without the tapes it would take twice as long.
The language is a difficult one. For many reasons. And as another reviewer stated there are so many letters in words that are silent. The pronunciations are very different from ours, for example the authors name is pronounced Meal O'Sheal. But this book is so detailed they even tell you how to place your tongue in your mouth when pronouncing sounds. I started to take notes on index cards to help me, but everything I tried to short cut that way was already listed exactly that way somewhere in the book already as a quick reference guide. It's not something you'll learn over night, but this will definately teach you.

Average customer rating:

Learning Irish : An Introductory Self-Tutor
Siadhail. Micheal O.
Manufacturer: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KEJOGW

Average customer rating:

Learning Irish: An Introductory Self-Tutor
Micheal O Siadhail
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000O92XWK

Average customer rating:

Learning Irish, an Introductory Self-Tutor
Micheal O'Siadhail
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ORZA2W

Average customer rating:

Learning Irish (An Introductory Self - Tutor)
Micheal O Siadhail
Manufacturer: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000H82QRU

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