Hi all

[kilconquhar]

Hi all

I'm from Manchester

I'm just starting to learn and struggling with TYG.

I'm using TAIC & beag_air_bheag and have looked at An Cùrsa Inntrigidh.

As I can't find any local classes I wonder if any of you are aware of conversation groups or private tutors who work remotely

I read about the SKYPE sessions - how often do they run?

Cum Gaidhlig beo
Stuart

[GunChleoc]

Fàilte ort!

Out Skype sessions run irregularly. I'm starting to get one organised for this weekend; check out the shoutbox on the bottom of the main forum page.

You can add your Skype name to your profile if you want, or post it in this thread.

[Seonaidh]

Fàilte, a Stiubhairt!

So, you can't find a Gaelic class in Manchester. Well, I'm in Fife - and there's no Gaelic classes at all anywhere in Fife - no evening classes, nothing at any school. So, I fancy your nearest Galic class may be either in London or in Dumfries & Galloway!

An Cùrsa Inntrigidh - pretty good for distance learning. I've just finished it myself. It certainly doesn't take you all the way, but it's a good introduction. As for Teach Yourself Gaelic, well, maybe it's been revamped since the edition I got, but that wasn't up to much.

Why the name "Kinnuchar"? Are you from the East Neuk, or do you have roots there?

Cùm ort leis a' Ghàidhlig!

[kilconquhar]

Seonaidh

My Great Grandfather was born in Kilconquhar and his job as a forester later took him to England. I'm researching my family and they all appear to have been in the Kilconquhar, Ceres, Carnbee, Leuchars area

How long have you been studying before you took on An Cùrsa Inntrigidh? How did you find the course if you hadnt found other groups etc
Is there anything (Book, CD, DVD) you would recommend?
Do you have Gaidhlig conversation outside of An Cùrsa Inntrigidh

Wyt ti'n fy nabod i? - is that welsh?

mòran taing

[Gràisg]

Fàilte ort Stiubhairt, ma tha trioblaid sam bith agad le TYG carson nach cuir ceist orinn, tha feadhinn dhinn ann a sheo gu math eòlach air an leabhar sin.

Hi Stewart and welcome, if you have any problems with TYG why not ask us, some of us are well acquainted with that book.

[Seonaidh]

My Great Grandfather was born in Kilconquhar and his job as a forester later took him to England. I'm researching my family and they all appear to have been in the Kilconquhar, Ceres, Carnbee, Leuchars area

How long have you been studying before you took on An Cùrsa Inntrigidh? How did you find the course if you hadnt found other groups etc
Is there anything (Book, CD, DVD) you would recommend?
Do you have Gaidhlig conversation outside of An Cùrsa Inntrigidh

Wyt ti'n fy nabod i? - is that welsh?

Reet, let's see... "Ma faither was a baillie fae a wee fairm in Caiplie,
He worked on the land aa the days o his life;
By the time he made second he aye said he reckoned
He'd plooed nearly half o the East Neuk o Fife..."
- absolutely not true in my case - I married a Fifer. But I was wondering whether you were familiar with the song ("Generations of Change").

In effect, I did no studying of Gaelic before the Intro Course (An Cùrsa Inntrigidh). While I had l00ked at a bit of Teach yersel Gaelic many years ago, I can't say as I minded much (if any) of it. I think I found the course on the web - forget where, may have been l00king at Clì or CnaG. Or maybe just browsing UHI on spec.

There's no book or CD I'd recommend - or not recommend, for that matter. I do have a pretty good dictionary (Colin Mark), but it's only Gàidhlig-Beurla, not English-Gaelic. The other dic I've got IS two-way (Malcolm MacLennan), but it's a load of carp (somewhat of an exaggeration: typically, I'll look up the Gaelic for something - then check that it actually means what I think it means by looking up the English for it in another dic. It often doesn't!) Some people swear by Dwelly - can't comment, haven't read it.

Outside CI, no, I don't have a lot of Gaelic conversation. There's just naebody to talk with in Fife. Well, there must be - according to the 1991 Census there were nearly 1,500 Gaelic speakers in Fife (more than in Perth & Kinross, where there's actually a Gaelic-medium primary school and a high school that offers Gaelic for both speakers and learners). The problem is finding them! I suspect most of them must stay the other end of Fife, round Dunfermline area, and are probably Gaelic speakers drawn to jobs in the Capital who happen to stay in Fife. I have to make do with listening to Rèidio nan Gàidheal (when it's not incessantly boring...).

Finally, "Wyt ti'n fy nabod i?" is, indeed, Welsh. In Gaelic it would be "A bheil thu gam aithneachadh?" I chose that as I do actually speak Welsh fluently and am always on the l00k-out for others with an interest in it. Incidentally, it's very useful for the Gaelic, as many ways of expressing things in Gaelic that strike monoglot Anglos as strange, perverse or hard to get to grips with are actually very similar to Welsh ways of doing so.

Sorry for the diatribe etc. - tha mi' n dòchas gum bi mi nas goiride anns an uaine a theachd...(hopefully I'll be shorter in the future)

[faoileag]

Interesting background, a Sheonaidh.

Although I am not a fan of the TYG coursebook(s), I do like their paperback dictionary - it's a whole stratosphere better. And relatively cheap.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASI ... mniglot-21

Otherwise I can recommend the much more expensive but worthwhile two Angus Watson dictionaries, hardback G-E (good) and E-G (not bad but done in a hurry because of publisher pressure, I suspect, after the success of the G-E one, so not as thought through as the G-E one. I anticipate an extended 2nd edition sometime to compensate.).

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Essential-Gaeli ... 224&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Essential-Gaeli ... s_b_img_10


And although it's not a dictionary, it's a very useful and reliable modern resource, including basic computer/email vocabulary, for example:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Everyday-Gaelic ... im_b_img_3

[kilconquhar]

Fàilte ort Stiubhairt, ma tha trioblaid sam bith agad le TYG carson nach cuir ceist orinn, tha feadhinn dhinn ann a sheo gu math eòlach air an leabhar sin.

Hi Stewart and welcome, if you have any problems with TYG why not ask us, some of us are well acquainted with that book.

Gràisg - Many thanks for your response. My 'problem' is as a learner the book progresses from chapter to chapter very quickly - i often find myself needing to refer back to a previous chapter but the index is very small ....I did see a index somewhere on the web but will probably create my own

I also think that learning pronunciation will require other avenues.

I look forward to the day when a quarter of my response can be in Gaidhlig....

Moran Taing

[Kahlan]

Halò, agus fàilte chridheil oirbh a Stiubhairt

I've just been learning a few months too, and also trying to work my way through TYG (slowly ), but the resources I've found most helpful so far are the first 10 or so lessons of TAIC, and the old TV program Can Seo. Both have all the material spoken, and written. Can Seo introduces new words and grammar, and then has skits to illustrate. It also has an ongoing serial with each episode using what you've learned so far. It's a lot of fun to watch the story and understand (almost) everything, spoken at normal speed, and various dialects.
You can watch the Can Seo on YouTube, but they are only partial episodes. I downloaded the textbook and 20 full episodes (do a Google search for the t0rrent), and really well worth the effort.

[GunChleoc]

I learned my pronunciation with Akerbeltz and practiced it using music with printed lyrics. If you have a scientific mind, you could read up on general phonetics first.

You could also check out BBC's Beag air Bheag.

As you can see, there are numerous ways of getting there, depending on what you prefer

Once you have the basics down, try to get to a class, even if it's only a weekend workshop. I found that very useful to work out the last kinks in my pronunciation and start talking.

[Tearlach61]

Fàilte a kilconquhar,

The route I took in on the pronunciation front was I listened to Litir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh quite a bit and then would try to read off the text as closely as I could to what I was hearing, slowing things down as much as necessary, sometimes spending several days trying to get down one sound and understanding how it was produced.

Akerbeltz was invaluable in helping me to break it all down.

The nice thing about the internet is you have tons of audial examples of real gàidhlig spoken by real native speakers with the text. that takes away a lot of the mystery.
Chuck

[Coinneach Cìr]

Fàilte chridheil oirbh! Tha mi cinnteach gum faigh sibh taic gu leòr an seo.
A warm welcome to you! I'm certain you'll find plenty of support here.