Irish 132 Introduction to Modern Irish. History of the Language

Irish 132

Introduction to Modern Irish

History of the Language





State of the Language

The Gaeltacht covers extensive parts of counties Donegal, Mayo, Galway, and Kerry—as well as parts of counties Cork, Meath, and Waterford. There are also six populated offshore islands.

According to the 2011 Census, the current population of the Gaeltach is 100,716, with around 15,300 of this population residing in the suburban areas of Galway.


The term “Gaeltacht” is used to denote those areas in Ireland where the Irish language is, or was until the recent past, the main spoken language of a substantial number of the local population.

These areas are defined by order of the Irish government, with specific funding allocated to the regions.


Some Aspects of the Language

Word Order

• In a simple sentence, the word order is:VSO

object Verb + Subject + Other

complement adverbial phrase

Word Order

For example:Tá mé fuar (I am cold)

Chuala Séamas an cat(Séamas heard the cat)

Rachaidh sí go Gaillimh(She will go to Galway)

Is maith liom é(I like it)

Initial Mutations

LenitionE.g.

den bhorddon chailínsa ghairdín

Eclipsis

as an bpáircar an gcathaoir

faoin gcarr

Prepositional Pronouns

E.g.Is fearr leis fíon(He prefers wine, lit. It is better with him wine)Tá súile donna aige(He has brown eyes, (lit. There are brown eyes at him)Tá náire orm(I am ashamed, lit. There is shame on me)

Irregular Verbs

Bí – to beAbair – to say Beir – to carry, bearClois – to hearDéan – to doFaigh – to get

Feic – to seeIth – to eatTabhair – to giveTar – to comeTéigh – to go

There are only 11 irregular verbs in IrishUnfortunately, they are the 11 most common verbs…

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Irish 132 Introduction to Modern Irish. History of the Language