1 comments about Pimsleur Irish: Learn to Speak and Understand Irish (Gaelic) with Pimsleur Language Programs (Basic).

1. This is a review of the version with a gold and green trimmed cover in larger plastic tape case, and 5 CDs; it also exists in a 4 CD version in a white paper box with a Celtic Cross. The third and newest version here, just out in Feb. 2007, is apparently significantly more money and has Simon & Schuster's name added to the crimson cover. I cannot confirm that the contents are the same, but my suspicion is that they are across all three versions (the other two are cheaper than this newest issuing!). The 4 CD paper box is the same core as the 5 CD plastic one-- the only difference is an admittedly useful fifth CD that explains the Pimsleur method and how to get the best use out of the system; this fifth CD may have been added after users complained that the 4-CD version gave no printed material (that's the whole point of Pimsleur on the other hand!) and no context. I found the extra 5th CD helpful in learning how the Pimsleur system was invented and applied to the audio lessons. I might add that despite their shortcomings, you can upload Pimsleur CDs to a computer or MP3 or iPod player and have instantly portable Irish practice.
   
   What follows is my Amazon review of the plastic box 5CD set... The pros and cons of these tapes have been sufficiently enumerated by the reviewers who've posted here (that is, at the earlier version for these tapes, i.e, the 4CD box!) . What I want to add is that the "First Course" version (a green cover, no Celtic Cross, more rectangular, whereas the Quick & Simple version is in a square white box) has not 4 CDs but 5. This 5th, called a User's Manual, explains how Dr. Paul Pimsleur developed his method of language learning and then introduces the rationale and set-up that the lessons will follow. Why mention this? On the 4CD newer version, it seems that no orientation is given. I happened to find the "Short Course" version, and having heard the 5th disc first, it greatly eased my expectations when I cued up the first lesson. Naturally, when you're beginning to study a language where for an English learner, Irish orthography differs so much from the spoken sounds, further jitters caused by not knowing why the Pimsleur method eschews texts only worsen one's readiness to learn Irish by imitation and example, as done here.
   
   I leave the Munster dialect debate aside; I think that having speakers in all three major regional dialects would have been preferable, to condition one's ear to how Irish is spoken in the media. Now that you can get RnG feeds at your computer, hearing "real" Irish in its native setting is possible anywhere. The use of these tapes, I suppose, is to make you wrap your tongue and clear your throat around strenuous attempts to keep trying to speak out loud a bit of Irish. Granted, by the end of 8 hours you'll be able to hold a rudimentary conversation, but if you know that the course only aims at this limited ability, perhaps you'll better be able to judge if it's the kind of learning aid that works for you. These tapes are in many public libraries too, by the way. For eight hours of drill, they're cheaper than any tutor and for learners like me who get too nervous to speak well when put on the spot in live settings, these tapes offer a more encouraging environment to learn in.
   
   I agree with many users: not having the text in front of me was far more a disadvantage than a help, since I learn best by "seeing" in my mind's eye the spelling of the words that I am speaking. Not being able to do this with Pimsleur does put stress on the learner, but if used in conjunction with other tapes and books, it does force you to try to enunciate, however imperfectly, some approximation of spoken Irish. I kept figuring out after being found wrong by the "answer" on the tape that only belatedly could I match the phrase said to the my delayed realization of how the phrase would be written. You have to repeat lessons, therefore, to get the value out of these tapes. That User's Guide 5th disc tells you that competency is when you're getting around 80% of the answers right, and I know that nearly no honest learner just starting out is likely to score this all the way through eight hours--especially given the dialectal distinctions between the two voices heard and articulation hurdles you must jump.
   
   True, however drastically the words as written differ from those spoken in Irish, not having a sense of how "ca bhfuil" is said vs. spelled will not help any learner wishing to set a solid foundation in Irish. Thus, I would take on these tapes only after having a basic foundation in at least having read in book form the phrases generally employed at this level of conversation. Their one advantage: any tapes goading you to say something out loud make you less of a passive learner overconfident that simply looking at dialogues in a primer will push you to fluency.
   
   I do wish that the makers would make a series by Pimsleur with advanced levels of Irish for conversation; this type of speaking practice beyond the few phrases taught here is a sorely needed product that outside Ireland itself is still often far from readily available on CD for higher-level but still beginning learners.

5 comments about Wicked Irish.

1. When you think you might want to learn a new language, first read How To Learn Any Language. You'll find a path to follow for learning languages. One tool is the phrasebook. This phrasebook, however, isn't really what you're looking for. It is funny, outrageous, and it has a pronunciation guide. There are a lot of golfing references (strange enough), and really interesting bits of background history of the country. I just can't imagine ever saying "That goes down like the nun's knickers!" in a pub, no matter how strong the whiskey.
   It is funny to see it laid out in Irish's horrific grammar.
   
   Get this book to lighten you up a bit as you slosh through Learning Irish (the best Irish course out there).



2. If you are considering getting this book as a fun way to add some vocabulary to your study of Irish, don't. It's very funny, but even with my very (!) limited knowledge of Irish I've found a mistake - so now of course I don't take anything it says at face value.
   
   Specifically (leaving out the marks that are difficult to type), p. 59, Social Ireland, Kiss My Aphorism:
   "May the road" = "Go n-eiri",
   "rise to meet" = "an bothar",
   "your face" = "i t'aghaidh"
   Apparently they just cut apart the phrase, without regard for grammar.
   
   Well worth the price as a general humor book. A nice thing to leave on the coffee table to amuse your friends. Just don't try to learn from it.



3. This is the type of book you would read on the long flight to Ireland if you're leaving from the US. No real practical use but it will delight your friends in Ireland if you share some of the phrases. Reading this book is a good way to relax and just have fun. Don't expect anything more.



4. I have been teaching myself Gaelic for the past year or so but felt my instruction was lacking something; where was all the slang? How could I possibly make it in Ireland without knowing how to say that I've given up congealed blood for Lent, in Gaelic? What would I do if I was in a pub making eyes at a gentleman and couldn't tell him that I was spellbound by his deltoids, in Gaelic? How could I properly yell at a Dubliner without knowing to call him a Jackeen?
   
   Wicked Irish is a pocket sized little book and its 64 pages are filled with some hilarious phrases. It gives you pick up lines, things to say at a wake, in church, on the golf course or in the pub. Mixed in with all the fun and frivolity is an equal amount of useful Gaelic sayings, if you're inclined to try it out on the locals. Each word is phonetically written out so if you are not familiar with the language you will have no problem pronouncing the words.
   
   This book doesn't cost very much and the entertainment I have received from it was well worth the price and then some. One night after a few too many Guinness, my sister and had a grand time reading through it and shouting insults at each other and our husbands; laughing the entire time. If anything, this book is a great conversation starter. Enjoy!



5. This book was one of several on the night table in the guest room of my friend's house. I read it through before I turned out the light. The next morning, my host said to me: 'I guess you picked up the Wicked Irish book?'
   I admitted I had. He said, 'Whenever somebody says goodnight, goes to bed and laughs for a half-an-hour, I know it's that book.'
   
   And that's precisely what this book is good for, although I will try to work the expression 'the nun's knickers' into a conversation in the near future.
   
   Lynn Hoffman, author of bang BANG

1 comments about Buntus Cainte Ceim a hAon: A First Step in Spoken Irish Part 1.

1. The Buntus Cainte books and tapes are an easy way to learn some basic Irish vocabulary and simple sentences. The series is designed to be "first steps in spoken Irish," and the steps are easy to follow. The tapes and pictures are helpful and make the course fun, for adults as well as children.

2 comments about Irish-English/English-Irish Easy Reference Dictionary, New Edition.

1. It is very easy to use and it can be a life saver when you are not sure about a certain word as you are learning irish.It contains about 24,500 entries. This is the main irish dictionary that I use. :) Although, it is best to buy this with an Irish course or at least have some knowledge about the pronunciation of irish words because the pronunciation is not listed with the word. But has proved to be very very useful, helpful, and invaluable as I learn about Gaelic Irish!



2. This is my first dictionary for learning Irish, and so far it's been pretty good. It is fairly complete in terms of entries, and often has examples of how words are used. It doesn't have pronunciations, which is a bummer on the Irish side but, in some ways, even more so on the English side because when I want to look up the Irish word for "live", for example, so I can talk about where I live, there is also an entry for "live" as in live music. So I have to go back and forth a bit. But overall I like this dictionary.

5 comments about Sengoidelc: Old Irish for Beginners (Irish Studies).

1. Best resource available for an amateur, but explanations are sometimes lacking. Still, you can't do any better.



2. An well explained and methodical book about the old irish language. Easy to study and very complete study.



3. I've been studying Old Irish, with varying degrees of diligence, for over two years and I find this textbook to be the most helpful of all. Not only does David Stifter present the material in a logical manner, building gradually and explaining each step thorough, but he explains each of the rather esoteric grammatical terms commonly used for this complex language, a great help for someone not an accomplished scholar of linguistics.
   
   A few things that I particularly appreciate: early introduction of a few bits of poetry to give a sense of the rewards of studying this beautiful language, the easy to read layout of the book, and the bits of humor contained in the small drawings of sheep, especially the one with a grimace subtitled "A sheep after having tried to master Old Irish orthography."
   
   Old Irish is never going to be an easy subject and taking it one piece at a time, learning each one thoroughly before going on to the next, is the best method I've come up with. "Sengoidelc" is of great help on the journey.



4. This is THE book for learning Old Irish, period. Old Irish is a notoriously forbidding language, probably the most difficult of all the older Indo-European languages. Stifter makes it come alive, through his mix of detailed yet clear grammatical explanations, translation exercises, and quirky humor (gotta love those sheep cartoons!) As an Indo-Europeanist, I wish I had had such a textbook when I first studied Old Irish, instead of having to slog my way through Quin's workbook like the last three generations of students ("The hero hit the two birds in the two trees with his sword"...)
   Perfect for those interested in Celtic and Indo-European languages or medieval Irish literature!



5. I'm writing this as someone with a lay (but serious) interest in Old Irish, who learned Modern Irish as a child, and has a reasonable fluency. I've also studied several languages over the years, ranging from Breton to Arabic. I've read the Lehmanns' book too, and compared to this, it feels like it's from another century. Oh wait, it IS from another century!
   
   Seriously, this is a modern approach to Old Irish. I found it generally accessible, and the charts showing reconstructions all the way back to proto-IndoEuropean were interesting too. Where Lehmann provides a numbered list of sentences to be parsed or translated, during which the grammar is apparently expected to be assimilated by osmosis, Stifter provides actual prose describing the grammar.
   
   The main shortcoming in my view, is that there's little comparison with modern Irish. What amazed me was how much of the structure has been preserved over the centuries, from VSO word-order to mutations to personal prepositions; even much of vocabulary has changed relatively little. Although students who are completely new to any form of Irish will find it strange in its grammar and orthography, much of that strangeness hasn't changed all that much over time, and will be perfectly familiar to anyone acquainted with modern Irish.
   
   Personally I would have found it helpful to highlight the aspects that have REALLY changed or disappeared over the intervening millennium (e.g., deponent forms, dual forms, etc.) After all, as fascinating a link as Old Irish is to our ancient European roots, it's also the relative of modern Irish, which is still a living spoken language. I realise that this would satisfy a minor fraction of the readership, but it's so comprehensive, Stifter might have included it. Maybe in a future edition?

5 comments about Irish: Learn to Speak and Understand Irish (Gaelic) with Pimsleur Language Programs (Quick & Simple Basic Programs).

1. Keeping in mind it is a SHORT course,and getting pronuciation out of a book is dead hard.
   
   As for no book, I'm a visual artist and a visual learner. I was attracted to the course because I saw it as a way of stimulateing my verbal center. And, given Irish spelling is nothing but grief to the begining English student, I'm thankful a sound only course is available. I ran into a bit of trouble in lesson 4, then I broke through something and it just started tp work. I learned more Irish in a month than I ever had with the more comprehesive, but clumsy "Learning Irish" which I've owned for 10 years!
   
   Mind, I'm illiterate now... ;-)
   
   My only real complaint is there doesn't seem to be a Pimsleur Irish course as complete as the French or German ones.
   
   Cheers all for the warning that it is mainly Munster dialect.



2. I used the Pimsleur course after more than 3 years of studying Irish by other methods. I found it excellent. Since I am a visually oriented learner, I can sympathize with those who are frustrated at not having printed text to relate to the sounds they are hearing and, even worse, are knocked for a loop when they finally DO see the spelling. Because the spelling of Irish is so dissimilar to English, I recommend that Pimsleur be used after the learner has had 6 months or a year of instruction in reading, writing and speaking the language. No matter whether one's introduction has used the Ulster, Connaught or caighdeán (standard -- which has many echos of Munster) pronunciation, the Pimsleur pronunciation will now be recognizable in the mind's eye.



3. My problem with this is that I am a visual learner and I really would have been helped by some accompanying written material. I have absolutely NO background in Irish so this was very confusing. (I do have a slight knowledge of French and found the Pimsleur French just fine.) So, for me, this was neither quick nor simple. I'm going to try a different system, something with a book!



4. We bought this based on other reviews.... it is a waste of money. It teaches you a bunch of crap you don't need to know. Not that some of the things wouldn't be useful later if you want to be truely fluent in Irish, but in the first CD, why are you teaching someone how to say "God Bless the Work"???? Like that's going to come up in conversation? These cd's really suck. I don't know why they put so much "useless" information/sentences/words in there, and stayed away from basic speech so much. This thing is just a mess. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone! It is a total waste of money! BLAH!



5. I bought this while I was on a trip because I knew I was going to have a five hour drive home, all alone. That meant I could listen to language audio without anyone to complain. I enjoyed having an opportunity to try out a dialect I am less familiar with and to try out the Pimsleur method, which is really great for me because I learn best by hearing and speaking. I've previously used Irish On Your Own, Learning Irish, and Buntus Cainte to varying degrees, so I had the advantage of some background and some knowledge about dialectal differences right off the bat.
   
   If you are looking to really learn Irish, I'd have to point you in the direction of something more like _Learning Irish_ or _Irish On Your Own_. If you're interested in the Munster dialect and you are just messing around with the language for fun and don't really need to know how to read or write it, this will be fine.

5 comments about Dic Scottish Gaelic English English Scottish Gaelic.

1. A handy quick reference Scots Gaelic to English/ English to Scots Gaelic that is easy to use and very handy in size and usage.



2. Not meant in any way as a comprehensive dictionary, this is a quick pocket reference. For its design, it is very good. Scots Gaelic to English/ English to Scots Gaelic that is easy to use and very handy. Nice for beginners.



3. I ordered the book. I paid for it. According to the shipment tracking, I received it, but I do not have it. Apparently it was delivered to the wrong address or not at all. When I tried to contact Amazon about this, I got no reply. I will not order anything again from Amazon.



4. this dictionary is quite good for beginners who don't know that many gaelic and probably don't need so many complicated words



5. This is an excellent way for beginners to learn gaelic. I was able to study and use some gaelic on a recent trip to Ireland and Scotland.

5 comments about Teach Yourself Irish Complete Course, CD package.

1. I've used these CD's over and over and suddenly I began thinking in another language! Stick with these...you'll be surprised!



2. This book is lacking in numerous ways, but its major problem is how it gives vocabulary notes. Instead of trying to explain the grammar and listing each word separately, it gives entire phrases (sometimes even sentences) as individual vocabulary items. How are you then supposed to use individual words? I guess if you're aim is to learn "useful phrases" for the purposes of travel, this book would work for you, but for an active understanding of how to speak productively, you're going to have to look elsewhere.



3. very intense study. Hard to follow. you really are teaching yourself.
   I recommend this teaching to anyone that wants to get in a deep study of the Irish.



4. Irish is by no means an easy language to learn and I struggle with it. I couldn't do it at all without the audio portion of the course. I did not give 5 stars because I have nothing to compare it to.



5. This is definitely not a book/cd for the first timer. I was hoping for a few "good morning", "how are you", etc to help me become familiar with the language. Unfortunately, the CD goes almost straight to short conversations. I did read the reviews before placing my order and decided to take a chance. Wrong decision.
   
   Even if I had some experience with Irish, the CD is useless without the book and will do me no good listening to it while sitting in traffic. I'll have to find another CD to get started with and save this CD for later.
   
   As for the book, it has a wonderful pronunciation guide - but does me no good since I need to hear the words, not just read them.

3 comments about Speaking Irish (DVD Edition).

1. I've been studying irish on and off for a few years now, but always felt frustrated over the fact that I couldn't listen to native speakers on a regular conversational level or struggling with not being able to understand the dialects that veer off from standard book irish.
   
   I just got this speaking Irish DVD and book yesterday and was blown away.
   It totally submerges you 100% into pure untainted Irish (NO ENGLISH)...it's just like you are in the gaeltacht. You get to hear the differences in dialect and accent from different parts of Ireland and the text book has complete unedited transcripts so you can follow along. It even has a vocabulary list for each segment on the dialect words used and what they would actually be in standard Irish so you can creatively incorporate them into your own way of speaking as well as practice exercises after each segment so you can practice what you've learned!
   
   This is a GOLD mine of information and an ABSOLUTE MUST for learners who have some Irish, but are looking to get more in order to obtain a measure of conversational fluency.



2. The DVD is all Irish with no option for subtitles. It provides 2 hours of listening to a wide range of speakers to tune your ear to recognizing Irish in a variety of settings and dialects. The book provides guidance on how to get the most out of the DVD and some extra information on the language itself. The interviews are transcribed in both Irish and English so you do get some reading practice. The exercises in the book for each segment are brief. The book and DVD provide a good supplement to a more complete course, but does not stand alone. If you are following another course such as Progress in Irish, Buntus Cainte this is a good next step once your well acquainted with the language.



3. What a delightful, well-produced and useful piece of work this book/DVD is! I was pleasantly surprised by just how very useful it turned out to be. The interviews on the DVD are fascinating in that they involve interesting, articulate people speaking naturally and unaffectedly, in Irish, on a wide variety of subjects. With the inclusion of speakers of Irish sign language as well as hearing respondents from very different walks of life, and speaking various Irish dialects, this DVD provides a valuable picture of linguistic and cultural diversity among modern gaelgeori.
   I would rarely go so far as to give a product 5 stars but I felt that this book/DVD is exactly right for people who have some Irish and who want to improve aural comprehension using authentic materials. The book provides transcripts, translations at the back and just enough information to be helpful without swamping the student or blocking discovery. I would like to wish a hearty "comhghairdeas" and extend a heartfelt "go raibh maith agaibh" to everyone involved in the production of this wonderful resource. Well done!

5 comments about Teach Yourself Gaelic Complete Course Audiopack.

1. I think this set has aquired some negativity it does not deserve. For one, it never claimed to be teaching Irish, it's a matter of proper terminology - if you want to learn Irish, buy a book that says IRISH. Nor does it claim to be an on-the-go trainer; of course it's book dependent.
   
   I highly recommend this, it is the most thorough course available for beginners. The other course mentioned hereabouts, "Colloquial Gaelic", does NOT do as good a job teaching the language, focusing on phrases rather than giving one a full understanding of the functions of Gaelic grammar, a must in order to learn this complicated language.
   
   TY's kit does an excellent job teaching the really useful elements of speech. We learn conversational ballast rather than the mostly-ubiquitous "this is a book" lines too often taught. Lessons are given in managable chunks, and the background sections make for interesting reading. The edition does stand in need of a little revision, being unchanged for over a decade, and a little more audio material would be nice, but as a beginner's kit, it does its job well.
   
   I've owned this kit for a number of years, making a little more progress each time I turn to it. Gaelic is best learned this way, along with a dictionary to browse through, and of course listening to much good Gaelic music (I recommend Runrig and Capercaillie).



2. I bought this pack without high expectations but because it looked better than the alternatives.
   
   Let me say at the outset that the book by itself is useless for teaching anybody Gaelic. I have yet to see any useful written material on Gaelic pronunciation, and this book does not even try. My guesses, even as an experienced linguist, were far off the mark. With the CD's however it is another matter - they are excellent, though the learning curve is steep at first and a few written tips of things to look out for would have been helpful.
   
   Each unit contains (primarily) a dialogue, with key expressions collected at the end, a grammar section and a useful selection of exercises. All this material is professionally organized, and the level of the grammar explanations is probably about right for most learners - clear and thorough enough without any danger of overload. For the first half of the book there are also sections on Gaelic terms against their cultural background.
   
   After working through about half of the book, I can say that I am pleased with the purchase, and feel that I am already getting the hang of this language far more quickly than I would have imagined. But don't forget the CD's.



3. One thing I very much appreciated about this course (though it is likely to be a point that turns off inexperienced and first-time language learners)is the way in which the book plunges straight into quite sophistocated language. The approach of providing "lexical chunks" rather than single words or endless grammar examples is, in my opinion very useful and very appropriate to such an idiomatic language as Gaelic.
   
   On the down side, I have to agree with other reviewers that felt the pronunciation section of the book was severely lacking. A more detailed description of what to expect would enable learners, not only to better follow the CD, but also attempt to more accurately pronounce new vocab learned from reading independently outside the course. Way too much detective work is necessary to build up a picture of pronunciation rules from the CDs and a more comprehensive overview would really be immensely helpful- especially given how complex the pronunciation of Gaelic is!
   
   Regarding the CD moreover, personally, I wish the speed of delivery were a little more natural- the stilted word-word-word delivery is a little annoying. It is possible to speak clearly yet naturally and I don't feel it is much help to get used to turtle-speed speech when normal spoken Gaelic is much faster. Clear speech is essential but overly slow speech is unnatural.
   
   Finally, I really wish that the grammar index was more comprehensive so that it would be possible to refer to grammar as necessary without feeling bound by the course structure- it is, after all, a self-instruction course and I need something that will enable me to reach the language I need when I need it. On a related point, it would also be a great help to have an English-Gaelic glossary as well as the Gaelic-English one to avoid having to search through the units looking for forgotten vocabulary.
   
   Overall, with some revision, this could really be a good course. I have enjoyed using it and it has been a great help but with some improvements it could be much better.



4. While the older version by Roderick MacKinnon may be better for all the fine points of grammar, this is the version you want for learning conversational Gaelic. The lessons build upon each other gradually, so you'll want to master each one before preceding. With dedication, you'll do just fine.



5. This book is definitely not for beginners. There's little in the way of explaining pronunciation, or anything else for that matter. I'd return it if I could. Better look elsewhere.