Learn Gaidhlig online "Beag Air Bheag" i.e., "Little By Little"

[O'Searcaigh]

I'm not sure what's wrong with your system. I can hear lots of sound files when I click on it. Maybe you're missing a codec or your speakers are muted or something. :S The sound files were the best part of the series for me.

A few tips for you to make it easier:

Bh and Mh = "v" in both Irish and Scottish Gaidhlic

Like in the Irish name Siobhan - (pronounced Sha/u-vahn)

S attached to a slender vowel is usually pronounded "Sh"

like in Sean (Shawn) or Seamus (Shamus) or Sinead (Shin-aid) or Sine (Sheena)


With many other consonants, an H after the first letter make is silent.
Google broad and slender vowels in Gaidhlig and this will also help.

Seamus becomes Sheamuis (which is pronounced Hamish)...

Th is silent for example - tha (it) is pronounced "ha"

"t" followed by a slender vowel is pronounced like "ch" in "cheer"

So Slàinte Mhath is pronounced (slawn-cha va)

Thank you very much -- sincerely -- for not only the suggestions re: "my system" (not just a mute problem --- something missing on my programs?) but also for the very helpful tutorial on phonemes. Now if I can just get my computer to cooperate perhaps I can actually begin to learn something. Thanks again for this helpful post.

[Father Bill]

Thanks much for this link. I'm not ready to dive in yet, but I'm much intrigued!

[aonghas]

Thanks for the thread info, lots of work ahead.

[ML421]

My Great Grandfather spoke Gaelic. When I was a child I would asked him to teach me he would always ask "why, your an American?". Just hearing the language takes me back and I can almost smell his cigars again. Thank you so much for this.

[TheOfficialBren]

I very much wish my forebears has maintained the cultural vestiges that they left behind when they came to the New World. If it weren't for places like this then it would be very unlikely that I would be rediscovering them. Thank you, rabble, and thank you, Nathan. It is always an enlightening joy to read your posts.

[Nathan]

My Great Grandfather spoke Gaelic. When I was a child I would asked him to teach me he would always ask "why, your an American?". Just hearing the language takes me back and I can almost smell his cigars again. Thank you so much for this.

It's sad how common a view that was among that generation. They and the subsequent one pretty much decided not to pass it on when they got to locations where it wasn't the dominant tongue.