{"id":14254,"date":"2020-03-05T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-03-05T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.pimsleur.com\/?p=14254"},"modified":"2025-06-04T17:30:37","modified_gmt":"2025-06-04T21:30:37","slug":"learn-irish-listen-gaeilge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pimsleur.com\/blog\/learn-irish-listen-gaeilge\/","title":{"rendered":"The Irish Language &#8211; The History and Quirks of Gaeilge"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-learn-amp-listen-to-the-irish-language-gaeilge\"><strong>Learn &amp; Listen to the Irish Language (Gaeilge)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Well, it\u2019s March, and you know what that means!&nbsp; Break out your \u201cKiss Me, I\u2019m Irish\u201d t-shirts and throw some corned beef &amp; cabbage on the stove because it\u2019s time for St. Patrick\u2019s Day!&nbsp; Though many of you might toast your mates with <em>sl\u00e1inte<\/em> and <em>c\u00e9ad m\u00edle f\u00e1ilte<\/em>, you may not know much about the history of the Irish language, or how interesting and complex it is.&nbsp; So let\u2019s pour a pint of Guinness and explore! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You may have heard the Irish language referred to as Irish\nGaelic, but Irish people usually don\u2019t call their language Gaelic, and they\ndefinitely don\u2019t call it <em>Irish<\/em> Gaelic.&nbsp;\nThey call it Irish or Gaeilge and there are three main dialects;\nMunster, spoken in the South, Connacht, spoken around Connemara and beyond, and\nUlster, mostly spoken around Donegal in the North. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-learn-irish-accents\"><strong>Learn Irish Accents<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s an amusing example of someone doing accents from the\ndifferent regions of Ireland: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"clear clearfix\"><\/div><div class=\"flex-video widescreen youtube\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Guide to Irish Accents\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/ee_N3g4ORLk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-history-of-the-irish-language\"><strong>A History of the Irish Language<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-celtic-language-origins\"><strong>Celtic Language Origins<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Along with Welsh, Scottish Gaelic, Breton, Cornish, and Manx, Irish is a Celtic language, meaning that it originated from the ancient Celtic people who once populated much of Europe, from the Iberian peninsula to the Black Sea.&nbsp; Most of the Celts on the continent were assimilated by the expansion of the Roman Empire beginning around 200 BCE, and their various languages became extinct.&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Celts who migrated to the British Isles were able to preserve and evolve their languages, and the oldest form yet discovered is known as Archaic or Primitive Irish.&nbsp; Evidence of the language can be found on the Ogham Inscriptions, an alphabet that dates back to the early 4th century CE, or earlier. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-old-irish-middle-irish-and-norse\"><strong>Old Irish, Middle Irish, and Norse<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p> Some Primitive Irish speakers eventually migrated to Scotland and the Isle of Mann where their language evolved into Scottish Gaelic and Manx.&nbsp; The Irish who stayed put eventually started speaking and writing Old Irish, which was in use between the 7th &amp; 10th centuries.&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After that is Middle Irish, which began to show complexities like dialectal variation.&nbsp; Sometime around 800 CE, the Vikings began raiding and settling in Ireland, which resulted in some Norse vocabulary infiltrating the Irish language.&nbsp; For example, the Irish word <em>pingin<\/em>, meaning \u201cpenny,\u201d is very similar to the Norse word <em>peninga<\/em>, meaning, \u201cmoney.\u201d &nbsp;And <em>margadh<\/em>, is quite similar to the Norse word <em>marka\u00f0ur<\/em>, both of which mean \u201cmarket.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-norman-invasion-of-ireland\"><strong>Norman Invasion of Ireland<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Not wishing to be outdone by the Vikings, the Normans invaded Ireland in 1169, and of course brought Norman-French and English with them, both of which became common languages. Though eventually Irish won out as the most commonly spoken language, Norman-French influenced Irish in many ways, especially in the southern dialects.&nbsp; Some borrowed Norman vocabulary words include <em>liosta<\/em>, meaning, \u201clist,\u201d from the Norman French, <em>liste<\/em>, and <em>aidm<\/em>, meaning, \u201caim,\u201d from Norman French <em>aesmer<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-classical-irish\"><strong>Classical Irish<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Following Middle Irish was Classical Irish, a written\nlanguage used to write texts and religious manuscripts between 1200-1700.&nbsp; Again, Classical Irish was a written language\nand wasn\u2019t used for speaking.&nbsp; Most\npeople at this time were speaking Early Modern Irish which has since evolved\ninto the Irish that most Irish speaking people use today.&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-effects-of-the-great-famine-on-the-irish-language\"><strong>Effects of the Great Famine on the Irish Language<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>During the time of English rule in the 1800s, the English language began to edge out Irish, and this was unfortunately assisted by the Great Famine which affected a great number of Irish speakers.&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over two million people either died or fled the country at this time, leaving only a small minority of Irish speakers.&nbsp; To make matters worse for the language, the National Schools prohibited the teaching and use of Irish in favor of the English language until 1871.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-irish-language-today\"><strong>The Irish Language Today<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Towards the end of the 19th century, much work was put into reviving the Irish language.&nbsp; &nbsp;In 1958, the Official Standard, or <em>An Caighde\u00e1n Oiligi\u00fail<\/em>, was published which united the various dialects. &nbsp;Irish is now the national and first official language of the Republic of Ireland and is a required subject for study in all schools.&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-characteristics-and-quirks-of-the-irish-language\"><strong>Characteristics and Quirks of the Irish Language<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>One defining characteristic of Irish is that unlike many languages, there are no separate words meaning, \u201cto have,\u201d or, \u201cto want.\u201d&nbsp; For example, instead of saying that you have a car, you\u2019d say, \u201c<em>T\u00e1 carr agam<\/em>.\u201d &nbsp;Literally, \u201cIs car at me.\u201d &nbsp;Instead of saying, \u201cI want a cup of tea.\u201d you\u2019d say, \u201c<em>T\u00e1 cup\u00e1n tae uaim.\u201d<\/em> literally, \u201cIs a cup of tea from me,\u201d implying that though the cup of tea is far from you, you\u2019d vastly prefer it if it were near you instead.&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Similarly, mood-related words generally involve a mood being upon you.&nbsp; For example, instead of saying that you\u2019re hungry, you\u2019d say, \u201c<em>T\u00e1 ocras orm<\/em>.\u201d &nbsp;Literally, \u201cIs hunger on me.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another quirk of the language is that there are no native words for, \u201cyes,\u201d \u201cno,\u201d or, \u201chello.\u201d&nbsp; \u201cYes\u201d and \u201cno\u201d are expressed by repeating the verb as an affirmative or negative.&nbsp; For example, if you asked someone in Irish, \u201cAre you going?\u201d they will answer you by saying, \u201c<em>T\u00e1 m\u00e9 ag dul.<\/em>\u201d &nbsp;&nbsp;Literally, \u201cIs me I go.\u201d&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is why when you talk to a native Irish speaker in English and ask them that same question, they may answer with something like, \u201cI\u2019ll go, yeah.\u201d or \u201cI won\u2019t go, no.\u201d&nbsp; As for saying hello, most greetings in Irish are weather-related or religious in nature, for example, <em>dia duit<\/em>, which means, \u201cGod be with you.\u201d&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not unlike the romance languages such as Spanish, Irish has two separate ways to express the verb, \u201cto be.\u201d&nbsp; One is used for things that are intrinsic and permanent, and the other is used for more temporary conditions.&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another feature of the Irish language is that there are broad vowels and slender vowels, each with different pronunciations.&nbsp; If a consonant has a broad vowel before it, the rule is that it needs to have another broad vowel after it, the same goes for slender vowels.&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-listen-to-the-irish-language\"><strong>Listen to the Irish Language<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s an example of someone speaking Irish:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"clear clearfix\"><\/div><div class=\"flex-video widescreen youtube\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"WIKITONGUES: Siobha\u0301n speaking Irish\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/jeSxC2RNSkk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-counting-in-irish\"><strong>Counting in Irish<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Using numbers in Irish is very complex, with a set of numbers for calculations like time telling or phone numbers, a set for indicating what order things are coming in, another set for counting non-human nouns, and a fourth set of numbers for counting humans.&nbsp; That won\u2019t get confusing at all to a non-native speaker!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-learn-to-speak-irish\"><strong>Learn to Speak Irish<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As you can see, the Irish language is worth more investment than just your annual St. Patrick\u2019s Day toast.\u00a0 Impress your friends this St. Patrick\u2019s Day by learning to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pimsleur.com\/learn-irish\/\">speak Irish<\/a> using the Pimsleur app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"661\" src=\"https:\/\/d3brn974kg3172.cloudfront.net\/2021\/03\/leonhard-niederwimmer-0kcJVLG1VSo-unsplash-1024x661.jpg\" alt=\"St Patrick's Day Dublin Ireland speak irish gaeilge\n\" class=\"wp-image-26525\" srcset=\"https:\/\/d3brn974kg3172.cloudfront.net\/2021\/03\/leonhard-niederwimmer-0kcJVLG1VSo-unsplash-1024x661.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/d3brn974kg3172.cloudfront.net\/2021\/03\/leonhard-niederwimmer-0kcJVLG1VSo-unsplash-300x194.jpg 300w, https:\/\/d3brn974kg3172.cloudfront.net\/2021\/03\/leonhard-niederwimmer-0kcJVLG1VSo-unsplash-768x496.jpg 768w, https:\/\/d3brn974kg3172.cloudfront.net\/2021\/03\/leonhard-niederwimmer-0kcJVLG1VSo-unsplash-1536x992.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/d3brn974kg3172.cloudfront.net\/2021\/03\/leonhard-niederwimmer-0kcJVLG1VSo-unsplash-2048x1323.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Photo by Leonhard Niederwimmer \/ Unsplash   <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Special thanks to my sweet friend Kevin Mulkerrins, who shared some very helpful information with me about Irish, and who speaks in the Connacht dialect.&nbsp; <em>Go raibh maith agat!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cover photo credit: Benedek \/ iStock<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn &amp; Listen to the Irish Language (Gaeilge) Well, it\u2019s March, and you know what that means!&nbsp; Break out your \u201cKiss Me, I\u2019m Irish\u201d t-shirts and throw some corned beef &amp; cabbage on the stove because it\u2019s time for St. Patrick\u2019s Day!&nbsp; Though many of you might toast your mates with sl\u00e1inte and c\u00e9ad m\u00edle <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pimsleur.com\/blog\/learn-irish-listen-gaeilge\/\">Read More >><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":14265,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3],"tags":[28,4384,2411,4663,58],"class_list":["post-14254","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-language-learning","tag-english","tag-etymology","tag-europe","tag-irish","tag-language-learning-2"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v26.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Irish Language - The History and Quirks of Gaeilge | The Pimsleur Language Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn to speak the Irish Gaeilge language! 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