Irish Translation Forum

Méabh wrote:I don't seem to have many bright ideas lately - must be the heat....but anyway,

Try writing your shopping list in Irish, this is also a good way to practise how to write amounts / numbers and you're more often than not required to use things like the partitive genitive and other lovely difficult constructions

You know what would be my luck? I'd get to Nob Hill and forget half the words on the list. I can hear it now "Assistance required on aisle two...does anyone have an Irish-English dictionary?"

Redwolf

Redwolf wrote: I was quite pleased, the other day, when I was grocery shopping and caught myself singing "Cuach Mo Londubh Buí" in Irish (I always sing under my breath when I'm shopping...it's one of my weird habits!).

Did you ever figure out what the verse before the classical irish sax solo is? i can't figure it for the life of me.

When I was teaching I always used music in the classroom. For one thing it's grammar in action. Then, of course, the sound of the target language comes over. Thirdly, why do you think that non-English contact schools have such a success rate with English? The music scene is in English to a great extent and this is a huge incentive for youngsters to learn English. Also, actual songs, not made-up songs for the classroom had a better effect.

mhwombat wrote:

Redwolf wrote:I like the labels idea. My family will think I'm crazy, but what the heck...they've always known that

I have this mental image of Norman Rockwell-style home, a man with "m'fhear cheile" pinned to his shirt, children with "mo mhac" and "m'inion" stuck to their foreheads, and bewildered animals labelled "an cat" and "an madadh".

Please be certain to use Post-Its on your family members - thumb tacks in the forehead leave marks!

Cymro-Breatnach wrote:When I was teaching I always used music in the classroom. For one thing it's grammar in action. Then, of course, the sound of the target language comes over. Thirdly, why do you think that non-English contact schools have such a success rate with English? The music scene is in English to a great extent and this is a huge incentive for youngsters to learn English. Also, actual songs, not made-up songs for the classroom had a better effect.

There seems to be a very strong link between music and the part of the brain that stores and retrieves information. Of course, we have the infamous "Alphabet Song" (which I still find myself humming when I'm looking things up in the dictionary, much to my chagrin!). Then there was the very popular and effective Saturday morning series "Schoolhouse Rock," which taught many a child basic math, grammar and historical concepts. I remember taking a test in American history once, and one of the things we had to do was write out the Preamble to the Constitution. No problem! I sang it all the time on Saturday mornings! (Actually, I still know the Preamble, thanks to that song. Sure wish they'd done the Gettysburg Address too!) When our daughter was young, we found all the old Schoolhouse Rock songs on tape. She became a mega-fan, especially of "Grammar Rock," and used to amuse her nursery school teacher by parsing sentences!

I was looking up a Psalm for someone the other day, and unconsciously found myself humming the plainchant we use for that particular Psalm. I couldn't learn without music (and I have no idea how tone deaf people manage!).

Redwolf

páidín wrote:

Redwolf wrote: I was quite pleased, the other day, when I was grocery shopping and caught myself singing "Cuach Mo Londubh Buí" in Irish (I always sing under my breath when I'm shopping...it's one of my weird habits!).

Did you ever figure out what the verse before the classical irish sax solo is? i can't figure it for the life of me.

I already PM'd you, but in case anyone else is curious, Conor and his aunty worked it out to this:

Chuaigh sí chun a leabhaidh is luigh sí siar,
'S oró grá mo chroí,
Agus chuir sin deireadh le Gruagach an Óir Bhuí
Cuach mo lon dubh buí

Redwolf

I leave myself notes on the white board (otherwise I forget everything ) and I've been trying to write them in Irish.

I love the labels Idea. I bought a fish, and named him Iasc. The rule is that i can only talk to him in Irish. Its a little difficult because he is yet to answer one of my questions, but some day maybe.

I used to work at a theatre and when I'd rip tickets I would say "Theatre 5" Or whichever it was, then tanslate it into Irish in my head. Well sometimes I'd make a slip up and say the theatre # in Irish to them instead of in my head. Boy, did I get some looks. So I just pointed and smiled absently.

I also used to rip up pieces of paper where ever i was (class, work, friends houses, bus etc) And write the numbers one to ten on them. Then I would line them up and flip them over one by one, reciting what the number was in irish. The thing is, this was a VERY good excersise to remember what the number was without having to go through the ones before it. . I know I can just recite the numbers one to 10 but then if you asked me what number 5 was i'd have to count up to it. I did the thing with thte paper and now if you asked me I could tell you off the top of my head. ^.^

I think the labels idea is already taking hold. We were at Target in Watsonville today and I saw a sign on a bin that said "basura" and my mind immediately supplied "bruscar"!

Redwolf