- Adobe package
- Microsoft Office suite
- In contact with
Yuri Andreichuk organized the only Irish language courses in Russia in 2014. A rare and difficult language, which is spoken by no more than 15% of the population of Ireland, has managed to find its way to the hearts of Muscovites of all ages and occupations - from students and housewives to professional linguists and translators. Now several dozen people are constantly working with Yuri. Against the backdrop of a steady growth of interest in Irish culture and language, Andreychuk intends to expand courses and open a language school in the next few years.
Yuri Andreichuk, 42, entrepreneur, Irish language teacher, graduate of Moscow State University. Long-term organizer of cultural events and promoter of Irish culture in Russia. Founder and leader of the group of traditional Irish music "Army of the Sids" (since 1998). He began teaching Irish privately in 2003. In 2014, he opened the first Irish language courses in Russia.
How did the idea of private courses and language school come about?
Yuri Andreychuk has been teaching Irish for 12 years. Although in Ireland, along with English, it is considered the official state language, at the moment only 10 to 15% of the country's population speaks Irish to varying degrees. Irish is studied in schools and universities, it is used by radio, television and other media, but only about 80 thousand people speak it daily. This is less than the population of an average Moscow region.
In Moscow, this rare language was studied privately by different categories of people under Andreychuk. Someone wanted to learn how to read books in Irish in the original. Someone was going to sing songs in Irish. Someone sought to find friends in Ireland and communicate with the Irish in their native language in order to better understand their culture. But regardless of the initial reasons, for most of those who began to study Irish, sooner or later the general interest in the country, as it deepened, necessarily grew into a deeper interest in the language. “The Irish language is the key to a deeper understanding of culture, history and life in Ireland. Knowledge of the language helps to perceive Ireland, its traditions and its people beyond the stereotypes imposed on us by popular culture. “It is possible to live in Ireland without the Irish language, but it is not possible to truly understand the country,” Yuri Andreychuk is convinced.
“You can live in Ireland without the Irish language, but you can’t really understand the country”
Three years ago, he did not consider the Irish language as a business project. But in 2013, the number of newcomers coming to him for private lessons increased so much that it required the creation of permanent courses. “At that moment, I realized that it was necessary to gradually, relying on the experience of Irish teachers, independently build a teaching system. And exactly the way you want to do it yourself, depending on the needs of students and the goals they set for themselves,” says Yuri.
In Russia, at a really serious level, you can actually study Irish only at Moscow State University or in the courses that Yuri is now teaching. At the same time, the university primarily trains scientists who are well versed in the theory of language and linguistic issues. The practical application of the language and knowledge of it are not a priority for future scientists (although, of course, they are also important). To study Irish at Moscow State University, you need to be a student of the Faculty of Philology. In the past 15 years, there have been no Irish courses outside the curriculum, which means that those who are interested in Irish, but are not students, are effectively deprived of the opportunity to study it at the university in their free time from work or study. “The tasks and opportunities we have with the philological faculty of Moscow State University are different, so we have nothing to argue about,” says Yuri Andreichuk about competition, or rather, its absence.
Immersion in the language environment
For teaching, Yuriy chose a methodology based on preparation for the exam for the “European Language Certificate CEFR” (the standard European system for assessing language skills and abilities). In such an exam, first of all, the competence of the student is assessed, i.e. his ability to understand the situation and the ability to navigate in it.
In the classroom, Andreichuk first explains certain topics and works out grammatical and lexical skills with students. Then he gives students independent tasks that allow them to express themselves (orally or in writing) on topics of interest to them. “The increase in skills and the growth of results push students to further development and in themselves stimulate them to continue their studies,” Yuriy believes.
Andreychuk conducts group classes once a week on weekends in a rented room. Groups of 6-8 people study two lessons in a row with a short break. In addition to classes in grammar and vocabulary, improving reading, writing and listening skills, Andreychuk additionally gives lectures about Ireland and its culture. Thus, two lessons actually last three hours. One lesson in a group costs 1000 rubles. In the second or third year of study, the cost of the lesson may increase. But in difficult life situations for students of the second or third year of study (for example, when they lose their jobs), Yuri gives them discounts.
In addition, every day Yuri works with students in private individually. He believes that the lesson was successful if the student understood the topic and managed to do the exercises on it. Therefore, there is no strictly stipulated duration of the lesson, but there is a time limit: from an hour to two. “In fact, after the first hour of the lesson, I often continue to study with the student for free,” Yuri explains. - At the same time, an individual lesson costs no more than a group lesson, this is my principled position. But all my seemingly unpaid extra effort eventually pays off. It is better to spend an extra half an hour or an hour with the student, but if at the same time he masters the material of the lesson with high quality, this will increase his motivation and loyalty. If the material of the lesson is not learned, and the student understood little, then in the future he, most likely, as the material becomes more complicated, he will simply stop going to classes. With non-resident students, Yuri conducts lessons via Skype. Now he has about 10 people from Kemerovo, Tyumen, St. Petersburg, Vladimir doing this.
Group classes end at the beginning of June. Then, students who are financially able, Yuri Andreychuk sends them to language practice in Ireland. For practice, he chose a language center in the Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking area) of West Dingle in County Kerry, in the southwest of the country. When choosing, the level of language courses and their cost, the professionalism of Irish teachers, the level of language proficiency among local residents, their willingness to “make contact” with visitors and constantly communicate in Irish were taken into account.
Beginners (years 1-2) go to the beginners course in July, advanced (years 2-3 and above) go to Irish Language Week in August. The courses are 6 days of continuous daytime and evening language classes and activities, including joint walks, trips, meetings of interest, etc. For willing Russian students, Andreichuk's friends at West Dingle Heritage (the language and cultural center that hosts all of these activities) can provide a teacher for the second week of study. They also help Andreichuk's students with accommodation, resolve all the difficulties that arise during their stay.
Project Economics
Irish is a small language, so the number of people interested in it is relatively small. Now Yuri has 40 to 50 people, while the number of people continuously studying is about 30 people. Of those who "lasted" the first 3-4 months, almost no one leaves (they stay for 2-3 years or longer). The loss at the stage of the first 3 months is about 1/3 of the total number of students. Yuri Andreychuk explains such a low dropout rate by effective teaching methods and by the fact that mostly people who are charged with results and ready for self-improvement get to classes in such a rare and difficult language to learn.
“This year, in addition to those already studying, I am expecting 20-25 new students in my group classes. I can’t cope with so many students alone, so from October I will involve one more person in conducting classes. This is Vitaly Kovalchuk, my former student of the 2008 intake, who successfully passed the Irish language exam at the New Irish University (Minut) this year at the C1 level. This is the highest of the 5 existing levels,” says Yuri.
“With the receipt of the necessary licenses, I want to create a School of Small European Languages. The Irish language will play a key role in it for the time being.”
The main item of expenditure of the project is educational materials. One order of books from Ireland costs, on average, 300-400 euros. During the year, Yuri makes 3-4 such orders. He chooses textbooks recommended by Irish teachers, classical and modern Irish literature. “Expenses on books are gradually decreasing due to the fact that students begin to bring literature that interested them, purchased at their own expense, from trips,” adds Andreychuk.
In addition to buying books, he scans the necessary educational materials. One professional scan costs about 15 thousand rubles, 4-5 scans are required per year. “Today I have a little less than 100 titles of scientific and fiction literature in Irish in my library. According to plans, in the next year the number of books will increase by one and a half times. Neither the Library of Foreign Literature nor Moscow State University can boast of such a collection yet,” says Yuri.
Another important item of expenditure is the rent of a room for group classes. Every month it takes from 27 to 35 thousand rubles.
Yuri has lessons every day. They take four or more hours daily, sometimes 8-10 hours. In addition to the language, he teaches Irish singing, but now there is a break in these classes. Teaching the language is his main occupation and source of income.
Promotion
Yuri Andreychuk is one of the regular organizers of large cultural events held by cultural foundations and organizations in contact with the Irish Embassy (for example, the Irish Cultural Week in March of each year, dedicated to St. Patrick's Day). In addition, for more than 15 years he has been performing as a singer with his own group "The Army of the Sids" and as a lecturer with lectures. “Even though they are not directly related to the language, I use them to gradually explain to people what the Irish language is and how it exists. On the example of songs, I analyze examples and constructions from the language, how it sounds, how it is translated. It can be said that in order to promote the Irish language and promote my courses, I use all possible public events related to Irish culture in Moscow. Outside of Moscow, I am most often invited to concerts and lectures in St. Petersburg, Volgograd, Krasnodar, Yaroslavl, Rybinsk - from these cities comes a constant keen interest in Irish culture, ”says Andreychuk.
Irish language(Gaeilge) is a Celtic language spoken primarily in Ireland (Éire). Irish speakers are also found in the UK (Ríocht Aontaithe), the USA (Stáit Aontaithe Mheiriceá), Canada (Ceanada) and Australia (an Astráil). According to the 1996 census, 1.43 million people in Ireland claim to know the Irish language, of which 353,000 speak the language on a regular basis. The majority of Irish speakers live in the Gaeltachtaí, areas that are located mainly along the west coast of Ireland and number 82,715 people, of whom 76.3% speak Irish.
Irish language names
The Irish language is known by the following names: Irish Gaelic or Irish Gaelic. The official standard name in Irish is Gaeilge /'geɪlɪk/. Prior to the spelling reform in 1948, the written name was Gaedhilge (Middle Irish Gaoidhealg and Old Irish Goídelc).
Other regional variations of the name in modern Irish dialects include: Gaedhilic, Gaeilic, Gaeiligor Gaedhlag in Ulster and northern Connaught, and Gaedhealaing, Gaoluinn or Gaelainn in Munster.
Relationships with other languages
Irish belongs to the Goidelic group of Celtic languages, also known as the Q-Celtic languages. This language is closely related to Manx (Gaelg/Gailck) and Scots (Gàidhlig) which also belong to the Goidelic language group. There is a certain degree of mutual intelligibility between these languages, especially between Scots, which is characteristic of Fr. Islay and the historical region of Argyll, Ulster Irish and Manx. The grammar and vocabulary of these languages are quite similar to each other, but the spelling and pronunciation differ, especially the spelling of the Manx language.
Irish is distantly related to Welsh (Cymraeg), Cornish (Kernewek), and Breton (Brezhoneg), which form the Brythonic group of Celtic languages, also known as the P-Celtic languages. All Celtic languages are similar in their grammatical structure, but share only a small part of the common vocabulary.
The example of the phrase "I live in Ireland" can demonstrate some of the distinctive and similar features of the Celtic languages:
- Irish language
- Scots
- Manx - Ta mee cummal ayns Nerin
- — Dw i'n byw yn Iwerddon
- Cornish - Trigys ov yn Iwerdhon
- — E Iwerzhon emaon o chom
Dialects
There are three main dialects of the Irish language: Munster (An Mhumhain), Connacht (Connachta) and Ulster (Ulaidh). The Munster dialect is spoken primarily in County Kerry (Ciarraí) and the settlement of Muskerry (Múscraí) in the western part of County Cork (Contae Chorcaí). The Connaught dialect is used mainly in the Connemara region (Conamara), the Aran Islands (Oileáin Árann) and the village of Turmakady (Tuar Mhic Éadaigh) in County Mayo (Maigh Eo). The main region in which the Ulster dialect is used is Rosses (na Rosa). The dialect used in the Irish village of Guidor (Gaoth Dobhair) is essentially the same as the Ulster dialect.
official standard
During the 1950-1960s. A standardized form of Irish was developed, known as An Caighdeán Oifigiúil (The Official Standard). It combines elements of the three main dialects, and the Connaught dialect is taken as the basis for phonetic transcription. It is in this version that the Irish language is taught in most schools.
Decline and revival
During the period of the XVII-XX centuries. Irish was gradually being replaced by English in much of Ireland. Famine and emigration of the XIX-XX centuries. led to its further decline. However, with the advent of the Republic of Ireland in 1922, Irish was given the status of an official language along with English, and government and public services became, in theory and practice, officially bilingual. Irish equivalents have also been adopted for the names of political figures and organizations, for example: Garda (police), Taoiseach (prime minister), Dail (parliament).
Recently, the revival of the Irish language has begun, which is based on the release of new print publications, radio and television programs, as well as the development of education in the Irish language. In addition, the Irish language is increasingly used on independent radio stations in Ireland.
Origin of writing in Ireland
For the first time in written form, the Irish language appeared in Ogham inscriptions in the period of the 4th-6th centuries. When Saint Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland in the 5th century, the Irish began to write in Latin, and at the same time literature in Irish written in the Latin alphabet began to appear. Viking raids in the 9th-10th centuries led to the destruction of many manuscripts, so most of the manuscripts that have survived to our time were created already in a later period.
The Ogham alphabet was used to write Old Irish, Old Welsh and Latin. Ogham inscriptions have been found in various parts of Ireland and the British Isles.
Irish Uncial/Gaelic Script
Irish Uncial is derived from medieval manuscripts as a variation of the Latin alphabet. Until recently, the uncial was used in Irish printing. Until now, this version of the letter can be found on road signs and signs throughout Ireland.
Modern alphabet of the Irish language
Irish is currently written in a variant of the Latin alphabet, which resembles the Scottish alphabet. However, a spelling reform in 1957 eliminated some of the unpronounceable letters that are still used in Scots.
| A a | Bb | c c | D d | e e | F f | G g | H h | I i |
| á | be | ce | de | é | eif | ge | heis | í |
| l l | M m | N n | O o | Pp | R r | S s | T t | U u |
| im | ein | ó | pe | ear | eas | te | ú |
The letters j (jé), k (ká), q (cú), v (vé), w (wae), x (ex), y (yé) and z (zae) are not used in Irish pronunciation words, but are found in some words borrowed from English, for example: jab (job) and veain (van).
Ireland is a very small country, which, however, gave the whole world St. Patrick's Day, Halloween, a huge number of words that most consider English. The Irish language belongs to the family of Indo-European origin. Other languages from the same group are Scottish Gaelic, Breton.
Who speaks Irish?
According to statistics, about 1.6 million people speak Irish. These are also residents of Northern Ireland. In the United States, there are also residents who use this language in everyday speech. Irish is one of the officially recognized languages of the European Union. In total, about 42% of the inhabitants of Ireland communicate on it. The vast majority of Irish people, about 94%, are also fluent in English.
Irish: words of interest and other features
One of the most interesting features of Irish speakers' thinking is the use of an unusual vigesimal number system. This means that for them the number 60 means three times 20. Another characteristic feature is that there is no pronoun "you" in Irish, just as there is no pronoun "you" in English. If a tourist visits Ireland for the first time, he should not be surprised if an Irishman, after the first acquaintance, begins to address him as “you”.
Features of the Irish Mind
Even more unusually, this language lacks the concepts of "yes" and "no". For example, to the question: “Were you at home today?” - the Irishman will not answer in the affirmative or in the negative. He will say: "I was at home today." Negation is conveyed using special forms of the verb. The order of words in a sentence is another feature that distinguishes this language. Irish is interesting because it uses reverse word order. In other words, the phrase "I went home" will sound like "I went home."
Most peoples consider the concept of time linearly, that is, they say: "The house was built three hundred years ago." The Irish see the axis of time a little differently. For them, it flows as if from the bottom up. They will say the same phrase as follows: "The house was built three hundred years down."
Language history
The initial stage of the emergence of Irish refers to the period from the 7th to the 10th centuries. At this time, the Old Irish language was born. It composes the epic works of the people of the Emerald Isle. Old Irish is one of the oldest languages in all of Europe, second only to Ancient Greek and Latin.
This is followed by the period of the Middle Irish language - from the 10th to the 13th centuries. Then the Old Irish language, being literary, is also used in everyday speech. From the 13th to the 17th centuries formed the classical form of Irish. For two centuries, the Irish authorities pursued a policy of destroying the Irish language. It was banned not only in official use, but also in everyday communication. In 1798, a popular uprising was suppressed, after which the indigenous people emigrated en masse to other countries.
Attempts to exterminate the language
The paradox was that at the beginning of the 19th century there were a huge number of Irish using their native language. Irish was the language of communication of peasants, workers - only about 5 million speakers. Although the language, like local Catholicism, was banned, almost all the common people used it in everyday communication.
The year 1831 was fatal for Irish: that year, Britain ordered that a single school system be established throughout Ireland. If earlier the Irish language was transmitted through illegal schools, now every child was required to attend an English school.
But an even greater catastrophe was the economic crisis that struck in 1845, which resulted in a terrible famine. About 1.5 million people died from it.
Irish for beginners: why and how to learn?
Many, inspired by reading the Irish epic, want to learn at least the basics of Irish. There are many myths and prejudices about this mysterious and unusual language. Some consider it to be a dying language. Irish, however, is not included in this group: it is a small language, but not a dying one.
Then another question arises for those who want to learn Irish: “What practical use can there be from it, besides personal interest?” The fact is that this language is a whole collection of unusual grammatical and lexical phenomena. Therefore, anyone who is interested in linguistics and would like to expand their horizons can try to master the Irish language. A self-instruction manual in Russian, like dictionaries, is a fairly rare publication. However, you can find English-Irish and Irish-English dictionaries, as well as self-study books in English.
More reasons to learn Irish
Irish grammar is a real challenge for language lovers. For example, the word "woman" will be used in various forms. The use of one or another option depends on the context and the pronoun standing next to it - mine, yours or his woman is meant. When learning a foreign language, difficulties usually arise with a change in the ending of a word. But in Irish, not only the end of the word changes, but also its beginning.
The motivation for learning Irish may also be its belonging to the western branch of the Indo-European language family. The Russian language belongs to English - to the Germanic group. Slavic and belong to the northern branch. Therefore, it can be judged that even the Russian language is closer to English than Irish.
Also, knowledge of the Irish language makes it possible to get acquainted with the rich Irish folk art. Much of Irish folklore has never been translated into Russian. For many, modern Irish prose will also be of interest.
You have decided to learn Irish, and congratulations! This collection is for you. A couple of tips for beginners:
- Unfortunately, most of the resources are only in English. But a couple in Russian was also found!
- The Irish language is called Gaeilge. You will then look for materials yourself - look not only for Irish, but also for Gaeilge.
PHONETICS
Tutorials for levels A1-A2
Thomas Ihde, Máire Ní Neachtain, Roslyn Blyn-LaDrew, John Gillen. colloquial Irish. The complete course for beginners. An older textbook, with Western dialect features. Dialogues, audio, exercises.
DiarmuidÓ Sé. Teach Yourself Irish. A textbook from the famous Teach Yourself series, written with southern and western dialects in mind.
Tutorials for levels B1-B2
Éamonn Ó Donaill. Gaeilge gan Stro! – Lower Intermediate Level. An excellent communicative textbook, quite serious. To all the good things that were at the first level, excellent texts for reading and grammatical analysis were added.
Siuán Ní Mhaonaigh, Antain Mac Lochlainn. Speaking Irish. An Ghaeilge Bheo. It is originally a film that was made to show the beauty and diversity of dialects. Native speakers from all over Ireland speak on a wide variety of topics. Then, audio was cut from this film, scripts were written and tasks were done for them and an analysis of some dialect features. This is how this textbook came to be.
GRAMMAR
Online
Pimsleur Irish. A course from the Pimsleur series, a southern dialect.
Rosetta Stone Irish. Course from the Rosetta Stone series, southern dialect. There are also grammar exercises.
VOCABULARY
http://www.eabhloid.com/ another Éabhlóid publisher
TESTS AND EXAMS
The TEG is a certification exam in Irish language proficiency. There are exam types for all levels.
http://www.gaelchultur.com/en/assessment.aspx - a language proficiency test from the creators of Gaeilge gan St ro!
https://www.transparent.com/learn-irish/proficiency-test.html another language proficiency test
centuries of British rule over Ireland led to the fact that now almost all the inhabitants of the island speak English. But there are still special areas, geltachts, the population that prefers to use their own native language – Irish.
Irish is one of the few surviving Celtic dialects in the world. Millennia ago, they were spoken by millions of people across Europe from the Carpathians to the western coast of Spain, from the Bosporus to the British Isles. However, now only in certain regions of the continent there are people who protect the Celtic culture and languages.
We are talking about Scotland, Wales and Cornwall on the island of Great Britain, the Brittany Peninsula in France, as well as the Isle of Man and Ireland.
The Republic of Ireland has a population of four and a half million, with another one and a half million living in Ulster, the British-controlled northern part of the island. But only 1.66 million of them claimed to have at least some knowledge of the Irish language. In everyday life, ten times fewer people communicate on it.
Realizing that the Irish language is in danger of extinction, the authorities have taken a huge number of measures aimed at its preservation and resuscitation. All official information in the Republic of Ireland is published in two languages: bilingual signs, road signs. In the indigenous language of the island, programs are broadcast on television and radio. Increasingly, it can be heard in Parliament.
But there are special regions on the island where Irish is the main language. The use of English in the official sphere is prohibited there (in the private, however, it is not forbidden). We are talking about the Gaeltachts - territories with a special legislative status, located mainly on the west coast and in the countryside of Ireland. These are separate villages for a couple of yards, and entire areas with dozens of settlements.
The total population of these areas is approximately 100 thousand people, of which about 70 thousand use the Irish language in everyday life.
However, the special status plays a cruel joke on the Geltakhts. After all, tourists from other regions of the country, Great Britain and the rest of the world tend to come to these villages, expecting to plunge into the atmosphere of Celtic culture there. And this forces their residents to increasingly use English in communication.
A separate conversation is about the so-called neo-Geltachts - areas of cities whose inhabitants deliberately switched to Irish as their main language of communication relatively recently, in recent decades. Such quarters exist in Dublin, and in Belfast, and in smaller settlements. Moreover, their number is constantly increasing - the process of reviving the language at the official level brings positive results.
