I discussed how we say hello in Irish in the first article of this Seachtain na Gaeilge series where I explore lessons that we can learn from the Irish language.
The most common question that follows ‘hello’ is ‘how are you?’
And in Irish, that question depends on canúint - dialect.
Most commonly used overall, but most associated with the Munster dialect: Conas atá tú? How are you?
In the Connacht dialect instead you’ll hear Cén chaoi a bhfuil tú? Which way do you be?
And last, but certainly not least, in the Ulster dialect you’ll hear Cad é mar atá tú? What it like are you?
I remember feeling quite overwhelmed by the concept of having three separate dialects when I started learning. I didn’t know which to learn, or which focail - words came from which dialects.
Probably the biggest overall lesson I took away from learning Irish has been to trust the process. In time, so much of the language and the process of learning it started to make more sense to me.
I found the concept of dialects and their difríochtaí - differences overwhelming at first, but in time, I found that learning them wasn’t actually about memorizing differences in pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar.
Contrary to what you may believe, learning about dialects has as much to do with learning about daoine - people as it does linguistics.
To learn more about a dialect is not to learn a way of speaking, it’s to learn a way that people speak.
Even within each dialect there are minute differences in language across short distances. Those subtleties reflect the differences in their own lives and experiences.
On rare occasion, I’ve heard people lament how ‘complicated’ Irish is. Why can’t there just be one way to say things? Why can’t everyone pronounce everything the same? Wouldn’t that make everything easier?
Easier maybe, but not better.
The differences across dialects in the Irish language remind us that if we put in the iarracht - effort to understand one another, we will be rewarded with beauty and connection in a world that often challenges both.
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I totally understand how overwhelming the concept of dialects can be for beginners but I know so many learners who have overcome that hurdle and all the other ones that learning a language presents because they stick at it and they gain the gift of this beautiful and diverse language 🇮🇪 and you (reader) can too
Erin ga Bragh.