In the Litríocht newletter this morning, they're advertising these two titles - Focail i bhFócas - Stórciste Dátheangach and Cruinnscríobh na Gaeilge le CD Rom. Does any one here know if they're any good or not? Would they be in the dreaded Official Standard or do they also use dialects from the Gaeltachtaí (and while I'm about it, in the word 'Gaeltacht' why doesn't the slender with slender rule seem to apply?)

Cruinnscríobh na Gaeilge le CD Rom is quite good in my opinion, although I should say that Úrchúrsa Gaeilge by Dónaill Ó Baoill is the same kind of book, but much better. The excercises really force you to think in Irish and avoid using English, although it can be hard to get your hands on.


ae is how é is written when it is between two broad consonants. Caol le Caol isn't really a rule as such, just a strong general tendency in the writing system that is taught as a rule, however for many words it doesn't properly convey the pronunciation. Native Irish writers back in the 1200-1650s often "broke" it.

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The dialect I use is Cork Irish.
Ar sgáth a chéile a mhairid na daoine, lag agus láidir, uasal is íseal

Go raibh maith agat, a chara.

Another way to look at it is that ae is intended to be a single vowel æ and it is considered to be a broad vowel.

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Múinteoir Gaeilge - Irish Teacher
My "specialty" is Connemara Irish, particularly Cois Fhairrge dialect, but I can also speak Ulster and Munster Irish with native-level pronunciation.
Is fearr Gaeilge ḃriste ná Béarla cliste, cinnte, aċ i ḃfad níos fearr aríst í Gaeilge ḃinn ḃeo na nGaeltaċtaí.
Gaeilge Chonnacht (GC), go háraid Gaeilge Chois Fhairrge (GCF), Gaeilic Uladh (GU), Gaelainn na Mumhan (GM), agus Gaeilge an Chaighdeáin Oifigiúil (CO).

That was the way I always understood it. 'stáisiún traenach' is another example.

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And remember that in the older spelling it did observe the rule: Gaedhealtacht (I think I have that right, based on what is still used in Scottish Gaelic). It was the new spelling reforms in the last century which put it in "violation" of the rule.

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I'm not a native (or entirely fluent) speaker, so be sure to wait for confirmations/corrections, especially for tattoos.

As I understand it, ae in modern Irish came into use relatively late replacing an earlier ao(i) which had come to be pronounced as /e:/.
It's not used in Scottish Gaelic.

Within a word, a consonant following ae was considered slender, e.g. 'Gaedheal'*.
A final consonant was broad, e.g. 'aer', i was placed before it to make it slender, 'aeir'.
This wasn't a 'rule' rigidly adhered to, however.

(* Earlier 'Gaoidheal' which became 'Gaedheal' in Irish and 'Gàidheal' in SG.)

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(SL)(GM)

So why is it not pronounced /gi:Ltaxt/ in the í areas?

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__̴ı̴̴̡̡̡ ̡͌l̡̡̡ ̡͌l̡*̡̡ ̴̡ı̴̴̡ ̡̡͡|̲̲̲͡͡͡ ̲▫̲͡ ̲̲̲͡͡π̲̲͡͡ ̲̲͡▫̲̲͡͡ ̲|̡̡̡ ̡ ̴̡ı̴̡̡ ̡͌l̡̡̡̡.___

I'm sorry, I don't understand your question.

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(SL)(GM)

'ao' gets pronounced generally é or í depending on region

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__̴ı̴̴̡̡̡ ̡͌l̡̡̡ ̡͌l̡*̡̡ ̴̡ı̴̴̡ ̡̡͡|̲̲̲͡͡͡ ̲▫̲͡ ̲̲̲͡͡π̲̲͡͡ ̲̲͡▫̲̲͡͡ ̲|̡̡̡ ̡ ̴̡ı̴̡̡ ̡͌l̡̡̡̡.___