Hi,

I hope it is allowed to create such a thread. I would really appreciate feedback from time to time by native speakers and other learners on my general pronounciation, accent and of course, broad/slender consonants as I struggle a bit with them.

https://voca.ro/18TPJcxDj9C6

I've made one recording here (text below). I'm using the Micheál Ó Siadhail Learning Irish course and the recordings are from the texts in this book.

Tá garraí agus abhainn bheag in aice leis an gcoláiste. Tá bóthar ann freisin ach tá an bóthar ciúin. Tá cloch mhór ar an taobh eile agus tá éan ar an gcloch.

Tá an coláiste réasúnta mór agus tá seomraí go leor ann. Tá seomra Mháirtín agus seomra Dhonncha ar an orlár céanna. Tá cisteanach ann freisin.

Níl seomra Mháirtín mór ach mar sin féin tá sé go deas. Tá fuinneoig mhór dheas ann. Tá boird agus cupla cathaoir ann. Tá cathaoir in aice leis an bhfuinneoig agus tá ceann eile in aice leis an doras. Tá bord beag in aice leis an tine. Tá an fón ar an mbord. Tá suíleáil bhreá ard ann. Tá páipéar ar an mballa. Tá clog ar an mballa in aice leis an doras. Tá mapa agus peictiúir ar an doras. Ar ndóigh, tá leaba ann freisin. Níl sí mór ach tá sí compóirteach mar sin féin. Tá peictiúr Mháire ar an mballa in aice leis an leaba.

Tá an oíche ann anois agus tá leabhartha agus páipéir Mháirtín ar an mbord beag in aice leis an bhfón. Tá an lampa ar an mbord. Tá bia agus deoch anois ar an mbord mór. Tá pláta mór agus pláta beag ann. Tá scian agus farc in aice leis an bpláta. Tá cupán ann freising agus tá sásar faoin gcupán. Tá spúnóig bheag ar an sásar. Tá gloine ar an mbord freisin. Tá Mártín ainsin. Tá a láimh ar an ngloine agus ar ndóigh,tá sé sásta. Tá sé bliain anseo anois. Tá sé sásta leis an múinteoir Béarla ach níl sé sásta leis an múinteoir Gaeilge. Mar sin féin, tá sé sásta leis an gcoláiste.

Well, I thought that was terrific. In fact, I wish I could pronounce Irish so well. Maybe you are Irish, and have some help from substrate features in your Irish English. In any case you have the Irish Rs right and the broad and sender contrast. I hope people focused on Conamara Irish weigh in. There are a few on this forum, but they don't contribute as much a they used to. If you compare your Irish to the Irish of nearly all Irish Youtubers, you will see a massive difference - you are pronouncing things properly, while 99% of Irish people simply insist that is wrong to ask them to try to adopt native pronunciation... If you think of people like Eoin from BiteSize Irish, who claims to be a native speaker, but has had poor Irish, ón gcliabhán, you will see the difference.

Thank you very much for the feedback. It was lovely to read and I appreciated it coming from you. I'm trying my best to get as good a pronunciation as I can, much to the ridicule of other (Irish, non-Gaelic speaking) people around me, I might add!

One problem as a learner is that when I learn independently, then partake in online materials (videos on Youtube, and even some courses such as the audio recordings for Gaeilge gan Stró), it makes me doubt my pronunciation enormously as there are very few 'modern resources' that replicate the sounds I'm trying to make. I'm not advanced enough (yet) to use selected media etc. yet to aid my learning, so a bit of a conundrum. I rely on feedback from the likes of people on this forum and also a tutor that I am working with!

I'm not sure if I have many substrate features, possibly, it hadn't been something I'd thought of much. With that said, I was brought up by my grandparents (whose parents were still alive in my early childhood) and I've always had a tapped 'R'? It would be prominent in some words and less so in others (in English).

One of my pet peeves is the people who pronounce barra in Irish exactly like the English word "burough" - there should be a tapped R there. So you're lucky if you naturally have an Irish R in your English.