Status Updates From Sengoidelc: Old Irish For B...

A major problem w/this book is that the author is not himself a native English speaker, leading to some really convoluted English sentences. (Nor did he have a good editor who could've helped clean up and clarify the writing.) There's a common warning that, even if you already know Modern Irish, learning Old Irish is like learning a completely new language. I didn't realize that new language would have to be German.

A major problem w/this book is that the author is not himself a native English speaker, leading to some really convoluted English sentences. (Nor did he have a good editor who could've helped clean up and clarify the language.) There's a common warning that, even if you already know Modern Irish, learning Old Irish is like learning a completely new language. I didn't realize that new language would have to be German.

I expected Old Irish to be challenging -- I was NOT anticipating the ENGLISH in this book to be vague, convoluted and sometimes downright nonsensical. I highly recommend being married to a (smart, sexy) linguist who can provide clearer explanations when you interrupt him in the middle of work to rant about piss-poor pedagogy. Barring that, de Vries' _Student's Companion to Old Irish Grammar_ is an absolute necessity.

Arrrggghhh! Not easy but rewarding!

dían scíth mo chrob ón scríbonn.

dían scíth mo chrob ón scríbonn.

Had to abandon this project last year, but have returned this spring to climb the mountain of Old Irish a bit higher than before.

Pridchait int ṡacairt scél nDé donaib lóechaib, acht marbait ind loích inna sacartu cosnaib claidbib.