The GaelMinn Gazette: December, 2016
THE GAELMINN GAZETTE (#138): DECEMBER, 2016
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The GaelMinn Gazette, a monthly e-newsletter from Gaeltacht Minnesota, carries helpful items for anyone studying the Irish language, anywhere, as well as news of interest to local and regional students.
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To read this newsletter as a web page, go to www.gaelminn.org/lastgaz.htm .
Content (C) 2016 Gaeltacht Minnesota
CONTENTS
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Tips, Tools, & Tricks
---Adverbs: A Quick Way To Spice Up Your Speech
GaelMinn News & Announcements
Lessons Learned: From the Classroom
---The Pause That Refreshes
About Gaeltacht Minnesota
TIPS, TOOLS, AND TRICKS
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----------ADVERBS: A QUICK WAY TO SPICE UP YOUR SPEECH
If you did your homework for class, did you do it carefully? Quickly? Reluctantly?
Those -ly words are adverbs that add style to what we say in English, and adding similar words to your Irish conversation is one of the quickest ways to add a little spice to what you say. Adverbs don't get much attention in grammar books, but you use them all the time in English, and you'll want to use them in Irish.
Fortunately, there is a large group of adverbs that are very easy to form and use.
In many, many cases, you can put 'go' in front of an adjective and get the adverb form (add an h before a vowel). So "careful" = cúramach; "carefully" = go cúramach. Similarly, "quickly" = go tapaidh, "reluctantly" = go drogallach, "easily" = go héasca.
Now, not all adverbial expressions, and not even all -ly words, are translated into Irish this way. Full treatment of adverbs takes more space than we have here.
But the mechanism just described is very, very common. And that means that just about anytime you learn a new adjective, you're learning a new adverb at the same time. It's a twofer, as they say!
Pay a little more attention to where you see and hear adverbs in Irish, and start tossing a few into your own conversation to liven things up.
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GAELTACHT MINNESOTA NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
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----------WE HAD A GREAT CHRISTMAS DINNER
We had a great night at Kieran's last Monday for our 36th annual Christmas dinner. Besides students and instructors, we were delighted to see friends and family who support us throughout the year. Special thanks to Martin, Pete, and friends for providing the tunes, and to Suin for organizing the event. Thanks, too, to everyone who shared a "party piece". And congratulations to Kathy, from Wes's class, who took home the traveling trophy, for being the kind of student who not only participates, she truly contributes to class and to our entire group.
----------JANUARY IS FUNDRAISING MONTH
As we did last year, rather than holding a separate fundraising event, we're designating January as our fundraising month. In recent years, we have found that while people find it harder to fit our event into their schedules, they also find it more convenient to drop off a donation in class or send one in the mail.
We run a very lean volunteer organization, but we do have expenses. And in particular, donations allow us to keep our workshops -- where so many students begin their pursuit of this entertaining language -- as affordable as possible.
If you're a student, please make a donation in class during the first part of 2016. Others can mail a check to Gaeltacht Minnesota at Box 14964, Minneapolis 55414. (We are not an incorporated not-for-profit, so you have to make your own decision about tax deductibility.)
----------CLASS SCHEDULE
First Class 2017 = January 9
NO class January 16 (MLK)
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LESSONS LEARNED: FROM THE CLASSROOM
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We've learned a few things in our Monday night classes -- from both instructors AND students.
----------THE PAUSE THAT REFRESHES
In a typical class, or even if you study on your own, it is easy to get in the habit of always looking at the next lesson, at new material. It can be hard to remember to pause to look back, to consolidate what you have learned so far, instead of always looking for a new lesson.
That kind of review is good for all of us -- and most of us, whether we have a class or not, have to manage our own studies and learning, with the help of colleagues and teachers if they are available.
One of the tricks of getting the most out of a review is being willing to put new stuff on hold, and really focus on what you've already covered. It is hard not to 'review on the run', that is, try to review what you did in the last lesson, or last week, at the same time that you tackle the next unit. But you will be able to focus on what you've already covered, and do a better job of consolidating your gains, if you put aside the next lesson for a session or two and just concentrate on what you've been doing for the last few months.
The other trick about a good review is to balance breadth and focus. In other words, a broad review doesn't just look at the last activity or lesson you did, it goes farther back, covering several units. At the same time, it is hard to review everything from, say, the last ten lessons.
Instead, focus on some aspect that has been challenging, and look for examples of that over several lessons. If you're having trouble getting the hang of eclipsis, or the genitive bothers you, set aside time to:
1. concentrate on review -- no new material.
2. look for examples of eclipsis, or the genitive, and ignore any other facets of grammar for the moment.
3. go through your materials from several lessons in your text, or several weeks of classes, and pick out every example of your 'problem child' that you can find.
You'll begin to see patterns, in this wider review, that make it much easier to master the grammar of the language. And these pauses also refresh you by reminding you of just how much ground you've actually covered in your studies. Working on your own, progress is hard to see, so make every concentrated review session a little celebration.
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ABOUT GAELTACHT MINNESOTA
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Gaeltacht Minnesota is a volunteer organization that has been teaching free weekly classes in Irish for more than two decades. Besides free classes, we offer several workshops each year, a newsletter for learners, and participate in a wide variety of community events.
---------- CONTACT US
You can stay up to date with Gaeltacht Minnesota at www.gaelminn.org , or drop us a line anytime at info@gaelminn.org .
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