Product Description

The 54 chapters and exercises in this introduction to the Gaelic language are presented in a step-by-step format, from basics to more complex grammar lessons, making this book a valuable guide for classroom use and for individuals learning on their own.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1256276 in Books
• Published on: 1990-12-31
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 232 pages

About the Author
James MacLaren

Customer Reviews

This is an old Edition !!!
Do not buy the 1999 edition. There is a Fourth Edition, published 2003 available.

It's very good, but ...
This is a very good book, and every serious student of the Scottish Gaelic language should have it. I do not recommend it as a first book for a new learner, for several reasons:

1. There is no audio material for it. It does have a phonetic system to indicate pronunciation, but like all such that do not use the International Phonetic Alphabet, it is very nearly useless unless the student has already developed an ear tuned to the sounds of the language. There is too much phonetic structure in Gaelic that does not exist in English for simple phonetic systems to be useful. Once the student has learned the sounds of Gaelic as spoken by a native speaker, the phonetic system used in this book can be read and is then quite useful.

2. It predates the spelling reform of modern Gaelic. Although this reform is controversial and is not universally used, much currently published Gaelic uses it, or something similar, including the important dictionaries produced by scholars such as Angus Watson and Colin Mark.

3. It is densely packed with information. This makes it a very useful second book for a learner, but it is a very tough row to hoe for a complete beginner.

Having said all of that, if you have already learned some of the language and can pronounce the sounds, get this book. The huge amount of information in it makes it immensely useful to anyone who has completed an introductory course in the Gaelic language.

Comprehensive but Difficult
This book is pretty darn comprehensive, especially for something of its size. It wastes no time getting right to the nitty-gritty about the language, but in order to fit so much information into the space available, it's very technical and hard to follow at times. The lessons are best taken in small doses to reduce frustration. Overall it's a pretty decent book, but I would seriously recommend having already learned another (preferably European) language. This book says it's for beginners, but it helps to be familiar with learning another language to make the lessons easier to follow.