bnp@ihldt.UUCP (Bruce Peters) (06/06/84)
I hope to be travelling in Ireland (and perhaps Scotland, Wales and England) later this summer. For general background I've been trying to read up on Celtic (and specifically Gaelic) folklore and history. A couple questions have arisen from this reading: 1. Could anyone recommend good books on Gaelic or Celtic history and/or folklore? (I've read Seamus McManus' _H_i_s_t_o_r_y _o_f _t_h_e _I_r_i_s_h _P_e_o_p_l_e and am curently in the process of reading _A _C_o_l_l_e_c_t_i_o_n _o_f _I_r_i_s_h _F_o_l_k_l_o_r_e edited by Padric Collum.) 2. Could anyone provide a reference to, or guidelines on pronunciation of the Gaelic language? In reading these sources, I've had little trouble with the more modern Christian names and English language, but pronunciation of the ancient Gaelic speech and Irish place-names is proving difficult. I don't expect to become an expert, nor do I expect to be able to understand the Gaelic, but I would like, if possible to be able to pronounce the terms correctly. I remember from studying other languages (mainly German), that often there are simple rules which can be used to guide one in the proper pronunciation of new terms and names (e.g. The pro- nunciation of the first letter of an "ei" or "ie" pair in German.) This is the type of information I am seeking; not a detailed course in Gaelic. (However, if someone were interested in setting up a USENET corespondence course.....?) Please resond by mail; if there is sufficient interest, I will post a summary. -- Thanks, Bruce Peters AT&T Bell Laboratories Naperville, Ill. ...!ihnp4!ihldt!bnp