Medieval Anglo-Saxon Gaeilgeoir

Ó Broin, Brian. "Ord sealbhaithe deilbhíochta agus comhréire Gaeilge i naíonáin" [The order of acquisition of Irish (Gaelic) morphology and syntax in children], in Ailbhe Ó Corráin and Malachy Ó Néill (eds.), 2014. Teangeolaíocht na Gaeilge XIII. Uppsala University Press. pp.65-85. 978-91-506-2438-0.

"Ord sealbhaithe deilbhíochta agus comhréire Gaeilge i naíonáin"

"The order of acquisition of Irish (Gaelic) morphology and syntax in children"

Brian Ó Broin

William Paterson University, New Jersey

Breathnaíonn an páipéar seo ar chainteoir dúchais Gaeilge idir 2 bhliain agus 5 bliana d'aois agus iad ag teacht i dtír ar dheilbhíocht agus comhréir na Gaeilge. Cad iad na gnéanna is túisce a phioctar suas agus cad iad na cinn is déanaí? Cad iad na cinn nach bhfuil pioctha suas acu in aon chor faoi aois a cúig, agus cén chomparáid is féidir a dhéanamh leis na teangacha eile atá á sealbhú ag na páistí seo? Cén uair is féidir linn a rá go bhfuil gné áirithe "sealbhaithe" ag páiste?

I dteaghlaigh nach labhraítear ach tuismitheoir amháin Gaeilge leis na páistí, cén bhaint atá ag ionchur na Gaeilge leis an aschur ó na páistí iad féin, agus ós é seo gnáth-mhúnla an teaghlaigh Ghaelaigh sa lá atá inniu ann, go háirithe sna cathracha, cad iad na himpleachtaí don Ghaeilge amach anseo?

This paper analyzes native speakers of Irish between the ages of 2 and 5 as they learn the morphology and syntax of Irish. What do they pick up first, and what do they pick up last? What are the features not yet picked up by age 5, and what comparison can be made with the other languages that these children are acquiring? When can one say that a particular feature has been "acquired"?

In households in which one parent speaks Irish to the children, what connection is there between parental input and child language output? And since this is the typical make-up of the Irish-speaking household, what are the implications for the Irish language?