ENIR 201 - INTERMEDIATE IRISH I SYLLABUS
Instructor: Traolach Ó Ríordáin – toriordain@hotmail.com
Office Hours:
Grading:
1. Weekly class examinations oral and written – 30%
2. Class presentations: 30%
3. Final examination: oral – 20%; written – 20%
Objectives:
The Irish language at the University of Montana [as at every other university
offering Irish language courses] is taught according to the imperatives of a
methodology known as An Modh Díreach [The Direct Method]. Designed
specifically to meet the unique challenges the teaching of Irish presents, it
places primary emphasis in its beginning courses on understanding and
mastering the proper usage of the two verbs “to be,” Is and Bí. Mastering
these verbs is foundational to acquiring the highest standards of fluency and
competence in the written and spoken language. It is indicative of the
importance of these verbs that successful students of Beginning Irish I, II
and III can converse, in the past, present and future tenses, on a wide range
of themes using these two verbs independently or in conjunction with nouns,
adjectives, prepositions and prepositional pronouns. Only those students
who have completed Beginning Irish I, II and III [nine credits], showing a
command and understanding of the proper usage of Is and Bí, will meet the
requirements to advance to Intermediate Irish I
Intermediate Irish I will build on these foundations by focusing on
expanding students’ knowledge of the verbs. Students will begin with the
Imperative Mood; learn how to form the infinitive, present participle from
the verbal noun; use the verbal adjective to form past, present and future
perfect tenses; master the irregular verbs in the past, present and future
tenses; and learn how to form the past, present and future tenses of
monosyllabic and polysyllabic regular verbs. Students will also learn how to
engage in indirect speech, becoming familiar with the different forms used
to express “that” and “that not.”
Because of the large vocabulary of nouns, adjectives, verbs and adverbs they
possess, students of Intermediate Irish I are at a point where more of the
onus for acquiring fluency in the language will be placed on their shoulders.
The emphasis moves more from teaching to learning as students consult
texts in the primary language. Students will be required to work on selected
passages from the Irish literary and oral traditions. Songs, poems, stories and
tales will be consulted, linguistic features and thematic points will be
explained, and the texts will be fully discussed in class. It is these traditions
that possess the real riches of the language, the idioms, expressions, and
proverbs that enable the student to express him/herself in more nuanced and
subtle ways. Students will be expected to provide a written synopsis each
week of the texts consulted.
At the end of this course, students will be familiar with Imperative Mood of
the regular and Irregular verbs; they will know how to form the past, present
and future tenses of regular monosyllabic and polysyllabic verbs; they will
recognize the gerund of the verb to form the infinitive mood and present
participle; they will be able to recognize and use the verbal adjective with
the verb Bí and the preposition Ag to form the past, present and future
perfect tenses. Their engagement with the written and oral literature of
Ireland will mean that they will possess a larger vocabulary and a richer,
more idiomatic command of the language. Class oral and written
assignments will record the degree to which these goals are being
accomplished on a weekly basis.
LESSON PLAN WEEKS 1-5
Week 1 - Revision
1.
2.
3.
4.
Possessive Adjectives
Numerals: Personal, Cardinal and Ordinal.
The Copula – Past tense and Conditional Mood
Article: Mar a Chaith mé an Luan
Week 2.
1 Possessive Adjectives
2 Possessive Adjective and Compound Prepositions
3 Numerals
4 Article: Class presentation
5 Verbs: Regular and Irregular: Forming infinitive and Present
Participle
6 Poem/Song - From the Tradition: Beidh Aonach Amárach i gContae
an Chláir
Week 3.
1. Class Exam
2. Essay: Class presentation
3. Verbs: Infinitive and Present Participle [written exercises]
4. Essay: 1st written submission; synopsis of Beidh Aonach
5. Poem/Song – From the Tradition: An bhfaca tú mo Shéamuisín
Week 4.
1. Class Exam
2. Essay: Class presentation – oral account of Beidh Aonach
3. Essay: written submission; An bhfaca tú.
4. Story: Clann Lir [The Children of Lir]
5. Verbs: Using verb Bí, preposition AG, and verbal adjective to form
past, present and future perfect tenses.
Week 5
1. Class Exam
2. Essay: Class presentation – oral account of An bhfaca tú
3. Essay: written submission – Clann Lir
4. Story: Deirdre agus Naoise [Deirdre and the Sons of Ushna]
5. Verbs: Past, present, future perfect tenses [oral and written exercises]
LESSON PLAN WEEKS 6-10.
Week 6.
1. Class Exam
2. Essay: Class presentation – Oral account of Clann Lir
3. Essay: written submission – Deirdre agus Naoise
4. Story: Fionn agus na Fianna [Fionn and the Fianna
5. Verbs: Imperative Mood
6. Poem/Song - From the tradition: Trasna na dTonnta
Week 7.
1. Class exam
2. Essay: Class presentation – oral accounts of song and story
3. Essay: written submission – Song and story
4. Story: Oisín i dTír na nÓg [Oisín in the Land of Eternal Youth]
5. Verbs: Imperative Mood; Introduction to Past tense of Regular and
Irregular verbs.
Week 8.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Class exam
Essay: Class presentation – Oral Account of Oisín i dTír na nÓg
Essay: written submission - Oisín i dTír na nÓg
Story: Naomh Pádraig [St. Patrick]
Verbs: Regular and Irregular, Past tense.
Poem/Song: Oró Sé do Bheatha ‘Bhaile
Week 9.
1. Class exam
2. Essay: Class presentation – Oral account of the Life of St. Patrick
3. Essay: written submission – Naomh Pádraig
4. Story: Éalú Aodha Rua [The Flight of Red Hugh O’Donnell]
5. Verbs: Regular and Irregular, past tense, interrogative, positive and
negative.
6. Poem/Song: Oró Sé do Bheatha ‘Bhaile
Week 10.
2. Class exam
3. Essay: Class presentation – oral account of Éalú Aodha Rua
4. Essay: written submission – Éalú Aodha Rua
5. Story from Oral Tradition: Ó Conaill Sa Chúirt [O’Connell in the
Court]
6. Verbs: Regular and Irregular, present tense
LESSON PLAN WEEKS 11-15.
Week 11.
1. Class Exam
2. Essay: Class presentation - Ó Conaill Sa Chúirt agus Oró Sé do
Bheatha ‘Bhaile
3. Essay: written submission - Ó Conaill Sa Chúirt agus Oró Sé do
Bheatha ‘Bhaile
4. Story: Cáisc 1916 [Easter 1916]
5. Verbs: Regular and Irregular, present tense with emphasis on indirect
speech
6. Poem/Song: Mise Éire
Week 12.
1. Class ExamEssay:
2. Class presentation – Cáisc 1916, Part I.
3. Essay: written submission - Cáisc 1916
4. Verbs: Regular and Irregular, future tense, interrogative, positive and
negative
5. Poem/Song: Mise Éire
Week 13.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Class Exam
Essay: Class presentation - Cáisc 1916, Part II
Essay: written submission - Cáisc 1916, Part II
Story: Scéal na Bantiarna Gregory [The Story of Lady Gregory]
Verbs: Regular and Irregular, future tense
Week 14.
1.
Class exam
2. Essay: Class presentation - Scéal na Bantiarna Gregory [The Story of
Lady Gregory]
3. Essay: written submission - Scéal na Bantiarna Gregory [The Story of
Lady Gregory]
4. Verbs: Review of regular and irregular verbs in the past, present and
future tenses.
Week 15.
1.
2.
Revision.
Final Exam – Written and Oral.