Donegal dialect absent from new Irish language website

By Michelle Nic Phaidin
www.donegaldemocrat.ie

An interactive website to improve teaching and learning of spoken Irish in post-primary schools has failed to add the Donegal Irish dialect to their criteria much to the consternation of one leading Donegal Senator.
Abair Leat! is a virtual online language laboratory in which students can improve their Irish by interacting over the internet with native Irish speakers.

Students can use the website to listen to native Irish speakers, record their own material in Irish and undertake self-correcting exercises. Teachers can assess student’s work on the website and give spoken feedback online or written feedback by email.

Senator Pearse Doherty: “Although I welcome any initiative which promotes Gaeilge as a spoken language I am concerned at the absence of the Donegal dialect in this new programme. I believe that this initiative needs to be administered in conjunction with the Department of Education and Science syllabus which states that all three distinct dialects must be taught. The Donegal dialect must not be discriminated against and it is important that the student has experience of all three dialects in preparation for the Scrúdú Béil at leaving cert level.”

He called on the Minister for Communications, Eamonn Ryan to clarify his intent that adequate Broadband facilities will be available for the future roll-out of this project. Oral skills are set to become still more important in the Leaving Cert exam. From 2012, the percentage of marks for the oral component of Leaving Cert Irish will increase from 25 to 40 per cent. Read more…

Related posts:

1. Website to promote Irish launched SEÁN FLYNN, Education Editor www.irishtimes.com An interactive website to...
2. American Des Bishop may yet save the Irish language from certain death www.irishcentral.com Des Bishop to the rescue as Irish language...
3. Unique European languages disappear silently www.dw-world.de There are 23 official languages in the European...
4. Hackers are now attacking Irish computers As Gaeilge www.siliconrepublic.com 22.02.2010 Cyber criminals are launching even more targeted...
5. Irish Language Leaflet “NO to Lisbon” launched www.teameurope.info The Dublin launch of the Irish-language Leaflet “NO...
6. EU consults on citizens’ petitions www.irishtimes.com CONSULTATION HAS begun on an initiative to allow...
7. New Website To Help Students Lose The Blues www.corkman.ie A NEW website ‘ Lose the Blues’ has...
8. The Dumbing Down Of Irish Third-Level Colleges SEÁN FLYNN, Education Editor www.irishtimes.com March 3, 2010 US...
9. Galway swine flu outbreak confirmed www.irishtimes.com Details of another outbreak of swine flu, which...
10. Wrong language means no medical help? Russia Today In Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, a...