Bitesize Irish Podcast

How to Enjoy Your Language Journey (Podcast 087)

Enjoy Irish Language

After the honeymoon of starting off with learning the Irish language, how do you keep going? How do you make it sustainable for yourself? In this episode, we focus on how to enjoy the everyday moment of it.

[T]he ultimate goals of these activities … are also important but true enjoyment comes from the steps one takes toward attaining a goal, not from actually reaching it.

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in “Good Business”, chapter “Happiness in Action”

Notes from this Bitesize Irish podcast episode:

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  • Badger says:
    March 26, 2019 at 3:47 am

    Thx for the free podcast. I’m a truck driver & only have time for audio only lessons. I look forward to trying Bitesize when I retire but would appreciate any suggestions on anything I could do while driving. Slan

    Reply
  • Val Wann says:
    March 7, 2019 at 1:52 am

    I’d like to offer another perspective on the discussion of whether it is needed to be able to spell a word in order to learn how to say it. Adults in this modern era learn largely by visual means – mainly text, plus some video. We learn relatively little just by listening. However a child who does not know how to read obviously learns a language by ear, without first knowing the rules of spelling or grammar.

    For comparison, consider musicians. There is written music, and some people ONLY learn or play a tune by reading the spots on the paper. There are other musicians who learn and play tunes using only their ears, not their eyes. Many folks use a combination – using sheet music for some things and playing “by ear” for others.

    Learning a language only by reading books or text lessons is like enjoying a symphony by just looking at the score.

    Reply
    • Eoin at Bitesize says:
      March 10, 2019 at 8:54 pm

      Yup, I agree on the fi dame tál difference between baby language learners and adult learners. I remember watching a TED talk on this. Babies showed they were able to remember the faces of individual monkeys. As adults we’re not blank sheets like this, and it takes more effort to remember, since our brains are already adapted to what we have learned this far.

      I think mixing Irish language learning methods is excellent. Radio, TV, practice with friends, attend classes, create videos, connect with others.

      Reply
    • Kathleen Guarino says:
      March 12, 2019 at 4:45 pm

      I am a current member. This month I was charged 26.99 twice once on January 26 and again onJanuary 31. Would you please look into this for me?

      Thank you
      Kathleen Guarino
      401 294 4609
      kpguarino@icloud.com

      Reply
  • Badger says:
    March 26, 2019 at 3:47 am

    Thx for the free podcast. I’m a truck driver & only have time for audio only lessons. I look forward to trying Bitesize when I retire but would appreciate any suggestions on anything I could do while driving. Slan

    Reply
  • Val Wann says:
    March 7, 2019 at 1:52 am

    I’d like to offer another perspective on the discussion of whether it is needed to be able to spell a word in order to learn how to say it. Adults in this modern era learn largely by visual means – mainly text, plus some video. We learn relatively little just by listening. However a child who does not know how to read obviously learns a language by ear, without first knowing the rules of spelling or grammar.

    For comparison, consider musicians. There is written music, and some people ONLY learn or play a tune by reading the spots on the paper. There are other musicians who learn and play tunes using only their ears, not their eyes. Many folks use a combination – using sheet music for some things and playing “by ear” for others.

    Learning a language only by reading books or text lessons is like enjoying a symphony by just looking at the score.

    Reply
    • Eoin at Bitesize says:
      March 10, 2019 at 8:54 pm

      Yup, I agree on the fi dame tál difference between baby language learners and adult learners. I remember watching a TED talk on this. Babies showed they were able to remember the faces of individual monkeys. As adults we’re not blank sheets like this, and it takes more effort to remember, since our brains are already adapted to what we have learned this far.

      I think mixing Irish language learning methods is excellent. Radio, TV, practice with friends, attend classes, create videos, connect with others.

      Reply
    • Kathleen Guarino says:
      March 12, 2019 at 4:45 pm

      I am a current member. This month I was charged 26.99 twice once on January 26 and again onJanuary 31. Would you please look into this for me?

      Thank you
      Kathleen Guarino
      401 294 4609
      kpguarino@icloud.com

      Reply
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