a question(make that 2 really)

[kaykee]

What the difference between Gaelic and Gaelige? And how different is Scottish Gaelic from Irish Gaelic?

[Bookworm]

According to Wikipedia (my hero ), Gaelic can refer to Irish or Scottish Gaelic or to the Manx language. Gaelige is specifically Irish. Here's the link to the part about the difference between Irish and Scottish Gaelic. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Differences_between_Scottish_Gaelic_and_Irish

[Maggie]

What the difference between Gaelic and Gaelige? And how different is Scottish Gaelic from Irish Gaelic?

I think you mean Gaeilge - it's just the Irish word for the language.
The Scottish equivalent is Gàidhlig.

You will rarely hear the language referred to as "Gaelic" in the Republic - they usually call it Irish.
It is a very difficult language to learn, as it is not at all phonetic.
You would have problems trying to learn from the written word alone, you need to hear it spoken, as some of the sounds are aspirated (breathed) and formed on the back of the tongue rather than spoken.

I would strongly recommend that if you want to learn Irish, don't even look at Scottish Gaelic......it will confuse the heck out of you!

You can see what I mean here:
http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/gaidhlig/ga-ge/coimeas.html

Another recommendation - make very sure the Irish you learn is not Ulster, unless that's where you plan to go.
The most widely spoken dialects are Munster and Connacht, understood throughout the Republic.

I remember a member of this forum some time ago started learning from an online BBC course, which was Ulster Gaelic. You would probably not be understood in the Republic.

The problem is not only are the words and phrases different but the accent is very harsh. It is closer to Scottish Gaelic. There's an example of it here, a Political broadcast by Gerry Adams (with whom I am NOT on the same page politically by the way!) :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMsg0whag4w

If possible get your classes from Ireland.
I have recommended several on this Forum in the past.

I'm told Rosetta Stone does a good one, but it's about $600!
 
There are several Irish TV and Radio stations which broadcast in Irish:

http://www.tg4.tv/

http://delicast.com/radio/Ireland/RTE_Raidio_na_Gaeltachta

And you can listen to the beautiful singing of Lasairfhíona Ní Chonaola, from the Aran Islands:
http://www.aransinger.com/flash_mp3_player/adiocography.html

[Maggie]

Here is an example of Scottish Gaelic, by a young lady who is a Highland dancer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwVCrgvvHeE&feature=related

You will notice the Scots pronounce the first syllable of Gaelic as "GAL".

Here's the weather forecast in Scottish Gaelic....but it doesn't improve the weather!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lktt_DlpsJA&feature=related

Here is a travel ad for Scotland, (in English by the people of Scotland)
I think you'll recognize the tune! It's worth watching just to hear Séan Connery....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENq8CLKEnJo&feature=related

The Lord's Prayer in Irish:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kZuBzY1iHc&feature=related

Word of caution......the adjective for everything from Scotland, including the people, is
SCOTTISH.
The one exception is the whisky, which is SCOTCH.

By the way, it's the only one without an 'e'.
Every other similar liquor has to be called whiskey.
The name comes from the Gaelic "Uisce Bheatha" - the water of life.

A person from Scotland can be called a Scotsman, but not a Scotchman.

Like everywhere else in the British Isles, in Scotland they drive on the left, unless they've had a dram too much Scotch!


And now for something completely different...
...just to show which Nation has the best sense of humour......
the inimitable, dear old Spike Milligan:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nfz9O_mSY1U 

[Siobhan]

I'm told Rosetta Stone does a good one, but it's about $600!
 

I got Rosetta Stone for Irish for Christmas!  Very exciting.  I've only done one full lesson so far, but it was great -- very interactive.  It gives you practice reading, writing, listening to, and speaking the language.  It comes with a headset that you talk into, then it listens to how you're pronouncing the words and tells you if you're right or not.

[BlueFawn]

I just posted about this in the other thread, I got the Rosetta Stone software for Christmas as well!  I haven't tried it out yet, too much going on with the new semester starting and a conference I had to go to.  Now I'm inspired to break it out this weekend

[Gail]

I must not be doing too bad learning Irish Gaelic phonetically if I managed to figure out how to say Maeve's last name correctly by applying my book's letter-grouping sound rules.

One has to learn phonics when learning another language - starting with the very basics (vowels, then consonants, etc.), then building it from there. What works for me is doing it on my own, AT MY OWN PACE. Group classes would be very hard for me - trying to keep up - I"d have to have private instruction if I did it that way.