
This initial lecture will explain what exactly is meant by the term 'Hiberno English' and how it's different from British RP (received pronunciation), US English and the English spoken in Australia, New Zealand and other Commonwealth countries. You will have the opportunity to try a fun quiz to see how much you already know about Ireland and our history, geography and language and this will give you a flavour of what content will be covered in the course and what you can expect to learn by the end of it.
Why you don't understand what people are saying to you despite your native level English.
The Irish like to boast that the best English in the world is spoken in Ireland and call me biased, but I agree! We’re a nation of writers, poets, musicians and storytellers and we like to embellish language with colourful, witty and rich expressions to enhance our communication.
Hiberno-English is the dialect of English that is spoken in Ireland, VERY different from the English spoken in other countries such as the UK, US, Canada, New Zealand and Australia etc. This course is a light-hearted journey through Irish history and culture exploring the reasons why we speak English in Ireland and how the particular dialect or variety of English spoken here has evolved. Tourists, foreigners and immigrants living in Ireland often find Hiberno-English incomprehensible, not realising that there are several reasons for this, the major one being the influence of the Irish language or Gaeilge on the English that is spoken here.
By doing this course, you will obtain a greater insight into our little country, you will also learn about the impacts of invasion and colonisation on Ireland and our original native language, you will learn about the dialects of English spoken here and how to identify them and you will encounter unusual idiosyncratic words, pronunciation, grammar and syntax unique to Hiberno-English!