Here’s an announcement from fellow language hunter and Irish speaker Brían Ó hAirt. This is a good example of how language hunting can be blended with conventional offerings to meet the expectations of all kinds of students:

Brían Ó hAirt, Irish speaker and Musician

I’m excited to be offering Irish language classes again at the AudioCinema building in SE Portland, starting September 22nd ending on November 27th.

Classes will run from roughly 6-7 p.m. on Tuesdays for Advanced Beginners, on Wednesdays for Absolute Beginners, on Thursdays for those interested in playing ‘Tea With Grandpa’ and on Friday for Intermediates.

Here are the class descriptions if you are unsure of your language skills:

Absolute beginners:  For students with little or no Irish language skills.  Immersive techniques help to accelerate the learning process to get beginners up and speaking the language within a few minutes of starting class.  Grammar and spelling will be touched upon but general speaking and listening skills will be the main focus of this class.  SPREAD THE WORD ON THIS COURSE!

Advanced beginners:  For students with basic Irish language skills.  Immersive techniques will be used in this course but with equal focus on spelling and grammar.  Building vocabulary and an understanding of verb tenses and idioms will be the main focus of this class.  FOR YOU WHO WERE IN MY BEGINNERS COURSE IN THE SPRING!

Intermediates:  For students with moderate Irish language skills.  Immersive techniques will be used in this course with an aim of exploring difficult aspects of the language as well as researching individual students’ questions.  Furthering students’ understanding of idioms and conditional and habitual tenses will also be focused of in this class.

Tea With Grandpa:  Immersive game play for students of all levels and ages from absolute beginners to fluent speakers.  This game is interactive, fascinating, challenging and most of all FUN.  Come learn the skills to hunt language from a native speaker while immersing yourself in Irish to build language skills pertaining to everyday situations and conversations.  (www.languagehunters.org)

We’ll be working with a different pay setup for the Fall semester: $75-100 sliding scale for a six-week course or $15 per person for drop-ins.  ‘Tea With Grandpa’ will also run concurrently with the language classes for six weeks.  The sliding scale rate will be $30-60 or $10 for drop-ins.  The change in fees and sliding scale offering is necessary to cover the rental cost of the studio beyond meeting the financial needs of the instructor.  In the near future the studio will receive non-profit status and a new name, which will be reflected in the courses and events offered!  Stick with us–great things to come in early 2012!!!

I look forward to working with you all again and hearing about your summer adventures in Irish language learning.  If you’ve any questions, email me at ohairt (at) yahoo dot com.