GAELIC-L@LISTSERV.HEA.IE is for Gaelic speakers who wish to communicate with one another via e-mail. It is also a tool of distance learning for people trying to get to grips with one of the Gaelic languages. As this is not an English-language service, people who wish to communicate with others on the list through the medium of English are requested to do so privately. To facilitate this, please include your e-mail address under your signature at the end of your message (this will make it easy for a potential correspondent to add your name to his / her e-adddress book). The ground rules for membership are fairly simple: since GAELIC-L is an unedited list, you may receive messages in languages other than Gaelic. If you do, please use private e-mail to respond to them. Bascially, any topic may be discussed on GAELIC-L through the medium of Gaelic, but if you cannot communicate in Gaelic, yet wish to discuss a relevant topic, please keep your msg brief, to keep bandwith clear for Gaelic messages. There are several other English-medium services @IRLEARN for people who wish to discuss Celtica (CELTIC-L for info on history, mythology; music old and new is discussed on IRTRAD-L). We have another sister list also @IRLEARN called WELSH-L, where the favoured languages are Welsh, Breton and Cornish. We on GAELIC-L welcome contributions in any of the Celtic, or indeed, other languages. The only threat to any minority-language BB is over-use of the English language, which can drown out debates in the language of the minority community, or make it hard to pursue a thread. To new subscribers just starting out to learn Gaelic (of whatever kind): If you send the command GET LIBRARY INDX to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.HEA.IE (as text of a MAIL or TELL message) you will receive a list of all the files in GAELIC-L's electronic library, together with a one-line descriptor of each file. Use the GET command to download every file marked TYSG, if it is Scottish Gaelic which interests you, TYMG if it is Manx Gaelic, TYIG if it is Irish Gaelic. Then download everything with SG and BIBL in its title, to receive guides to Scottish Gaelic books and tapes, everything with SG and INDX for a guide to classes around the world (substituting MG or IG for SG to retrieve material relating to either of the other 2 Gaelics). For online, one-to-one correspondence, send private messages to addresses listed in SGPENPAL TYSG, MGPENPAL TYMG, or IGPENPAL TYIG. GAELIC-L's electronic library is very easy to navigate. Basically, each file has two names: a unique title of its own, and a filetype specifier shared by files of the same type. In order to download a specific file, you must use this command: GET (for example, GET RPAYNE1.TYIG). Note: LISTSERV will accept this either as "filename filetype" or "filename.filetype", that is to say, you have the option of separating the filename from the filetype by either a dot or a space. Here are some files particularly useful to learners: *** For the general reader *** filename filetype GHUSIC1 BIBL = General purpose reading List (part one) by Geoff Husic. GHUSIC2 BIBL = General purpose reading List (part two) by Geoff Husic *** For members eager to learn Irish Gaelic *** IGSGUSA CLAS = Guide to IG and SG classes in the U.S. by J.Michael. IGMISC CLAS = Guide to Irish classes in Germany, Japan by J. Michael. IGSTENS1 TYIG = Irish Gaelic excercises written by Nancy Stenson. RPAYNE1 TYIG = Guide to Teach Yourself IG courses, by Raghnall Payne. IGPENPAL TYIG = Register of G-L Irish Gaelic penpals, by S.Kelley. IGJTM1 BIBL = Guide to current IG catalogs, by J.T.McCranie. IGJTM2 BIBL = Guide to IG newspapers & journals, by J.T.McCranie. *** For members eager to learn Scottish Gaelic *** IGSGUSA CLAS = Guide to IG and SG classes in the U.S. by J.Michael. SGCANADA CLAS = Scottish Gaelic classes in Canada, by J.Michael. SGENGWAL CLAS = Scottish Gaelic classes England,Wales, Macleod,Cockburn. SGSMO1 CLAS = Scottish Gaelic classes in Skye, by C.P. O/ Donnai/le. CNGCLI TYSG = Teach Yourself Scottish Gaelic guide CNG,CLI,C.Cockburn. SGPENPAL TYSG = Register of G-L Scottish Gaelic penpals, by Carol Zall. SGTMATH1 TYSG = Miscellaneous Scottish Gaelic lessons per T.Matheson. SGTTHOM1 TYSG = Scottish Gaelic course (lessons 1-4) by Tom Thomson. SGTTHOM2 TYSG = Scottish Gaelic course (lessons 5-8) by Tom Thomson. SGSHAW01 TYSG = Scottish Gaelic course (lessons 1-10) by John Shaw. *** For members eager to learn Manx Gaelic *** MGCOLIN BIBL = Bibliography of Jerry Colin''s work, per S.Miller. MGMDOUG BIBL = Bibliography of Mona Douglas'' work, per S.Miller. MGPENPAL TYMG = Register of G-L Scottish Gaelic penpals, by R.Iutzi-Mitchell To download the files you require, just send a GET command, as text of a MAIL or TELL message, to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.HEA.IE, using the following format: GET filename filetype To receive more information on the files in GAELIC-L''s electronic library, send the following command to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.HEA.IE: INDEX GAELIC-L Standard LISTSERV blurb.. Please save this message for future reference, especially if you are not familiar with LISTSERV. This might look like a waste of disk space now, but in 6 months you will be glad you saved this information when you realize that you cannot remember what are the lists you are subscribed to, or what is the command to leave the list to avoid filling up your mailbox while you are on vacations. In fact, you should create a new mail folder for subscription confirmation messages like this one, and for the "welcome messages" from the list owners that you are will occasionally receive after subscribing to a new list. To send a message to all the people currently subscribed to the list, just send mail to GAELIC-L@LISTSERV.HEA.IE. This is called "sending mail to the list", because you send mail to a single address and LISTSERV makes copies for all the people who have subscribed. This address (GAELIC-L@LISTSERV.HEA.IE) is also called the "list address". You must never try to send any command to that address, as it would be distributed to all the people who have subscribed. All commands must be sent to the "LISTSERV address", LISTSERV@LISTSERV.HEA.IE. It is very important to understand the difference between the two, but fortunately it is not complicated. The LISTSERV address is like a FAX number, and the list address is like a normal phone line. If you make your FAX call someone's regular phone number by mistake, it will be an unpleasant experience for him but you will probably be excused the first time. If you do it regularly, however, he will probably get upset and send you a nasty complaint. It is the same with mailing lists, with the difference that you are calling hundreds or thousands of people at the same time, so a lot more people get annoyed if you use the wrong number. You may leave the list at any time by sending a "SIGNOFF GAELIC-L" command to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.HEA.IE. You can also tell LISTSERV how you want it to confirm the receipt of messages you send to the list. If you do not trust the system, send a "SET GAELIC-L REPRO" command and LISTSERV will send you a copy of your own messages, so that you can see that the message was distributed and did not get damaged on the way. After a while you may find that this is getting annoying, especially if your mail program does not tell you that the message is from you when it informs you that new mail has arrived from GAELIC-L. If you send a "SET GAELIC-L ACK NOREPRO" command, LISTSERV will mail you a short acknowledgement instead, which will look different in your mailbox directory. With most mail programs you will know immediately that this is an acknowledgement you can read later. Finally, you can turn off acknowledgements completely with "SET GAELIC-L NOACK NOREPRO". Following instructions from the list owner, your subscription options have been set to "MIME" rather than the usual LISTSERV defaults. For more information about subscription options, send a "QUERY GAELIC-L" command to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.HEA.IE. Contributions sent to this list are automatically archived. You can get a list of the available archive files by sending an "INDEX GAELIC-L" command to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.HEA.IE. You can then order these files with a "GET GAELIC-L LOGxxxx" command, or using LISTSERV's database search facilities. Send an "INFO DATABASE" command for more information on the latter. Please note that it is presently possible for other people to determine that you are signed up to the list through the use of the "REVIEW" command, which returns the e-mail address and name of all the subscribers. If you do not want your name to be visible, just issue a "SET GAELIC-L CONCEAL" command. More information on LISTSERV commands can be found in the LISTSERV reference card, which you can retrieve by sending an "INFO REFCARD" command to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.HEA.IE.