ABSTRACT
For a language spoken in such a small territory and by so few speakers, Irish displays an impressive variation in pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar. These differences constitute the dialect variation that will be mentioned throughout this grammar. Three major dialect regions are generally distinguished, which are sometimes named for the provinces in which they are found: Ulster, Connacht, and Munster. Differences among the Gaeltacht regions may be phonological, morphological, syntactic or lexical. Phonological and morphological variation is the strongest. In this grammar, morphology sections will start with Caighdean Oifigiuil forms for convenience, but where possible will also acknowledge variation with brief commentary on regional conventions.
