Tell us about Irish Wikipedia

This page belongs to the project Tell us about your Wikipedia.

Irish language (Gaeilge) Wikipedia

Irish (Gaeilge) – ga

Questionaire

Contributors

Wikimedia Statistics can be difficult to interprete. What is your impression, how many steady contributors do you have?
- About 10 who contribute at least once a day or once a week. 20+ who contribute once a month or so. Guliolopez 18:37, 28 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Are your contributors mostly native speakers?
- Overall probably not. But the most prolific contributors tend to be. Guliolopez 18:37, 28 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Where do your contributors live (regions/country)?
- Ireland, Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom, and (somewhat unusually) Finland. Guliolopez 18:37, 28 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

How common is it that your contributors meet in real life?
- Not at all common. If it ever happened, it was probably by chance. Guliolopez 18:37, 28 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Other Wikipedias

Do you have special contacts with another Wikipedias (maybe in related languages)?
- Somewhat. Given the cultural and language similarities, there is a user overlap with the gd project. Guliolopez 18:37, 28 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Do you translate a lot from other Wikipedias? Which ones?
- Depends on writer's background. Mainly en. Occasionally fi. Guliolopez 18:37, 28 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Organization and support

Is there a Wikimedia chapter in your country? How does your language relate to it?
- Given that I don't understand the question, I would expect the answer to be "no". Guliolopez 18:37, 28 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Well, if there is a Wikimedia UK (or will be again?), and contributors to Irish WP live in the UK (Northern Ireland), maybe a work group could be useful.--Ziko-W 11:39, 29 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Are there work groups in other organizations about Wikipedia?
- Again, would have to say "no". Guliolopez 18:37, 28 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Your Wikipedia and the linguistic community

Is there a language institution for your language, like an Academy, or a club of people interested in your language? Do you have contact with them?
- There are quite a number of official Irish language promotional and regulatory institutions, and yet more unofficial clubs and interest groups. Any contact or overlap with these groups is incidental or related to contributors own interests, rather than organised specifically in terms of support for the GA project. Guliolopez 18:37, 28 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Who (else) supports you?
- Nobody that I'm aware of. Project is totally "grass roots". Guliolopez 18:37, 28 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

How looks your public outreach for your edition? Do you have flyers, give lectures, trainings etc.?
- Nobody has ever produced any press or promotional content relating to the Irish language Wikipedia for distribution in Ireland or among the broader reader community. Guliolopez 18:37, 28 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Do you get feedback from readers?
- Rarely. Guliolopez 18:37, 28 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

What other encyclopaedias exist in your language?
- Interesting question. There are plenty of research texts, dictionaries and similar publications in Irish, but I don't think I've ever come across a book in Irish that was published specifically to be an "encyclopaedia". Certainly no "general encyclopaedia of knowledge" of the order of a Britannica or World Book or even a Hutchinson. Guliolopez 18:37, 28 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Content

Does your edition concentrates on certain topics, like your region and language, or Latin Wikipedia on Roman history and Christianity?
- Yes, there is probably a focus on topics relating to Ireland and Irish culture. However, not exclusively. In fact, given the location and interests of several key contributors, there is also a breadth of articles on topics related to Eastern Europe, the Nordic countries, and Russian history. Guliolopez 18:37, 28 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Did your edition enjoy text donations, for example from older encyclopaedias?
- No. Not a single word I would imagine. (See answer above on Irish language encyclopaedias). Guliolopez 18:37, 28 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Language

Is there a generally accepted norm about your language (spelling, dictionary, pronunciation)?
- Yes. An Caighdeán Oifigiúil is the "official" standard. But, given regional variances, it is not always strictly adhered to. Guliolopez 18:37, 28 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

How do you deal with different spellings, dialects etc. (like B.E. lift and A.E. elevator)?
- Not in any structured way. Editors will generally write an article in the dialect they are most familiar with. If that results in a regional spelling variation, someone may "adjust" it back to the "Caighdeán sanctioned" spelling. But not unless it's a particularly regional nuance of spelling that would obscure understanding for a typical reader. Guliolopez 18:37, 28 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]