Do I REALLY need to learn grammar?

About two years ago, I added Irish Gaelic to the list of my languages on DuoLingo, a popular on line language learning site.  DuoLingo has the best motivational program I have found, on or off line.  I wouldn't think of failing to do my daily DuoLingo any more than I would fail to feed the cat.

Wow!  I have a great streak going on DuoLingo!

I had made a vow to myself that if I started a new language on DuoLingo, one that I had no previous experience with, that I would try a  natural approach, that is, no grammar study.  I would do the practice exercises and try to deduce how the Irish language works from the material presented. DuoLingo does offer grammar explanations, but I was not going to read them.

A fierce debate about grammar study has been raging in the language learning world for some time now, with neither side claiming a clear victory.  Grammar proponents, many of them traditionalists, insist that learners study grammar as a first step to learning a new language. Grammar opponents, on the other hand, believe that language learners should be introduced to a new language, mainly through listening and reading, before formal grammar study begins.  

I am currently at Level 16 (out of 25 levels) on DuoLingo in Irish, and I have deduced many structural elements of that language—the verb, subject, object (VSO) word order; the use of prepositions to say "have;" the placing of adjective after nouns, to name a few.  I can even recognize the subject of most verbs by their endings.  But recently I had two experiences that made me long for, yes, an Irish grammar book.

My husband, Wayne, and I spent two weeks traveling around Ireland by train and car. 

Sunbathers on a warm day in Galway City, Ireland

It was a memorable trip, but I found that I had no functional ability in Irish. When we returned, a blog post I wrote about my new Irish dictionary connected me with a lovely Irish lady who offered to help me learn Irish!  As I was struggling to communicate with her via Messenger, I discovered that I couldn't express myself in Irish without some grammar assistance.

Two grammar sources are now giving me support and a modicum of peace of mind.  The grammar explanations offered on DuoLingo are looking a lot more appealing.  And Speak Irish Now, ordered on amazon.com, offers tantalizing chapter titles such as "Regular Verbs in Irish," and "A Little About Attributive Adjectives." 

Have I answered my own question, "Do I REALLY need to learn grammar?"  Unfortunately, no.  As they say nowadays, it's complicated.  What I do know is that if I would have had to learn the information on this DuoLingo chart when I first began to learn Irish,

I probably would have given up.  Now that I have some Irish under my belt, the chart is proving to be very useful, even fascinating  (Yes, really!).

My best wishes to language learners throughout the world who wrestle with the complexities of language acquisition. It is a struggle, but oh the rewards!