I hear the odd one hear and there speaking it up in galway but sadly it is a dying language...i think as a whole english will become the dominant language worldwide and many other languages will go the same way as irish seems to be going...
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I hear the odd one hear and there speaking it up in galway but sadly it is a dying language...i think as a whole english will become the dominant language worldwide and many other languages will go the same way as irish seems to be going...
I have lived a life of regrets.
Well to be honest I can see Kevin Myers pov and Mousey's .As someone thats fluent in irish (i grew up in a gaelteacht) and really struggles to type it, I just think it would be a shame if it died .We have lost so many parts of our heritage lately . Now the usefullness of it is questionable but I dont see why any student should get away with the torture of sitting through "peig"
ps I delighted to see Poc an bhuile post was deleted
Last edited by An don; 24-02-11 at 01:02.
Well if the Irish had colonised,raped and pillaged to the same extent as the Empire perhaps they would be no need for english to be spoken worldwide . LOLOriginally Posted by lucy chambers
I think the only time Irish is spoken is when they realise the is an english person in their midst
I mean, on a serious note, any one found a use for latin or ancient greek yet?
Huh? Please elaborate on your second sentence. Are you saying that noone is speaking latin and ancient greek today or that there has never been any use for latin and ancient greek or nothing has ever evolved from those languages?I think the only time Irish is spoken is when they realise the is an english person in their midst
I mean, on a serious note, any one found a use for latin or ancient greek yet?
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While I'm a fan of Mr.Myarse(sic) he can be just a bit too pragmatic at times. I can't speak Irish fluently despite going through the whole school system in scary Eire & he right that the attempt to restore the language is an abject failure- but the bigger question is why.. Remember hearing an analogy that being taught gaeilge was akin to having 500 quid shoved up your arse...two pence at a time?! Unfortunately it's true for many students. But here's the thing- what makes (broader) Irish culture unique- it's a plethora of elements, IMHO one of which is our Celtic tongue- it's more than subtle influence is reflected on the cadence & synthax of hiberno- English....so even if you don't have so much as le coupla focal
- it's built into the DNA of Irish communication. Whatever about KM's (no doubt valid) assertions about households in the Gaeltacht making a few bob it's deeply ironic that he uses the phrase 'soupkitchen' in the context of this discussion - I'm not going to go on a xenophobic rant- but to know yourself is to know your history Kevin- they probably didn't teach you about that specific episode in that grammar school in the English midlands!
Speaking of which- as I write this from my leaba here in the land of the free, few years back i read an I.Times piece that asked- Q: what's the difference between Canada & the USA- A: " the fact that the Canadians think there is one." For an Irishman abroad who's regularly confused for a Brit , I've found myself trying to explain that I'm from a country that shares much in common with the UK but ultimately I come from a unique culture- part of which is the Irish language.....as a nation we're a bit too fond of defining ourselves by what we're not, perhaps we should embrace more what we are....
It saddens me to think that Irish us dying out & its clear that in tough economic times Gaelige is a soft target for some political parties... But I think KM may be well advised to actually slowly read the definition if the word shibboleth* before casting it as a degrogatory term!!
* yet another ironic observation for KM- shibboleth is Hebrew in origin- if Dev & the founders did half as good as job as the Israelis in resurrecting our mother tongue- this discussion would be moot.
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I am saying that Latin and Ancient Greek are still taught extensively, despite the fact they are dead languages. I doubt it would be wise to say that they never had any use, nor that the works of Herotodus et al were useless. Elaborate enough for you?
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Touche. I seem to remember our soup was useful
We dont speak Portuguese as a second language but they seem pretty hot on the old colonisation thing. Nor Dutch. Hmmm.
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We should be glad we all speak English. Apparently it's quite a difficult language to learn. It's also one of the most widely used languages in the world.
.... one of the benefits of being a conquered people, perhaps?
Rayden (24-02-11)
and have as gaeilge as the universal tongue....ho ho ho...cupla f.-all
Mousey's right, Gaeilge is long gone the way of the dodo. The figures we hear of how widespread Irish is are exaggerated so it's even less than ye think.
I have no problem with Gaeilge, but at this stage it's like a mantle ornament or antique - nice to have but serves no real purpose.
It certainly shouldn't be compulsory in schools anymore. In the leaving cert student have 7 subjects - English, Maths, European language, 3 choices (selected from Geography, History, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Other language, Business, Economics, Accountancy, Art, Home Ec) and then IRISH!. It's feckin ridiculous that a kid would have to take a dead language and then decide which one to drop between say biology or physics.
I've only ever found ONE use for Irish and that's in foreign countries with friends when we think a cab driver is ripping us off or some such scenario
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