Cad a cheapann tú?

As you learn more about the Irish language, you may also learn more about its socio-cultural context.

Irish is a minority language and the examples of Conradh na Gaeilge and the wider movement of Athbheochan na Gaeilge/The Gaelic Revival show that preserving and reviving a language often takes huge effort and is essentially a broader social and political question. Since Irish independence in 1922, the language has been given a highly prominent status as the first official language of the State, yet English remains by far the dominant spoken language in Ireland. There are many examples of languages being revived, with varying degrees of success, from our sister-languages in Wales and Brittany, to the highly successful revitalisation of modern Hebrew as the spoken language in Israel.

A central consideration in successful language revival is the value placed upon a language as a cornerstone of culture and identity. It could be argued that language is merely a mechanism of communication and that the language we speak is only a small or indeed irrelevant part of who we are. From the opposing perspective, one could argue that language is integral to identity and culture and that losing a language is much more than losing a means of communication. As a matter of debate, we have attached a speech on the topic delivered by the late Joshua Fishman, a noted socio-linguist, entitled ‘What do you lose when you lose your language?’. We encourage you to read this and to reflect on the questions below:

• Is language revival a project that is worth pursuing in your opinion?
• What links do you see between language use and a wider culture/identity?
• Is language shift (the transition within a community from one language to another) merely a change of tool or something more profound?
• Can you think of any other examples of language shift?

Let us know your opinions in the comments below.