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Would you prefer to speak Irish?

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  • 04-02-2012 2:07pm
    #1
    Daniel S
    Registered Users Posts: 3,525 ✭✭✭


    Would you rather have been born in an Ireland that spoke Irish rather than English? Forget the consequences with international business for the moment. Might be just me but I'd rather have English as a second language as it would be easier to pick up than learning Irish as a second language.

    What do you think?

    P.S. Could we leave national pride and that sort of stuff out :)

    Which would you prefer? 328 votes

    Native Irish speaker with English as second language.
    0% 0 votes
    Native English speaker with Irish as second language.
    100% 328 votes


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Comments

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    #2
    Dravokivich
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Music Moderators, Politics Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 22,360 CMod ✭✭✭✭Dravokivich


    Nope.


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    #3
    Abi
    Closed Accounts Posts: 22,058 ✭✭✭✭Abi


    I wish this was England. There. I've said it.


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    #4
    hondasam
    Closed Accounts Posts: 34,418 ✭✭✭✭hondasam


    Yes I would love to be able to speak Irish.


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    #5
    BBDBB
    Registered Users Posts: 26,899 ✭✭✭✭BBDBB


    I wish I had a beer and a sandwich. There, now Ive said it.


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    #6
    HalloweenJack
    Registered Users Posts: 7,074 ✭✭✭HalloweenJack


    Yeah, definitely.

    Not so much for the cultural value but for the linguistic value. Think about it, if we lived in an Irish-only society, we had have to do a lot better at teaching languages in schools as they'd be essential to attract foreign investment.

    As we have English as a native language, there is less emphasis on perfecting foreign languages, we see them as inessential as we natively speak the big one, which is understandable. If Irish was the only language, then that attitude would change and I think it would be for the best, with the ultimate benefit being that language teaching would improve and, as a nation, we would value foreign languages a lot more.


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    #7
    Seachmall
    Registered Users Posts: 7,041 ✭✭✭Seachmall


    If we remove business and the ability to communicate easily with others than there wouldn't be a difference between English and Irish and I wouldn't care.

    As it is, the Irish language is a fun past time. Nothing more.


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    #8
    Abi
    Closed Accounts Posts: 22,058 ✭✭✭✭Abi


    I wish I had one of Betty's hotpots and a pint if ale. There. I've said it. :D


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    #9
    SafeSurfer
    Registered Users Posts: 6,421 ✭✭✭SafeSurfer


    I wish we didn't waste money forcing a dead language down people's throats. If you want to speak Irish, pay for lessons with your own money in your own time.

    Multo autem ad rem magis pertinet quallis tibi vide aris quam allis



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    #10
    Daniel S
    Registered Users Posts: 3,525 ✭✭✭Daniel S


    SafeSurfer wrote: »
    I wish we didn't waste money forcing a dead language down people's throats. If you want to speak Irish, pay for lessons with your own money in your own time.
    That's sort of what I'm trying to say in the OP. Leave that shíte out.

    In a perfect situtation, would you rather grow up in an Irish or English speaking Ireland? Nothing to do with forcing it down throats.


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    #11
    Micky Dolenz
    Registered Users Posts: 44,080 ✭✭✭✭Micky Dolenz


    Ta


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    #12
    Lady von Purple
    Closed Accounts Posts: 318 ✭✭Lady von Purple


    'Could we leave national pride out of this'- I'm subscribing to this thread just to see how long this lasts. 7 posts so far, I have to say I'm surprised :pac: While I agree with the point above about having Irish as a first language making us put more emphasis on learning foreign languages, I think it'd mainly be English we'd focus on learning as our 'foreign language.' I don't think we'd be prioritising other European languages much more than we do now as they'd be third languages, not second.


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    #13
    SafeSurfer
    Registered Users Posts: 6,421 ✭✭✭SafeSurfer


    According to census 2010 1.7 million people in the country consider themselves to be native Irish speakers.

    Multo autem ad rem magis pertinet quallis tibi vide aris quam allis



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    #14
    arybvtcw0eolkf
    Closed Accounts Posts: 24,878 ✭✭✭✭arybvtcw0eolkf


    hondasam wrote: »
    Yes I would love to be able to speak Irish.

    Same here, I'd love it.

    When Israel got its independence Hebrew was more or less a dead language, most people spoke a smattering of Russian, Yiddish, English etc.

    Well the new Israeli government decided to make all public signage Hebrew & Arabic and thereby revived a dead language.

    We should have done similar in Irish & English.


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    #15
    hondasam
    Closed Accounts Posts: 34,418 ✭✭✭✭hondasam


    SafeSurfer wrote: »
    I wish we didn't waste money forcing a dead language down people's throats. If you want to speak Irish, pay for lessons with your own money in your own time.

    It is our language and we should be able to speak it.


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    #16
    Micky Dolenz
    Registered Users Posts: 44,080 ✭✭✭✭Micky Dolenz


    SafeSurfer wrote: »
    I wish we didn't waste money forcing a dead language down people's throats. If you want to speak Irish, pay for lessons with your own money in your own time.


    Why learn any language then?. If a pupil is interested in it they should pay for it themselves. A huge waste of tax payers money on teachers who teach languages, that the vast majority will never use in a practical way.


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    #17
    My name is URL
    Registered Users Posts: 25,067 ✭✭✭✭My name is URL


    I don't/can't speak Irish therefor I insist that no money is wasted on allowing others to learn the language. Same goes for everything else that I can't do.


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    #18
    Dostoevsky
    Registered Users Posts: 1,023 ✭✭✭Dostoevsky


    SafeSurfer wrote: »
    According to census 2010 1.7 million people in the country consider themselves to be native Irish speakers.

    They don't, but don't let facts impede your anti-Irish agenda.


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    #19
    Fromthetrees
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,846 ✭✭✭Fromthetrees


    Yeah, I'd much prefer if we all spoke Irish as our first language. I think the majority of people would be able to speak English very very proficiently as a second language, the Dutch and Norwegians have perfect English for example. We'd be still very much influenced as a society by Britain and the US in tv, film, sport ect. so most would just pick it up anyway.


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    #20
    mikemac1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,395 ✭✭✭✭mikemac1


    Welsh seems to be doing fairly well
    Love those lyrical tones, it's like they are singing it. Gorgeous

    What are the Welsh doing in schools that we are failing at?


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    #21
    Seachmall
    Registered Users Posts: 7,041 ✭✭✭Seachmall


    My name is URL wrote: »
    I don't/can't speak Irish therefor I insist that no money is wasted on allowing others to learn the language. Same goes for everything else that I can't do.

    Out of curiosity, what real-world applications and benefits does the ability to speak Irish have?



    /The beginning of the end of this thread.


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    #22
    mikemac1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,395 ✭✭✭✭mikemac1


    Alanna Few Needle wrote: »
    Same here, I'd love it.

    If you don't mind me asking Alanna Few Needle, just an army question :)

    I read somewhere there is a battalion in Galway and all commands and their daily business is done through Irish

    Seems fairly cool
    Is that true?


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    #23
    Sunnyisland
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10,562 ✭✭✭✭Sunnyisland


    Love to have Irish as my first language.


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    #24
    Micky Dolenz
    Registered Users Posts: 44,080 ✭✭✭✭Micky Dolenz


    Seachmall wrote: »
    Out of curiosity, what real-world applications and abilities does the ability to speak Irish have on an international level?



    /The beginning of the end of this thread.


    You could visit parts of your own country and be able to speak to the natives of those areas without feeling like a foreigner in your own land.


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    #25
    TheZohanS
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11,582 ✭✭✭✭TheZohanS


    I'm pretty much fluent in both but I'm happy having English as my first language.


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    #26
    Lady von Purple
    Closed Accounts Posts: 318 ✭✭Lady von Purple


    Forgot to say- I voted English speaker with Irish as a second language. For one thing, the Irish alphabet is missing several letters. Which isn't a problem when you learn it secondarily in your later primary years but if you start off with an alphabet ingrained into your learning and then have to learn a different one a few years later... It's doable, of course, but I wouldn't like it. I still remember the German alphabet because the letters correspond to the ones in the alphabet I already know.


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    #27
    Tar.Aldarion
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,082 Mod ✭✭✭✭Tar.Aldarion


    wouldnt mind knowing it or not, it's far more useful to have english, but if I didn't know that I would try hard to learn it.

    Frankly I wish there was some 'common' language that was agreed upon somehow that everyyyyyybody should know, as well as your cultural language.


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    #28
    Namlub
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,298 ✭✭✭Namlub


    I'd prefer a 'Native English speaker with a useful second language' option tbh.

    No problem with Irish as a language, I just have no desire to ever use it again after being obliged to for my leaving cert...


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    #29
    token101
    Registered Users Posts: 3,050 ✭✭✭token101


    Abi wrote: »
    I wish this was England. There. I've said it.

    Ryanair and Aer Lingus do flights daily.

    Irish is grand as a second language but having to learn English as a second language would be a nightmare. They do a bad enough job with foreign languages in our educational system as it is.


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    #30
    SafeSurfer
    Registered Users Posts: 6,421 ✭✭✭SafeSurfer


    Dostoevsky wrote: »
    They don't, but don't let facts impede your anti-Irish agenda.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_language

    Multo autem ad rem magis pertinet quallis tibi vide aris quam allis



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    #31
    Seachmall
    Registered Users Posts: 7,041 ✭✭✭Seachmall


    Micky Dolenz wrote: »
    You could visit parts of your own country and be able to speak to the natives of those areas without feeling like a foreigner in your own land.

    I was talking more in justifications of spending the time and money on teaching it schools.

    Why is it consider a good investment in this respect, or is it entirely for cultural/historical factors?


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