Irish language's struggle with being cool.

FinnLizzy

I like to think that introducing Irish to pop culture can be beneficial to the language. But the way it's been implemented can be cringe worthy at times.

When I was in school, we were practicing a bit of aural for the JC. "Is mise BAAAAART Shimpson!" came on in the crappiest mock Simpsons accent. I cringed for the entire thing.

For my LC, I made a bet that in the aural, Oxegen would be mentioned in one of the tracks, "Beidh mé ag dul go dtí Oxegen an samhradh seo". You know that really slow dorky voice that they always use in OL Irish.

The worst ones are the textbooks! This one has pictures of a skateboarder, a science lab and a water park in some sub-tropical country.... NOT EVEN CLOSELY related to the subject.


Can you think of the most shameless way irish has been made to look cool?

mackg

Ros na Run

Celly Smunt

Doesn't bother me as such since Irish should be done away with at this stage anyway.

Saila

hector!

Celly Smunt

Saila wrote: »

hector!

what a gob****e.Who say's parish anymore?

AlmightyCushion

Have you watched TG4? All the women on it are stunners. That's cool enough for me.

FinnLizzy

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

Have you watched TG4? All the women on it are stunners. That's cool enough for me.

No ones complaining, they can make collecting vintage chess sets cool without trying.

Oranage2

Nuair a duirt Obama "Is feidir linn"

KeithAFC

Lámh Dhearg Abú

massiveattack

KeithAFC wrote: »

Lámh Dhearg Abú

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNsrK6P9QvI

KeithAFC

Hey, still trying to learn the language. Go easy

massiveattack

KeithAFC wrote: »

Hey, still trying to learn the language. Go easy

Tiocfaidh your lá

The Scientician

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmIy8VfXPhU

I kinda agree with the OP and a lot of the "cooler" things on TG4 etc deal with the music and history of Gaelic Ireland. Some fascinating shows and great music. It doesn't need to engage so much with pop culture imho.

smk89

South Park on TG4. Without the swears.

I don't know if the lack of swears are because they were left out or the words didn't exist in Irish.

Robdude

pmcmahon wrote: »

Doesn't bother me as such since Irish should be done away with at this stage anyway.

Yeah - I don't mean to be culturally insensitive or anything - but why do people learn Irish any more? It seems like virtually everyone speaks English here.

Squeeonline

Robdude wrote: »

Yeah - I don't mean to be culturally insensitive or anything - but why do people learn Irish any more? It seems like virtually everyone speaks English here.

If you go to Galway (both county and city) you'll still hear a lot of Irish spoken on the streets. Not only among older people either.

hondasam

pmcmahon wrote: »

Doesn't bother me as such since Irish should be done away with at this stage anyway.

I would love to be able to speak it.

Robdude

Squeeonline wrote: »

If you go to Galway (both county and city) you'll still hear a lot of Irish spoken on the streets. Not only among older people either.

Fair enough - I still haven't made it outside of Dublin.

I think it'd be fun to learn, but I get the feeling I'd never use it. On the plus side, maybe it'd help me learn the Irish accent?

kowloon

Trying to make it seem 'cool' and relevant is probably having the opposite effect. In much the same way forcing people to learn something might just make them hate it.

The strategy needs a bit of a rethink.

Jess16

Mention Peig Sayers = "Irish is stuck in the dark ages, no wonder we all hate it." Bring it into the 21st century and it's "Irish is so cringeworthy"
Damned if you do and damned if you don't basically.

If half of you spent the same amount of time speaking the language as you do banging on about how much you hate it, then you'd find yourself fluent fairly quick

LH Pathe

Nothing uncool about it is like some great lyrics that I.. don't quite understand I wouldn't say jaw dropping but I do definitely be in awe.

And yes a little envious, not worthy etc.. bitter. Can I have my language back?

shannon_tek

The Scientician wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmIy8VfXPhU

Well........

I dont know what to say. But its now gone on the iTunes:pac::D

Elba101

pmcmahon wrote: »

Doesn't bother me as such since Irish should be done away with at this stage anyway.

Absolutely disagree in every way possible!

The Scientician

shannon_tek wrote: »

Well........

I dont know what to say. But its now gone on the iTunes:pac::D

You can get it free from his site.

Dostoevsky

The Scientician wrote: »

a lot of the "cooler" things on TG4 etc deal with the music and history of Gaelic Ireland. Some fascinating shows and great music. It doesn't need to engage so much with pop culture imho.

Agree entirely. It's not as if English language stations which engage in the English language with these subjects are "cool". TV3? Or any station which has XFactor/America's Next Top Model/The Apprentice etc?

TG4's niche is in cultural and educational programs, and I hope it keeps that way. That's the height of "cool" in my view.

fishy fishy

pmcmahon wrote: »

Doesn't bother me as such since Irish should be done away with at this stage anyway.

you've obviously never been to parts of Ireland where Irish is their first language. Probably too involved in trying to learn and pronounce the usa slang from glee programmes. :D

maybe take a few days to learn about your own country and people and what their language is.

pragmatic1

Oranage2 wrote: »

Nuair a duirt Obama "Is feidir linn"

Yes. That whole visit was cringe. The patronising wanker.

pragmatic1

Its cool when you're on holiday. You can talk **** about people in front of them.

Duggy747

Someday I will learn it, the sister teaches it so I have no reason not to, really.

Might not seem cool to the general public but foreigners love the language. They make me feel dumb when they ask me to say something in Irish and the best I can come up with is:

Me: "Eh............uh............Chuaigh me go dti an siopa"

Them: "Oooooh, what does that mean?"

Me: "Eh........it means........At the touch of love, everyone becomes a poet....................*cough*"

Immaculate Pasta

I think it's important to preserve it.

When I go back to Connemara to visit my family although English is the dominant language people still drift into Irish. Being English, I'm always comic relief for my cousins out there with my pronounciation of Irish . It's customary to introduce yourself in Irish out there through who you're related to which I can do and am now used to people addressing me through my Irish name. I'd love to have a basic grasp of the language but I pick up more and more words each time I go.

foxyboxer

Liz: A Uachtaran...agus a chairde.

Mary Mc: Wow....wow..

cringe, facepalm, doublefacepalm etc

Jess16

foxyboxer wrote: »

Liz: A Uachtaran...agus a chairde.

Mary Mc: Wow....wow..

cringe, facepalm, doublefacepalm etc

Are you kidding or just lacking the education to realise the significance of what those few words symbolised?

Probably the latter if you articulate yourself in quantities of 'facepalm'

foxyboxer

Jess16 wrote: »

Are you kidding or just lacking the education to realise the significance of what those few words symbolised?

Probably the latter if you articulate yourself in quantities of 'facepalm'

I think the overall visit itself was more significant to be fair.
The embarrassment lies in McAleese's "articulation". Wow...WOW! Cheesy, kitsch and cringe worthy.
It's as if the Queen learning off a few irish pleasantries was a monumental effort on her behalf.


Are you kidding or just lacking the education to realise the significance of what those few words symbolised?

Arrogant much?

foxyboxer

Irish for me has a deep rooted uncool factor.
Having to complete Secondary School through the medium leaves deep scars.

So I have to do an Essay on The causes of World War 1.
Read it in english.
Translate it to irish. Cúiseanna a Chéad Coga Domhanda. Extra effort.
Write it out in irish. Extra effort.
Regurgitate it irish.
Go back to speaking english.

:mad:

foxyboxer

Jess16 wrote: »

Are you kidding or just lacking the education to realise the significance of what those few words symbolised?

Probably the latter if you articulate yourself in quantities of 'facepalm'

This is AH. The home of facepalm.

Frank Black

Get rid of TG4 - there's no way we can justify subsidising a whole channel for the tiny audience who actually watch it.
Stop translating official documents into Irish - nobody reads them.
Stop teaching religion and Irish in schools - it wastes hours of classroom time that could be better spent offering students some actually useful skills.

There, we've saved millions without having to cut Social Services and increase taxes, and our education system has become stronger.

You're welcome.

foxyboxer

black francis wrote: »

Get rid of TG4 - there's no way we can justify subsidising a whole channel for the tiny audience who actually watch it.
Stop translating official documents into Irish - nobody reads them.
Stop teaching religion and Irish in schools - it wastes hours of classroom time that could be better spent offering students some actually useful skills.

There, we've saved millions without having to cut Social Services and increase taxes, and our education system has become stronger.

You're welcome.

+1. Gaeilge is part of our heritage. Not our everyday lives.
Did 5 years of it in school and became fluent. Can honestly say in the intervening 13 years, I've not used it once for an everyday situation.
It's a completely obselete skill. Like being able to lick your elbow.

sensibleken

rrring rring

'Hallo'

'Ah hallo Pól, an bhfuil tú ag dul go dtí an chanchuirt a U2?

'Tá, is brea loim 'the edge''

'Mise freisin.....is fuath loim mo saol '

foxyboxer

sensibleken wrote: »

rrring rring

'Hallo'

'Ah hallo Pól, an bhfuil tú ag dul go dtí an chanchuirt a U2?

'Tá, is brea loim 'the edge''

'Mise freisin.....is fuath loim mo saol '

Jim Morrison - "Seo é an deireadh, mo chara álainn, an deireadh"

Not the same is it :pac:

Ruire

Duggy747 wrote: »

Chuaigh

As I learnt to my embarrassment abroad, this word sounds quite alike to a general Slavic word for penis. Hilarity ensued.

goose2005

Jess16 wrote: »

Are you kidding or just lacking the education to realise the significance of what those few words symbolised?

Probably the latter if you articulate yourself in quantities of 'facepalm'

It symbolised that she had learned a few phrases phonetically, as she often does on foreign trips.

sensibleken

foxyboxer wrote: »

Jim Morrison - "Seo é an deireadh, mo chara álainn, an deireadh"

Not the same is it :pac:

youre right its way cooler.

Every thing sounds cooler in Irish. My name in Irish translates as 'The black one of fire' way way way cooler than english, unless your name is kennedy.

mcmoustache

black francis wrote: »

Get rid of TG4 - there's no way we can justify subsidising a whole channel for the tiny audience who actually watch it.

Wrong.

It's not a tiny audience and the money spent on it provides more value than RTE.

black francis wrote: »

Stop translating official documents into Irish - nobody reads them.

I agree. I'm a fluent speaker from Connemara, reasonably well educated and yet it would take a long time with a dictionary to get through these documents. Anybody with the required literary skills to get through them will also be proficient in English.

There is still a question to be addressed, however, about whether an Irish citizen should have the right to an official document in the state's first official language. Personally, I think we should stop kidding ourselves and change the constitution to have English as our first language as it is the only language of the majority.

black francis wrote: »

Stop teaching religion and Irish in schools - it wastes hours of classroom time that could be better spent offering students some actually useful skills.

I agree here too. Irish should be reserved for Irish schools in the Gaeltacht and in the Galltacht (that's you guys). There's no point in teaching the language in the half-arsed way that it is in the all-English schools of the Galltacht. The language is useful to people like myself who use it every day but pointless for most of the country. There's also the effect of my language being progressively diluted by the effects of compromising the three main dialects for the sake of stubbornly reluctant folk in the Galltacht.

Us gaeltacht people and Irish language enthusiasts should do what we can to maintain our language and the rest of ye should stop trying and just go learn french or german or something.

fishy fishy

mcmoustache wrote: »

Wrong.





the constitution to have English as our first language as it is the only language of the majority.




so going by your wavelenghth, when the majority of people in Ireland are speaking...let's say....Polish, we should then scrap English and start speaking Polish

Frank Black

mcmoustache wrote: »

Wrong.

It's not a tiny audience and the money spent on it provides more value than RTE.


.

Depends how you define 'tiny' and 'value', I guess.

I'm willing to be proved wrong, but I'm sure I read an article outlining how TG4 receives over €30M in funding every year..

With our small population and current circumstances we shouldn't be paying this.

mcmoustache

fishy fishy wrote: »

the constitution to have English as our first language as it is the only language of the majority.




so going by your wavelenghth, when the majority of people in Ireland are speaking...let's say....Polish, we should then scrap English and start speaking Polish

No. I'm saying that when 95% of the population speak language A as a first language and 2% speak language B as a first language, then it's time to ask again what our official languages are and their order of precedence.

endabob1

It should not be scrapped, the opposite should happen it should be encouraged and cherished as something which identifies us as a unique and separate entity within Europe.

It does need a serious overhaul though.
For one thing, Irish needs to be taught better in schools. I did it for 14 years and came away not fluent, not even close to being fluent. I know more French learned in 5 years, than I do Irish.
I know people from other countries who learn 2 or 3 languages in school and are least conversational in them.
TG4 might cost 30m but it's a better use of money than the millions wasted on ex-politicians.

Frank Black

endabob1 wrote: »

It should not be scrapped, the opposite should happen it should be encouraged and cherished as something which identifies us as a unique and separate entity within Europe.

It does need a serious overhaul though.
For one thing, Irish needs to be taught better in schools. I did it for 14 years and came away not fluent, not even close to being fluent. I know more French learned in 5 years, than I do Irish.
I know people from other countries who learn 2 or 3 languages in school and are least conversational in them.
TG4 might cost 30m but it's a better use of money than the millions wasted on ex-politicians.

Yes, because that's the opposite of spending €30M on TG4:rolleyes:

fishy fishy

mcmoustache wrote: »

fishy fishy wrote: »

No. I'm saying that when 95% of the population speak language A as a first language and 2% speak language B as a first language, then it's time to ask again what our official languages are and their order of precedence.

our first language is Irish - because we chose to speak in an adopted language does not mean that we have to scrap our natural authentic Irish language.

Frank Black

fishy fishy wrote: »

mcmoustache wrote: »

our first language is Irish - because we chose to speak in an adopted language does not mean that we have to scrap our natural authentic Irish language.

All languages are adopted. Our 'first' language was actually just grunting while pointing at some lion in the distance.

Snakeblood

fishy fishy wrote: »

our first language is Irish - because we chose to speak in an adopted language does not mean that we have to scrap our natural authentic Irish language.

I think you are misinterpreting what a first language is. It's what people speak day to day, not what you think it should be.