Has Irish any place in our lifes?

poobags

Just a reoccuring thought, have we completly given up on our national lang?

The language seems to have no place in alternative or youth cultures. I feel the education system is entirely to blame for this one . Not enough emphasis on talkin the damn thing, instead the course is a concentrated heap of poo in a bucket. The poetry on the leaving cert course is laughable, "An ceoltoir Jazz" what the **** is that all about?. It certainly is killing off any chance of an Irish "mwng".

I'd love to see it be taken up but I dont think its goin to happen.
I doubt I'll see the day when Phantom plays a tune in Irish.
Well thats my rant. Give it a go!

Gracias
Poobags

Uphamizer

well, basically I couldn't be bother'd speaking Irish. But I would love if we all spoke the language...

irokie

an bhfuil cead agam cúpla rud a rá in gcoinne and ráiteas seo?

tá an dán an cealtóir jazz faoi gneas.

agus níl and fadbh ag an roinn oideachais amháin. tá tg4 ag deanamh a lán obair ar son an gaeilge agus tá gaeilge níos fearr ag mo dheartair óg ná tá agamsa.

anyway, back to english cos that was killing me... irish has a future, it's jsut up to the government to make things easier in irish. a lot of it is the fault of the education system, but more of it is the fault of apathy on the part of people... can you ever imagine a world where you're getting mugged and the mugger says "tabhair dom do f**in airgead anois, nó maróidh mé thú!"...

thing is, people are gonna take the easy way out and talk in english, cos they were brought up that way... and anyone who brings their kid up thru irish has friends who say that's nice....weirdo...

like there's a stigma in national pride

irokie

Originally posted by Uphamizer
well, basically I couldn't be bother'd speaking Irish. But I would love if we all spoke the language...

this guy proves my point

PiE

But has it a place in our everyday lives, as the thread is entitled?

Hell.

No.

It's a dead language. You don't see the American kids being taught Native American do you? No? Well then why should Irish kids have to learn Irish?

The time in school could be used on something a lot more productive, a different language even. German, French or Japanese would all have a much more positive effect on your employment possibilites.

If someone wants to learn Irish let them go to the damn Gaeltacht.

wolfbag

I read about some interesting research a while back that shows Irish still has a huge influence on the way Irish people speak (beyond not pronouncing 'th'...)...apparently an English academic in the 1840s set out to more or less prove how thick Paddies were, so he reckoned that the size of someone's everyday vocabulary would be a good measure. So he looked at the vocab of the average English 'peasant' in the field as it were, and the average Irish equivalent, both uneducated etc. The result was that the Irish bloke, speaking Irish, had a vocab about 10x that of the English bloke. It was put down to the difference in languages and misinterpretation by the guy doing the research. But then someone came across the study in the 1940's and wondered if the two groups would now have the same vocabulary as they now both spoke English, and repeated the study...strangely enough the ordinary Irish bloke-in-a-field still had a vocab 10x his English counterpart, though now in English. Teh conclusion was that although the language had changed the way in which Irish is/was spoken meant the speaker had a need for extra words, which filtered into the way Irish people speak English. Whether this is still the case or not I don't know...

I reckon teh only way to keep the language alive is to teach it the same way as French or German rather than the bull**** thing of primary school classes reciting lists of dumb sentences over and over again (anyone remember "La brea samhra a bhi ann" "Ta MAire agus Sean ag sugradh ar an tra" etc etc until you wanted to get sick?)

And to Pie's point above...the reason Americans don't learn Native American languages at school is because hardly any of them are Native American...

Engor

Ní mhúintear Dúchasach Meiriceánach do ghach dalta i Meiriceá mar ní príomh-theanga Meiriceá an Dúchasach-Meiriceánach. Dár le Bunracht na hÉireann, 1937, is é ár bpríomhtheanga ná an Ghaeilge, agus an dara theanga an Béala. Is teanga álainn í an Ghaeilge, agus ba bhrea liom dá m'rud é go raibh sé liofa ag gach duine sa tír seo.

GerK

Originally posted by wolfbag

And to Pie's point above...the reason Americans don't learn Native American languages at school is because hardly any of them are Native American...

Thats is true, however, how many of us are "Native Irish"? Do you have red hair? I don't (thank chris ) Many of us are of Saxon/Nordic/Anglo decent. Its just harder to see because we were conquered by peoples with similar racial features to our own.

As for the Irish question, I was sent to an all Irish primary school by my parents, I was sent to thee gaelteacht, all it did for me was teach me to hate the language and retard my basic education. Try learning Science or Geography through a language that is essentially alieen to you, its not much godamn fun I tell you.

In my opinion the Irish language is in its proper place, much like we preserve antiques we should preserve our Irish heritage, however it is lunacy to ask the general population to trade their washer/dryers for a washboard and wringer just as it would be lunacy to try and replace a modern almost global method of communication with an archaic dead language.

DeadBankClerk

Gaeilge Board

Scon

I have no interest in the Irish language and wouldn't care if it died.
But I also understand that this is the opposite for other people and accept that.

Saruman

Ta Tuirse orm a thread

I know im wrong with what i said but basically you get the just!

irokie

is fuath liom daoine a rá gu teanga march í an geailge...

anyway, i don't think irish is dead, but the government treat like it's almost vernacular... what's the point in having signs in the airport in irish... if and when (i'm confident there'll be an actual irish revival) there is, then maybe it's ok on road signs, but not now... if there was a little cop on and the gonvernment listened to phantom listeners, the county'd be in great shape

poobags

Its a touchy subject. Interesting to learn that Irish is our no.1 lang. according to good old Bunreacht.

Whoever thinks Ceoltoir Jazz is about sex must have had a cool teacher.

" Yes Billy, an ceoltoir Jazz does translate into a big sweaty gigolo"

Do your best wth the lang. LEts keep it alive! YEAH
( wow thats cheesy or is it cas)

Washout

I think the major problem is that ireland is losing all its traditions...and culture and individuality rather rapidly..including irish...its a lovely language but the way it is thought at school is nothing but *cringe*

But anyways soon we wont be irish ppl we will be "Europeans"

roxy

An interesting point of information: in DIT Aungier St.'s degree courses in Journalism and Media Arts, Irish is one of the language options. Even more interesting is the fact that out of approx. 30 students in each jourmalism year, about 70% study Irish. (the other option being French)
Wow, someome better get their buns down to Aungier St. and tell these lunatics that their students are studying a non-functional language, as sems to be the consenus. Whoops!

PiE

On my way...

pixe

Personally I think that irish is a beutiful languge, and if spoken the way it should be (not chorusing it off....focal me ...focal tu....etc) it really sums up Irish an Irish personality. - What I mean is that there are expressions in some languages that just can't be translated to it's full meaning...'crac' for example...means fun but really it means a bit more .... we did'nt have a better english word so we just use it.
I think that Irish has that little knowlege of the Irish mentality - in the way we percive life, and I think that it can be heard in the languge (i know that sound poncy but I don't mean it to be)

I can't speak it myself very well (and did pretty **** in the leaving in it), but I really do envy people who went to Irish schools or who speak irish in their every day lives. The only problem I have with it is the way it's thought in school. I learn't more french in two years than Irish, and if the time from baby infants to leaving was as intense as the rest of the subjects i'd think that people may have a better apprecation of it

One a last note, I think that it my be going through a bit of a rebirth. Twice whilst on busses I've over hear converstaions in some languge that I thought sounded familar....Dutch? ...na......what the ....Irish! One converstion was a girl about 20 on her mobil, and the another just last week a group of teenagers at the bus stop....
Tell ye it made me think....:rolleyes:

beardedchicken

Originally posted by GerK


Do you have red hair?

actually, only 8% of the population are gingers!!

(and it's not a native trait, it was introduced by the vikings!)

Mountjoy Mugger

FFS - move this to "Gaeilge" - there's been shag all posting there recently.

stickinikki

Originally posted by Engor
Ní mhúintear Dúchasach Meiriceánach do ghach dalta i Meiriceá mar ní príomh-theanga Meiriceá an Dúchasach-Meiriceánach. Dár le Bunracht na hÉireann, 1937, is é ár bpríomhtheanga ná an Ghaeilge, agus an dara theanga an Béala. Is teanga álainn í an Ghaeilge, agus ba bhrea liom dá m'rud é go raibh sé liofa ag gach duine sa tír seo.

táim in aon intinn leat, a dhuine uasail. Bainim an-taitneamh as ag caint as Ghaeilge, déanaim díospóireactaí anois is arís as Ghaeilge ar scoil mar shampla, is teanga deas í Gaeilge agus ba chóir go mbeadh sé ag gach duine Éireannach. Chomh maith le sin is buntáiste é a bheith ábalta caint as Gaeilge, ní féidir le daoine ó tíreanna eile tusa a thuiscint, an-úsáideach nuair a bhíonn tú thar lear…hehe

cannygirl

ok well firstly, the irish language isnt a dead one because there are still a considerable amount of people who communicate through it in their everyday life, now latin thats a dead language.
secondly, as was stated earlier red headedness is wrongly described as a native irish trait in fact brunets(spelling?) are classified as more irish.
thirdly, we have a national broadcaster decated to the language and a number of television programmes on RTE plus a radio station and inserts on TV3, 98FM etc in irish. so the students in dit are right to study it because it may prove a big help to them when applying for a job, how many french programmes do we have on irish tv or radio????
everyone should try and speak a cúpla focail because its a fab language and i only wish i was lofa(fluent, i think!!)
ps ceoltoir jazz was a every weird dán and waste of class time that could have spent ag caint as gaeilge

irokie

ceoltóir jazz is cool
liafa is fluent
i like this girl's sense of sense
i like pie
latin is a dead language and i'm one of about 60 students of 60,000 taking the leaving who's doing latin. if i had a choice between latin and irish i'd do irish. i do latin cos i do irish anyway... don't ask me why

PiE

Originally posted by pixe
One converstion was a girl about 20 on her mobil, and the another just last week a group of teenagers at the bus stop....

Either:

1. You were in a Gaeltacht area;
2. The kids were takin the piss;
3. You were dreaming.

irokie

ever noticed how people use irish more on holidays than ever at home?
i mean, that alone is a brilliant reason to keep the language up... so we can confound yanks agus ní bheidh feidir leo muid a thuiscint agus muid ag labhair as gaeilge

or something.

and don't be such a cynic pie.

gouty

Has anyone been to that Irish 'caife' Trí-D on Dawson Street? I'm too scared. I reckon if it's going to be an Irish speaking café they should go the whole hog and sprinkle little dirt-encrusted old men with twead in to the corners and soak the walls with tea bags. Thats the sort of place i'd be comfortable going to.

gouty

sorry i think thats spelt TWEED

BlackMagic

shouldnt this be under the gaeilge board?????

Engor

Nicki! Ní creidim go n-aontaíonn tú liomsa. Mar, an bealach a fheicimse é, is fuath leat mise-schnipper!...

andell

Michele is anim dom. ta me in mo gconi a London agus nil me ablta caint gaelic anois. ta se a pity

pixe

I was'st dreaming...that the ****up thing! No gaelteach area either. One was on a 13 bus and the other 51b (however that is beside an irish school so maybe, but still they'd finished school and still they spoke it) . It was so strange cause I kinda thought it was someother languge till I picked up one or to words and realised twas irish...strange and it felt really weird, cause I new it was my native languge and I realised that some people make the bother to use it as a real languge and I don't. I felt alittle ashamed of myself for not knowing or ever speaking it.
It kinda felt I should after that!

As regards red...eh does artifical count?

And lastly, that cafe place is cool.....it's the staff that have to speak it to each other...very strange... no tweed - it's VERY trendy

Ps... very handy to have some irish when your on holiday...no one can ever understand it!