uptherebels wrote: » You measure isn't important because you just pick something that can be applied to Irish, what is the actual definition of a dead language?
An extinct language is a language that no longer has any speakers,[1] especially if the language has no living descendants.[2] In contrast, a dead language is "one that is no longer the native language of any community", even if it is still in use, like Latin.[3] Languages that currently have living native speakers are sometimes called modern languages to contrast them with dead languages, especially in educational contexts.
Imreoir2 wrote: » My measure of a living language is the actual measure of a livng language. A language that still has native speakers. That is why Latine is considered to be a dead language, no native speakers. The Irish speaking community continues to produce native speakers and the last natve speaker of Irish won't be born for a long time. Hate to break it to you, but you will be dead long before Irish is.
All My Stars Aligned wrote: » I am genuinely interest in what makes you think so. To my mind for a language to be alive it would need to be spoken by a significant proportion of the population as their primary language or at least fluently. I do not believe this to be the case. What would be your measure of a living language?
Berserker wrote: » It's in the ICU at best. I've lived here for over 25 years and I've never heard it spoken in public. It's time to do the decent thing and put it to bed.
Timberrrrrrrr wrote: » Yep you're right sure isn't it used everyday all over the country by the masses :rolleyes: It's dead apart from a tiny minority who struggle every year to keep it alive, if it was a pet it would have been put out of its misery years ago.
Imreoir2 wrote: » Irish is not dead. The OP's post is a silly idea and the notion that Irish is dead is too.
Imreoir2 wrote: » I did not claim that Irish is thriving. Putting words in other peoples mouth is also a common tactic of those who can't defend their own opinion. Irish is alive and you are wrong.
Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: » Yes, you are not correct. So say for example non irish people with zero English become proficient in Irish, how will that assist them in gaining employment in say the local factory, shop, hotel or some other business when 99.99% of those business conduct ALL of their day to day business through English? I’m guessing you are a Senator in the Seanad because your proposal is right up there wuth some of the hair brained proposals that eminate from that doss house on a regular basis.
Timberrrrrrrr wrote: » And you can hold onto your opinion that it is alive and thriving, you can hold that opinion but that opinion is wrong.
Imreoir2 wrote: » The battle cry of those unable to defend their opinion. Irish is not dead, that is a fact. You can hold the opinion that it is dead, but that opinion is wrong.
Timberrrrrrrr wrote: » You're entitled to your opinion, I'm entitled to mine.
TomSweeney wrote: » Drivel, absolute drivel ....
Timberrrrrrrr wrote: » Let me get this straight. These poor people are fleeing war, hunger, terror. They trek across the continent for days/weeks/months in search of a new life. They finally land in the fair green island of Ireland and the 1st thing you want to do is force them to learn that dead language and then a lifetime of servitude forcing them to teach others? :rolleyes:
Franz Von Peppercorn wrote: » The majority are ok with funding it too (hardly a significant expense).
realitykeeper wrote: » An expensive mistake I grant you. Should the US, Uk, Ireland and possibly even Australia turn communist, English will be seen by many as a pointless language to learn. I mean Chinese Mandarin and Russian were studied by relatively few western scholars during the communist years in those countries, despite their size and populations. When a country turns communist, it is almost like they drop off the map in terms of trade.
jmayo wrote: » Well there are loads of pointless jobs already. Like those litter wardens who fail to stop people dumping rubbish at halting sites all over the country.
realitykeeper wrote: » Irish has a better chance than Hebrew had just a few decades ago. Now millions are speaking that language and its growth is exponential. As for English, it`s success was primarily the consequence of capitalism. Should the English speaking countries of the world turn communist, the relevance of English will decline. Capitalism will collapse in English speaking countries come the next recession.
realitykeeper wrote: » An expensive mistake I grant you. Should the US, Uk, Ireland and possibly even Australia turn communist, English will be seen by many as a pointless language to learn. I mean Chinese Mandarin and Russian were studied by relatively few western scholars during their communist years, despite thveir size and populations. When a country turns communist, it is almost like they drop off the map in terms of trade.
Deleted User wrote: » Meanwhile, English is being studied in every "communist" country as the second language.
Franz Von Peppercorn wrote: » It’s the official language of the state so that’s why you need to change the constitution.
Isaiah Tangy Gurney wrote: » It's not a dead language
realitykeeper wrote: » I was delighted to hear of the closure of Grafton College. By rights we should focus on reviving Gaelic in this country and not teaching English. As for the teachers occupying the college after the announced closure, it would be a cold day in hell before I would give them a cent. Foreigners coming to this country are often highly motivated through their desperation to escape the poverty and wars in their home countries. I say lets capitalize on that desperation and revive Gaelic at the same time. By getting these people to learn Gaelic to a high degree of fluency in three years or less, the new immigrants will become more Irish than the Irish themselves. They could not only earn the right to citizenship but be guaranteed immediate employment in a new total immersion education system in Ireland, starting with kindergarten and progressing from there each year to the next more senior class until even all of the university graduates receive all their tutorials through Irish and that would take about 20 years (from pre school to the fourth year in college). Am I not correct?
Joeytheparrot wrote: » Create thousands of pointless teaching jobs?
JayZeus wrote: » Delighted that 23 teachers have not been paid and have lost their jobs, 2 weeks before Christmas? You’re not even on the wind-up either. What a nasty little man you must be.
