The_Conductor wrote: » I can speak as happily in Irish or German, as I can in English. I've worked exclusively in all 3 at various stages. Yes- there is an issue with the way Irish is taught in Ireland- were it taught in a similar manner to French or German- with modern teaching mechanisms- I'm certain it would be a hell of a lot healthier as a language than it now is. The flipside of the coin is there are now more Irish language primary and secondary schools who teach all subjects through Irish- than there have ever been. The Dublin region has more people with gaeilge liofa, than Connemara- and very few of them are from traditional Gaeltacht areas. So- yes- there is an issue with the way Irish is taught in most Irish schools- but Irish as a primary language, has never been healthier than now.
Seannew1 wrote: » ...Another problem is the laziness and negative attitude of people, which is usually brought about from parents. It's a sorry case because as a fluent speaker I feel really proud that I can speak the language...
epluribusunum wrote: » Why would it be insane? That is the point I am getting at. Why would you reject having a national language and knowing English as a second? This is what I wanted to find out.
Foxtrol wrote: » That's why the thread is titled 'Why does everybody speak Irish?' :rolleyes:
68Murph68 wrote: » based on the census figures.
Foxtrol wrote: » I'd be proud if I could speak Chinese and doing so would be far more beneficial to me in the real world than Irish ever could. If people want to learn Irish for sentimental or other reasons I’ve nothing against them but the current way it’s rammed down people’s throats doesn’t help anyone and is a big reason why there’s so much push back against it by a large proportion of the population.
BognarRegis wrote: » Another problem is how Irish enthusiasts such as yourself consider others to be 'lazy and negative'.
Seannew1 wrote: » It depends, I have fluent German and I think having Irish as a language helped achieve fluency in German because I knew what it took to become fluent in a language.
Iwasfrozen wrote: » So learning Irish makes it easier to learn a useful language. Fair enough but why not just learn two useful languages?
BognarRegis wrote: » Because we like speaking English and it serves us well? Because we have better things to do with our time than to learn Irish just so we can impress the French and annoy the English? Look at it this way - what if Sioux were to be declared the national language of the USA and everyone would be required to speak it - how would that go down?
Seannew1 wrote: » Yes learning a language helps you pick up a new language quicker. And I do have 2 useful languages!
Iwasfrozen wrote: » Yeah English and German.
epluribusunum wrote: » 2) Sioux was not, nor any other Indian tribal languages, ever the primary national language of the USA so that does not make any sense. The USA was founded under English tongue as their national primary language. So, it would probably go down awful to be honest.
Seannew1 wrote: » Correct, aswell as fluent Irish,I also speak Scots Gaelic, now there's one useless dead language if ever I saw one!
Iwasfrozen wrote: » So you concede Irish is not a useful language? Scots gaelic is no less useless then Irish.
Iwasfrozen wrote: » This country was founded under the English tongue as our national language too.
Seannew1 wrote: » No I never said that, I like Irish and it's useful to me in my daily life,it may not be useful to you or other people here but that's a different story. And no you're very wrong there, Scots Gaelic is failing completely in Scotland,while most Irish people now Conas atá tú? and the odd phrase such as An bhfuil cead agam dul go dtí an leithreas, most Scots wouldn't know "hello" in that language.
epluribusunum wrote: » How so?
1ZRed wrote: » Ah now that's a bit of a cop out :P I can speak fluent Irish too and I met a guy once who could speak Scots Gaelic, yet we could both understand each other even though we were speaking slightly different languages. It's only when I looked at the spelling comparison that I saw the biggest difference between them, but while speaking it you can largely understand the other, I found. I think being bilingual has helped me pick up other languages much quicker. I've a good level of French and my Spanish is passable. If kids grew up actively learning a more approachable language (I don't think Irish is the easiest to pick up compared to others) then I think as they get older learning new languages will be a lot easier for them.
Iwasfrozen wrote: » You said you have 2 useful languages. Implying Irish isn't useful.
Iwasfrozen wrote: » We spoke English in 1922.
Seannew1 wrote: » Ok I have 3 useful languages, happy now?
Iwasfrozen wrote: » No because you've just redefined useful to suit your argument. Fact is Irish is not a useful language.
epluribusunum wrote: » If a language can be used to communicate it suits its purpose. So since Irish can be a vehicle of communication it is useful, may not be popular but it is useful. It serves its purpose for some making it useful.
epluribusunum wrote: » That does not mean you were founded upon English. You were founded upon Irish as your Constitution clearly states, 1937. There is a Difference in recognition and Constitution as well. The Constitution determines the law. So you were founded upon Irish then.
Seannew1 wrote: » Fact is people like you are never happy unless you're complaining about something anyway. Also, what do you mean by "useful"? It's an extremely vague term, what do you mean by it? Are you talking about employment opportunities one gets with the language, the number of native speakers?
Iwasfrozen wrote: » What language was spoken by most people in Ireland in 1937? A language is used as a tool of communication, since everyone who speaks Irish also speaks English it is clear that Irish has no practical use. Employment? You mean supply to satisfy an artificially created demand? A language has only one use. Communication. And since everyone who speak Irish also speaks English it follows Irish has no use.
