More than a cupla focal needed
February 11, 2014
I too share the frustrations of Daithi MacCarthaigh and Paul Milne (Letters, 2/2/2014) in relation to the Irish language, and encourage you to continue this important debate.
Paul has identified one of the main problems facing the language: the antipathy of primary and secondary school students towards it. I agree with him that a radical approach is called for. I do not, however, agree that a simplified version of the language is the way to go. Such a policy would only serve to drive a wedge between fluent speakers and the next generation of Irish students and this would never be turned around. The Department of Education and Skills should critically examine how and by whom Irish is taught in our schools. All future secondary school Irish teachers should be fluent Irish graduates, who have spent a considerable part of their studies in one or more of the Gaeltacht regions. Above all else, they should be enthusiastic Irish speakers in the classroom. Mol an Oige agus tiocfaidh sé before it is all too late.
John Burke Beaumont, Dublin 9
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The forgotten language that shapes this country
January 13, 2014
There’s nothing like an irrefutable argument. Black is black, white is white.
And, whereas some arguments may not be irrefutable, such as where did original matter come from, they can be the basis of an intriguing intellectual debate. Post-Christmas, with all of the third-level colleges trying to snag as many new students as possible from the current Leaving Certificate crop, the media emphasis on careers and points will begin again. Just like the spring bulbs popping their heads from the ground I can predict that within two or three weeks the annual why learn Irish, not Chinese’ debate will also rear its ugly, well worn, head. This argument hasn’t really moved on in the last 40 or so years. Yes, English is the language of international trade. Yes, English is de facto our first language. Yes, having English is one of the factors that attracts international investment to Ireland from English speaking corporations.
So far, so yes. Equally, there’s nothing wrong with learning Chinese, Spanish or any of the other major world languages, as well as Irish. The two are not mutually exclusive. When the IDA itself, or its well-rehearsed inward investors, cite the reasons why their companies come to Ireland, the mantra is that we have a young, well-educated English speaking population with the right skills’ (and of course sotto voce there may be something, but not much, said about the tax regime). But all of the above is available across the water in Britain, as well as having easier access to world markets via a much better developed infrastructure and a much bigger domestic economy.
Still these major companies, fortunately for us, continue to choose Ireland as their preferred EMEA location. Why? What I have never heard or read is whether we in Ireland could have a secret X-factor – the nugget that tips hardnosed international corporate bosses to choose Ireland? When I pose that question the we’ I refer to is the entire Irish population that has gone through our full education cycle.
Why is it that we have produced, and continue to produce, so many creative individuals of world standing, right across the creative industries but primarily in written English? Could it be that we may have something special that other English speaking nations do not have? I’m not being silly, they all have brilliant creative individuals but, pro rata, we seem to box well above our weight, particularly in English language writing – four Nobel literature laureates to date and a raft of other world renowned authors. In business, creative thinking, also known as problem solving, is the new box making. The entire world can make boxes. The entire world can’t solve complex problems. Problem solvers command an economic premium. Problem solvers think differently.
I am no linguist, but I have read enough about the subject to know that language and the use of language is believed to have an effect on the way humans think and therefore approach and try to solve problems. It is also part of how we see the world. It’s often claimed that the Inuit have many words for snow, but as I understand it, this is not true. However, what is true is that they can use the word in many different ways. It’s a form of linguistic creativity. Similarly, how many ways can Irish people use expletives, at the beginning, the middle and at the end of any sentence and, most creatively, in the middle of a noun? As a people we are creative with all forms of language.
The unanswerable question is – where does this ability come from? Could it be that while the people moan and groan about having to learn Irish, something strange is brewing in their heads? That despite their belief that learning Irish is a waste of time’, they are in fact being given a unique benefit, a unique Irish way of thinking and looking at the world, which comes to them both through the way in which we learn to speak English which, as we know, is informed by the legacy of our Irish language heritage, as well as during those long useless’ Irish classes?
Clearly, we have something in our culture that makes us unique (most nations have something unique they can boast of). In our case, could that thing’ be so economically valuable (in the sense that it may be the secret sauce that tips the balance in our favour among the multinationals) that we should work far harder to encourage it and recognise it as a national economic asset? I watched Colonel Chris Hadfield, the Irish language tweeting Canadian astronaut, talking to Dara O’Briain, the highly creative Gaeilgeoir comedian and physicist, on a BBC TV programme during the week.
A young viewer asked what they should study to become an astronaut and Col Hadfield said the questioner should study something complex that pushed their boundaries, something that would help them with solving complex problems in the future. Now not everyone wants to be an astronaut, but applying this to the wider public, and in particular to those who, over the next couple of weeks, are thinking of their futures within our third-level colleges, instead of complaining about having to learn Irish maybe they should be demanding that schools teach them more Irish to give them a head start in their careers. This is one of those arguments to which there’s no yes or no’ answer, but it does pose a maybe’ question. Maybe the much derided Peig (a text book that, for the record, was removed from the Irish Leaving Cert syllabus in 1999) might ironically still turn out to be one of our most valuable national assets.
Conall O’Morain presents The Sunday Business Show on Today FM every Sunday at 10am
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