After centuries of massive shift towards English, Irish language use has contracted not only in terms of number of speakers, but also in the areas of life and the range of activities conducted through it, thus becoming a language in danger of extinction. Yet, despite all verdicts regarding its imminent death, the Irish language has remained alive in the Republic of Ireland and is experiencing an unprecedented revival in Northern Ireland. For many years, the Irish language was considered to be low in status and was associated with poverty, backwardness and ignorance. However, with the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922, its status was raised and the promotion of its revival and maintenance carried out through a series of policies and actions to foster the preservation of the language in the Gaeltacht and language revival in the rest of Ireland. The events which led to the present fragile status quo were determined in part by the utilitarian purposes which the acquisition of English had attained over the centuries, leading to a steady abandonment of Irish in favour of the dominant language (Wall, 1969; Ó Riagáin, 1988b; Hindley, 1990; Ó Huallacháin, 1991). One important and controversial measure was the introduction in 1958 of an official standard variety (An Caighdeán Oifigiúil) with the publication of the official standard guide, Gramadach na Gaeilge agus Litriú na Gaeilge (The Grammar and Spelling of Irish). For the purposes of this paper after a brief introduction to the language situation obtaining in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, we shall present an overview of the status and presence of both the standard variety and the main dialects on television and radio services as well as the printed media. Moreover, by making reference to the scant literature available on this subject, the results of a PhD research on attitudes towards the Irish in the Republic and in Northern Ireland carried out by means of a questionnaire and interviews, as well as anecdotal data, we shall outline the main attitudes and opinions with regard to the introduction and use of the official standard on the media and its role and impact in the diffusion of the standard in the whole island.
Chapter Four: ‘The role of the media in the standardization process of the Irish language’
ANTONINI, RACHELE
2009
Abstract
After centuries of massive shift towards English, Irish language use has contracted not only in terms of number of speakers, but also in the areas of life and the range of activities conducted through it, thus becoming a language in danger of extinction. Yet, despite all verdicts regarding its imminent death, the Irish language has remained alive in the Republic of Ireland and is experiencing an unprecedented revival in Northern Ireland. For many years, the Irish language was considered to be low in status and was associated with poverty, backwardness and ignorance. However, with the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922, its status was raised and the promotion of its revival and maintenance carried out through a series of policies and actions to foster the preservation of the language in the Gaeltacht and language revival in the rest of Ireland. The events which led to the present fragile status quo were determined in part by the utilitarian purposes which the acquisition of English had attained over the centuries, leading to a steady abandonment of Irish in favour of the dominant language (Wall, 1969; Ó Riagáin, 1988b; Hindley, 1990; Ó Huallacháin, 1991). One important and controversial measure was the introduction in 1958 of an official standard variety (An Caighdeán Oifigiúil) with the publication of the official standard guide, Gramadach na Gaeilge agus Litriú na Gaeilge (The Grammar and Spelling of Irish). For the purposes of this paper after a brief introduction to the language situation obtaining in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, we shall present an overview of the status and presence of both the standard variety and the main dialects on television and radio services as well as the printed media. Moreover, by making reference to the scant literature available on this subject, the results of a PhD research on attitudes towards the Irish in the Republic and in Northern Ireland carried out by means of a questionnaire and interviews, as well as anecdotal data, we shall outline the main attitudes and opinions with regard to the introduction and use of the official standard on the media and its role and impact in the diffusion of the standard in the whole island.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
