Language: It's Structure and UseIn correspondence with Edward Finegan 27th March 2008 Hello. I'm not studying languages, but came across your textbook on one of my ill-conceived field trips into the pit of depravity that is the human condition. I'll admit that I was lost over some of the more technical aspects, but I found the chapters dealing with the social implications of language use fascinating. With a name like Finegan, it's possible you know all of this already, but I'm going to pretend that you don't. I moved to Riverside County in California last August from Ireland, and I think you may be interested in some aspects of language use in my country. For a start, we all speak English. In the last census, around 10% of the population regarded themselves as conversant in Irish, our ancestral language, but the real percentage (because sometimes people tell surveyers what they feel should be the truth rather than what is the truth) is much lower. Given that we spend hours a day for fourteen years learning this language, that might seem odd. I think that the primary function of language should be to communicate ideas in the traditional fashion, by taking my thoughts, turning them into words, moving into your ears and getting turned into your thoughts. However, the Irish language seems to be used in every way *except* to communicate ideas, here outlined in numbered form: 1. As in indicator of status: There are special schools in Ireland which conduct their affairs entirely through Irish called Gaelscoileanna (plural of Gaelscoil), and which seem to attract lots of upper-middle income children. This oddness can be witnessed every morning simply by counting the number of BMWs and Mercedes Benzes parked outside. For these people, the language is a symbol of wealth and modernity. This association is almost exclusively a feature of urban areas (in other words, Gaelscoileanna located in small villages generally don't have that problem). 2. (a) As in indicator of not-status: Although a paradox, usage of the language is also associated with being backwards and 'stuck in the past', of a time of poverity and generally being shat on by the British government for many years. 2. (b) Also, there are some very unpleasant associations with being taught Irish in school. As the Irish language is ideally suited for describing 19th-century Irish life (and terribly suited to describing anything after that), most of the literature used to demonstrate the language comes from that period. A time of famine, death, plague, constant torrential rain and probably earthquakes and volcanoes too. A wonderful Irish writer called Flann O'Brien wrote a book in Irish called "An Beal Bocht" (The Poor Mouth) mocking what he saw as an entire genre of misery. A litany of agonising defeat at the hands of fate called "Peig" (compulsory for all students learning Irish at high-school level) is singled out for special attention. You can get "An Beal Bocht" in translation. You'll miss some of the jokes but it's still very funny, if you're interested. An Beal Bocht was published in 1941 (according to my copy) which should give you an idea of the scale of the problem. 3. As an indicator of political associations. It's at the stage where if you hear someone on trial up the country somewhere, and he has insisted that his entire case be conducted through Irish (as is his legal right), you can be sure that he is on trial for membership of a seditious organistion, most likely that band of lovable rogues, the IRA. 4. As a badge of nationalist heritage (often entirely disassociated from the political associations mentioned above). Ex-pats sometimes like to demonstrate how "Irish" they are - something which becomes even more pronounced where Irish people gather in other countries: Boston, London, Belfast, and bizarrely, Buenos Aires. It would not be entirely atypical for an average Irish person to start streaming Irish with pride to his Irish friend while on holidays in Paris, but never use it at all in Ireland. That's all. Thank you for your time, Barry Purcell
PS That apostrophe in the possessive 'its' in the subject line was just a little joke. |