Languages of the Republic of Ireland 5144247 225330043 2008-07-13T03:22:07Z SmackBot 433328 Date the maintenance tags or general fixes {{Languages of | country = the Republic of Ireland | official = [[Irish language|Irish]] (42%)<br>[[English language|English]] (94%) ([[Hiberno-English]], [[Mid Ulster English]]) | minority = [[Ulster Scots (linguistics)|Ulster Scots]]<br>[[Shelta]] | foreign = [[French language|French]] (20%)<br>[[German language|German]] (7%){{Fact|date=July 2008}} | sign = [[Irish Sign Language]] | keyboard = Irish [[QWERTY]] | keyboard image = [[Image:KB Windows Ireland.svg|200px]] | source = [http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_243_en.pdf ebs_243_en.pdf] ([[europa.eu]]) }} There are a number of languages used in [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]]. Several have originated from within the island and others have been introduced through foreign settlement. The principal functional language of most residents is English, though a large minority of the population claim some ability to use Irish. Under the Irish constitution, both languages have official status, with Irish being the national and first official language. == Languages == === Prehistorical languages === {{Life in the Republic of Ireland}} The earliest linguistic records in Ireland are of [[Primitive Irish]], from about the 5th century AD. Languages spoken in [[Iron Age Ireland]] before the arrival of the [[Celt]]s or [[Gael]]s are now irretrievable, although there are some claims of [[pre-Celtic]] traces in Irish toponymy.<ref>D. Ó Corrain, 'A future for Irish placenames', in: A. Ó Maolfabhail, ''The placenames of Ireland in the third millennium'', Ordnance Survey for the Placenames Commission, Dublin (1992), p. 44.</ref> === Irish === {{main|Irish language}} The ancestor of [[Primitive Irish language|Primitive Irish]] was introduced by the Celts. This gradually evolved into [[Old Irish]], a [[Q-Celtic]] language on Ireland, [[Scotland]] and the [[Isle of Man]] and [[Old Welsh]], a [[P-Celtic]] language in [[Wales]], [[Cornwall]] and later [[Brittany]]. Today, Irish is recognised as the first official language of the [[Republic of Ireland]] and is officially recognised in [[Northern Ireland]] and in the [[European Union]]. It is spoken in the [[Gaeltacht]] areas, mainly in secluded areas on Ireland's west coast. A government report found that{{Fact|date=July 2007}} 60,000 people speak Irish on a daily basis in the Gaeltacht. In the most recent census, 1.5 million people said they could speak Irish, with 350,000 saying they used it every day, 155,000 weekly, 585,000 less often, 460,000 never, and 30,000 didn't state how often.{{Fact|date=March 2008}} In the over 80 years since the independence of the South, efforts to revive Irish as the daily vernacular of most of the nation have relied on compulsion and have generally failed thus far. Although the use of Irish in educational and broadcasting contexts has risen, English is still overwhelmingly dominant in almost all social, economic and cultural contexts. In the media, there is an Irish language TV station, [[TG4]], 5 radio stations such as [[Raidió na Gaeltachta]] and two newspapers, [[Foinse]], a monthly and [[Lá Nua]], a daily based in [[Northern Ireland]]. There are also occasional columns written in Irish in English-language newspapers, including [[The Irish Times]] and [[The Irish News]]. Similarly, [[RTÉ]] run Nuacht, a news show, in Irish and Léargas, a documentary show, in Irish with English subtitles. They also have a bi-lingual show aimed at learners called 'Seachtain' and formerly had a programme to help people learn the language called 'Turas Teanga', hosted by [[Sharon Ní Bheoláin]]. [[TV3 Ireland|TV3]] have a one minute round-up of goings on in the arts around the island, called 'Noiméad Amháin' meaning 'One Minute'. The [[Official Languages Act 2003]] gave many new rights to Irish citizens with respect to the Irish language, including the use of Irish in court proceedings.{{Fact|date=March 2008}} All [[Dáil]] debates are to be recorded in Irish also. In 2007, Irish became the 21st official language of the European Union. [[Éire]] is the Irish spelling of Ireland, and is being used to promote the Irish language throughout Europe.{{Fact|date=March 2008}} === English === {{main|English language|Hiberno-English|Mid Ulster English}} English was first introduced by the settlers in the 12th century. It did not initially take hold as a widely-spoken language as the settlers assimilated into the [[Irish culture]] and became '[[more Irish than the Irish themselves]]'. In later plantations, such as the [[Ulster Plantation]] of the 17th century, settlers were forbidden to mingle with the natives. Through English rule, the language became that of power and that of the landed classes and since Irish speakers were generally poor and lived on the worst land, Irish was seen as a backward language, suited to agriculture but not useful for those who wanted to engage in a modern career. Consequently most Irish people have spoken English as a native language since 1850 and its teaching was sponsored by the [[Roman Catholic church]]. The two main dialects of English in Ireland are [[Hiberno-English]] (mainly found in the [[Provinces of Ireland|provinces]] of [[Connacht]], [[Leinster]] and [[Munster]]) and [[Mid Ulster English]] (mainly found in [[Ulster]]). === Ulster Scots === {{main|Ulster Scots}} Ulster Scots is a dialect of [[Scots language|Scots]] spoken in some parts of [[County Donegal]]. It is promoted by the [[Ulster Scots agency]], a cross-border body. This is because it is also spoken in parts of [[Northern Ireland]]. Its status as a recognised language as opposed to a dialect of Scots is still debated. === Shelta === {{main|Shelta}} Shelta is a cant, based upon both Irish and English, generally spoken by the [[Irish traveller]] community. === Irish Sign Language === {{main|Irish Sign Language}} Irish Sign Language is the sign language of Ireland. It has little relation to either spoken Irish or English, and is more closely related to [[French Sign Language]] than to [[British Sign Language]]. === Hiberno-Norman French === [[Normans|Norman]] settlers from England spoke [[Anglo-Norman language|Anglo-Norman French]] when they came to Ireland in the 12th century. It was spoken mainly in counties [[Wexford]] and Waterford and was spoken until the twentieth century. The Department of Irish Folklore in [[University College Dublin]] possesses recordings of these individuals [http://www.ucd.ie/irishfolklore/]. === Yola === {{main|Yola language}} Yola was a dialect of Middle English, surviving in County Wexford up to the 19th century. === Immigrant languages === With increased immigration into Ireland, there has been a substantial increase in the number of people speaking languages such as [[Polish language|Polish]], [[Lithuanian language|Lithuanian]], [[Latvian language|Latvian]], [[Cantonese language|Cantonese]], [[Japanese language|Japanese]], [[Mandarin language|Mandarin]] and [[Arabic language|Arabic]]. == Language education == In primary schools, most pupils are taught to speak, read and write in [[Irish language|Irish]] and [[English language|English]]. The vast majority of schools teach through English, although a growing number of ''[[gaelscoil]]eanna'' teach through Irish and English. Most students at second level choose to study English as an [[first language|L1 language]] and [[Irish Gaelic| Irish]] and other Continental European languages as [[second language|L2 languages]]. [[Irish Gaelic| Irish]] is not offered as an L1 language by the Department of Education. Prof. David Little (November 2003) said that there was an urgent need to introduce an L1 Irish Gaelic Curriculum. He quoted from a report by An Bord Curaclaim agus Scrúduithe The Curriculum and Examinations Board) Report of the Board of Studies for Languages, Dublin 1987; "It must be stressed … that the needs of Irish as L1 at post-primary level have been totally ignored, as at present there is no recognition in terms of curriculum and syllabus of any linguistic differences between learners of Irish as L1 and L2." <ref>Language in the Post-Primary Curriculum, a Discussion Document/TEANGACHA SA CHURACLAM IAR-BHUNOIDEACHAIS plécháipéis [http://www.ncca.ie/uploadedfiles/Publications/Plecaipeis.pdf]</ref>. The Continental European languages available for the [[Junior Certificate]] and the [[Leaving Certificate]] include [[French language|French]], [[German language|German]], [[Italian language|Italian]] and [[Spanish language|Spanish]]; Leaving Certificate students can also study [[Arabic language|Arabic]], [[Japanese language|Japanese]] and [[Russian language|Russian]]. Some schools also offer [[Ancient Greek]], [[Hebrew language|Hebrew Studies]] and [[Latin]] at second level. Students who did not immigrate to the [[Republic of Ireland]] before the age of ten may receive an exemption from learning Irish. Pupils with learning difficulties can also seek exemption. A recent study has revealed that over half of those pupils who got exemption from studying Irish went on to study a Continental European language.<ref>Irish language opt-outs soar [http://www.independent.ie/national-news/irish-language-optouts-soar-1306997.html]</ref> The following is a list of foreign languages taken at Leaving Certificate level in 2007, followed by the number as a percentage of all students taking Mathematics for comparison (mathematics is a mandatory subject).<!-- Using maths, because I can't find total candidate number --><ref>[http://www.examinations.ie/statistics/statistics_2007/LC_2007_breakdownResults_10_or_More.pdf Results of Exams in 2007] Using mathematics as comparison, as its examination is near-universal at '''some''' level and had the largest number of candidates in 2007.</ref> {| class="wikitable sortable" ! Language ! Higher Level ! Ordinary Level ! Total candidates ! % of Maths |- | [[French language|French]] | 13,770 | 14,035 | 27,805 | 56.695% |- | [[German language|German]] | 4,554 | 2,985 | 7,539 | 15.372% |- | [[Spanish language|Spanish]] | 1,533 | 1,127 | 2,660 | 5.424% |- | [[Italian language|Italian]] | 140 | 84 | 224 | 0.457% |- | [[Latin]] | 111 | | 111 | 0.226% |- | [[Japanese language|Japanese]] | 90 | | 90 | 0.184% |- | [[Arabic language|Arabic]] | 117 | 13 | 130 | 0.265% |- | [[Russian language|Russian]] | 181 | | 181 | 0.369% |- | [[Latvian language|Latvian]] | 32 | | 32 | 0.065% |- | [[Lithuanian language|Lithuanian]] | 61 | | 61 | 0.125% |- | [[Dutch language|Dutch]] | 16 | | 16 | 0.033% |- | [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] | 27 | | 27 | 0.055% |- | [[Polish language|Polish]] | 53 | | 53 | 0.108% |- | [[Romanian language|Romanian]] | 25 | | 25 | 0.051% |} Total Mathematics students in 2007 was 49,043. == References == {{Reflist}} {{Languages of Europe}} [[Category:Languages of Ireland]]