I reposted a review of a study of the decline and surrent situation of the Irish (Gaelic) language on MINEL that might be of interest to readers of this list. See "Fwd: "The Irish Language in Ireland" (review)" at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MINEL/message/274 )
It occurs that there are several aspects of the linguistic history of modern Ireland that bear studying and reflecting on when considering sociolinguistic and language policy dynamics in contemporary Africa. Among others: * Attitudes that the Irish language was not modern (but that English was) * Letters home from emigrants that almost always were in English rather than Irish Gaelic. The book is rather academic, but the review offers a lot of food for thought. Don Osborn Bisharat.net --- In [EMAIL PROTECTED], "d_z_o" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: FYI (fwd from the Linguist list)... DZO Date: 22-Nov-2005 From: John Murphy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: The Irish Language in Ireland: From Giodel to Globalisation AUTHOR: Mac Giolla Chríost, Diarmait TITLE: The Irish Language in Ireland SUBTITLE: From Goidel to globalisation PUBLISHER: Routledge SERIES: Routledge Studies in Linguistics YEAR: 2005 Announced at http://linguistlist.org/issues/16/16-1427.html John L. Murphy, Humanities, DeVry University, Long Beach, California SUMMARY This volume overlaps three areas: sociological theory on ethnicity and identity formation within a globalized context; a historical synopsis of the Irish language; analyses of surveys and public policy addressing its use in both the Republic and the North of Ireland. Aimed at an academic rather than a general audience, this study would be appropriate for research-level university libraries. Its hefty price of GBP 80 should not impede the wider impact upon which the author, a lecturer in the School of Welsh at Cardiff University, intends this book to have to foment practical policies that encourage the future survival and growth of Irish-speaking communities. In about 250 pages, Diarmait Mac Giolla Chríost contributes enough material to keep not so much scholars as workers in the area of linguistic promotion inspired for years. He manages to avoid polemic, ignores romanticization, and provides sophisticated models upon which informed initiatives to nourish Irish-language use can be constructed. Although the density of considerable amounts of data may overwhelm any casual reader seeking a concise introduction to the fortunes of the past and present conditions within which Irish has emerged and endured, for those already familiar with sociological and public policy analyses, this study condenses immense efforts to direct discourse about the state and fate of Irish into a previously neglected intersection between academic and community-based efforts. The author applies research too often languishing upon government and academic shelves into a theory-laden but careful examination for a public forum. This appeal heightens the relevance of Mac Giolla Chríost's thesis. But, his presumed audience may remain narrower than his message deserves. ... --- End forwarded message --- ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Life without art & music? Keep the arts alive today at Network for Good! http://us.click.yahoo.com/7zgKlB/dnQLAA/Zx0JAA/TpIolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AfricanLanguages/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
