Is it a dead language like latin or do ppl still use the language in everyday conversation and learn the language in school?
2007-04-10 04:38:45 · 14 answers · asked by mk 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
It is not a dead language. I have never seen the Emrald Isle, but my family is from Kerry and have spoken to me in Gaelic since I can remember. For a very long time, the English used everything in their power to keep Gaelic from being spoken or taught in Ireland, however, it has recently seen a surge of hope from its people. Many thousands of Irish claim to speak it and are taking a stand for their culture in hopes that the language will not die. It is taught in schools and used in songs, poetry and it's all over road signs. It is true that it had all but died out 40 years ago, but recently there has been much focus on the language, even from those who are not of Irish heritage. Enya has alot to do with this, as her gaining popularity in music and movies causes people to look up what she is saying on the internet and learn a little about Gaelic. If you are interested in learning Gaelic, I would suggest visiting Ireland and taking a course, listen to Gaelic music and visit some websites online. It proves to be a very difficult language at first, but once you have the pronunciation down it gets much easier. Unfortuantely there are over 30 different accents and dialects in Irish gaelic that may make it difficult for a non native speaker to understand.
2007-04-10 08:02:08 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
The Irish have made a very valiant attempt to save their native language (Gaeilge / Irish Gaelic) but in the long run, any language in the world that has fewer than 100,000,000 (One hundred million) speakers is probably destined for extinction. Just a sad fact of life. I love languages, personally. Even French is having trouble competing with English these days and some people think that it's eventually going to become either more English or more German.
2016-04-01 07:00:30 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nice you ask ;) I'm a native Irish speaker,I was taught at school but use the language everyday,cause I don't want my language to die ;)
The number of people in the Gaeltacht regions of Ireland who use the language as their daily mother tongue has been variously cited as 70,000 and 83,000. However, according to census figures released by the Central Statistics Office in 2004, out of the Republic's 4.2 million residents, there are approximately 1.6 million who regard themselves as competent in Irish. Of these, 350,000 reported using Irish every day, 155,000 weekly, 585,000 less often, 460,000 never, and 30,000 didn't state how often. Of the 350,000 who were reported to use Irish every day, the majority are schoolchildren who use it during their classes in Irish.
Slán!!! :)
PS A country without a language is a country without a soul ;)
2007-04-10 06:11:36 · answer #3 · answered by Erina♣Liszt's Girl 7 · 5⤊ 0⤋
dia duit! Nope it's not dead, I had to learn a bit when I started school over in Ireland.
It's mostly in the more rural parts where some people only know gaelic, and I think it sounds beautiful :)
2007-04-10 06:04:34 · answer #4 · answered by bummy cheeks 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No indeed, it's on the up.It is taught in schools and there is an Irish language TV station.Good on them!!
2007-04-10 11:28:39 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
my (irish) future mother- in -law speaks it all the time, so does all 11 of her children (my partner included)... and all her family do, i also have irish friends who speak it
and yes it is still taught in schools in ireland, there are also degrees available in the subject
it can't be dying out that quickly, i know enough people who speak it lol
j xx
2007-04-12 06:56:00 · answer #6 · answered by jorja_leigh 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's not dead, like Latin. But it definitely does not get the use that it used to. English is more widely spoken.
2007-04-10 04:47:19 · answer #7 · answered by Sunshine 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
People still use it in everyday conversation (a minority) and everyone has to learn it in school.
2007-04-10 05:11:46 · answer #8 · answered by Julie 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's not dead yet, but people don't speak it anywhere near as much as they used to in most parts of Ireland. And not that many people speak it fluently anymore, or use it in normal conversations. People only really seem to speak it at school now.
2007-04-10 04:47:19 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋
it has not died like latin has but it is in its last days - the last days of a golden age with nothing good to look forward to except for what was
noblese oblige - latin for might is right
2007-04-10 04:47:04 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋