Aidan Doyle (2)

Doyle gives the evolution of the Irish language from around 1100 to the present, the period known as Early Modern Irish (EMI) to to the present, Late Modern Irish. Old Irish was already part of the past by the time of the Norman Invasion, which extended into Ireland. The cultural upheavals post-Roman Empire brought in new people with new words and forms. From 1600 to the present Irish has been shrinking as a native tongue, but surviving in a way that is nearly unique (although I think some native american languages as well as Scots Gaelic are undergoing a similar process). The language is taught through high school, many people choose to continue studying in Irish, but they are equally fluent (if not more so) in English. Many (including yours truly) now learn the language for all sorts of reasons, not aiming for true fluency, but because they find it a beautiful and rewarding language or perhaps as a statement of solidarity with Irishness, or to help them understand the songs if they are traditional musicians, or all of these reasons. Doyle traces the changes, in both the language and attitudes and raises the question of whether Irish as it is spoken and read now is yet a living language. Many of my questions were answered -- such as Why the spelling??? (Answer: It's complicated but makes a lot of sense). A good informative but not easy read for serious Irish language learners. ****… (mais)