Graduate Student, School of Languages, Literature, Culture and Communication
Thesis Title: Inimircigh agus an Ghaeilge: Idé-eolaíocht agus cleachtas teanga lucht inimirce na Gaeilge in Éirinn / Immigrants and Irish: The language ideology and practice of Irish-speaking immigrants in Ireland
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PhD abstract in Irish (see below for English):
Tá ceisteanna teanga, féiniúlachta agus imeasctha faoi chaibidil sa dioscúrsa náisiúnta ó tháinig borradh faoin inimirce go hÉirinn um chasadh na mílaoise. Is annamh a dhírítear ar cheist an imeasctha le pobal na Gaeilge áfach agus is fíorbheagán plé atá déanta sa litríocht ar inimircigh a bheith ag imeascadh le pobail dúchais mhionteanga i dtíortha eile. Eascraíonn sin i bpáirt as an dlúthnasc a mhothaítear a bheith idir mionteanga agus eitneacht lucht a labhartha, creideamh eisintiúlach a bhfuil tionchar nach beag aige ar theoiric agus ar iarrachtaí aisiompaithe teanga le scór bliain anuas. Staidéar sochtheangeolaíoch atá sa tráchtas seo a thugann dúshlán an naisc mhothaithe sin trí iniúchadh a dhéanamh ar chleachtas agus ar idé-eolaíocht teanga roinnt inimirceach in Éirinn a bhfuil an Ghaeilge acu.
Lonnaítear an taighde i gcomhthéacs an neamhréitigh idé-eolaíochta idir beartas follasach teanga an stáit agus an beartas atá le tuiscint as dioscúrsa agus gníomh an phobail agus na n-údarás i leith na Gaeilge. Cuireadh agallamh leathstruchtúrtha ar sheacht n-inimirceach déag sa bhliain 2007 ar cainteoirí laethúla Gaeilge iad agus a bhfuil cónaí orthu i gceantair Ghaeltachta agus uirbeacha. Cíoradh gnéithe éagsúla dá gcleachtas agus dá n-idé-eolaíocht teanga agus rinneadh anailís chriticiúil ar a gcuid dioscúrsa i dtaca le hábharthacht phraiticiúil agus feidhm féiniúlachta agus imeasctha na Gaeilge de. Rinneadh anailís chriticiúil freisin ar shamplaí den dioscúrsa poiblí a phléann na hábhair chéanna agus a bailíodh ó mheáin chlóite agus chraolta an Bhéarla agus na Gaeilge idir 2005 agus 2010.
Léiríonn na torthaí go labhraíonn na faisnéiseoirí an Ghaeilge i réimse leathan fearann idir phríobháideach, shóisialta agus ghairmiúil agus go bhfuil féiniúlachtaí iolracha ag a bhformhór a chuimsíonn féiniúlacht Ghaelach. Cuireann siad in iúl ina gcuid dioscúrsa gur uirlis i gcomhair an imeasctha agus i gcoinne na seineafóibe í an Ghaeilge. Is é a mhalairt a léirítear sa dioscúrsa poiblí, go háirithe dioscúrsa an Bhéarla, a athchruthaíonn idé-eolaíochtaí nádúraithe faoi mhí-oiriúnacht na Gaeilge don saol comhaimseartha agus a chuireann an ciníochas agus an scothaicmeachas i leith iarrachtaí aisiompaithe teanga, go speisialta i gcomhthéacs na Gaelscolaíochta. Tríd an dá dhioscúrsa a chur i gcomórtas, faightear léargas ar an gcaoi a ndéantar idé-eolaíochtaí teanga agus féiniúlachta a bhainistiú i dteannta a chéile agus a chur in iúl i mbeartas teanga ag leibhéil éagsúla sa tsochaí.
Is é príomhthátal an staidéir nach dtugtar spreagadh d’inimircigh an Ghaeilge a fhoghlaim agus a labhairt toisc go dtiocfadh sin salach ar fhíorbheartas teanga an phobail. Tá idé-eolaíocht an aonteangachais Bhéarla le tuiscint as dioscúrsa agus gníomh an phobail i leith na Gaeilge a thaispeánann na catagóirí féiniúlachta agus grúpbhallraíochta atá ar fáil d’inimircigh in Éirinn go hiarbhír agus a oibríonn san am céanna chun an dáileadh éagothrom cumhachta idir lucht aonteangach an Bhéarla agus pobal mionlaithe na Gaeilge a choimeád ina status quo. Is é luach an tsaothair go dtugann sé peirspictíocht úr ar an mbeartas teanga mar phleanáil féiniúlachta in aimsir mhórathruithe déimeagrafacha na hÉireann agus, ar shlí níos uilíche, go gcuireann sé lenár dtuiscint theoiriciúil ar an aisiompú teanga i gcomhthéacs an trasnáisiúnachais mhéadaithe agus an iolrachais féiniúlachta a ghabhann leis.
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English version:
This is a sociolinguistic study of the language practice and ideology of a number of Irish-speaking immigrants in Ireland. It springs from the under-researched question of immigration into autochthonous minority language communities and therefore bridges two distinct sociolinguistic phenomena in Ireland: 1) the rapid ethnolinguistic diversification of Irish society around the turn of the 21st century; and 2) the ideological mismatch between official state language policy in support of Irish and the covert de facto language policy that continues to marginalize it.
Semi-structured interviews were conducted in 2007 with seventeen immigrants to Ireland who have become daily speakers of Irish, approximately half of whom reside in the Gaeltacht (officially designated Irish-speaking areas) and the other half in urban areas throughout the country. Their language practices and beliefs were examined and their discourse was critically analyzed in relation to ethnocultural identification, language ownership, and the social functions of Irish in daily life. A critical analysis of the public's discourse on these matters was also performed by examining samples of English- and Irish-language print and broadcast media produced between 2005 and 2010.
The results show that the informants speak Irish habitually in a wide range of language domains, both private and public. They discursively negotiate a complex repertoire of identities that includes Gaelic ethnocultural membership, sometimes in distinct contrast to a broader Irish identity, as well as simultaneous ethnic, cultural and transnational identities. The informants consistently depict Irish as a tool for social inclusion and present a social-constructionist view of language ownership; however, dominant public discourse is typified by an ethnic essentialism that derives its persuasiveness from naturalized ideologies about the death, dysfunction or otherwise irrelevant status of Irish to modern life. This finds expression most often in discourse on Irish-medium schooling, which is portrayed as fundamentally exclusionary. By comparing these two strands of discourse, it can be seen how language ideologies and categories of belonging are managed in relation to each other and expressed in language policy at various levels of society.
The main conclusion is that immigrants are neither encouraged nor expected to learn Irish because doing so would contradict the de facto language policy of English monolingualism. Such policy dictates the type of integration that is expected of immigrants to Ireland, but also undermines official language policy by entrenching the minoritized status of Irish and potentially depriving the language of new users and new uses. This study sheds new light on language policy in Ireland as identity planning amid major demographic change. It contributes to our theoretical understanding of language shift and maintenance by challenging the ethnic essentialism that typically informs such efforts, arguing instead for the need to consider a social-constructionist perspective.
