corrocamino

Remember, we'll need a new generation of Code Talkers for the next Big War!

Ri Fhionngaill

The next enigma machine will be written in SMS talk. No vowels. So, there is no point in training loads of good mathematicians. We just need to teach everyone in the country a Slavic language of their choice

Efendi

Well it is hard to understand for me how it is difficult, from here.
http://www.omniglot.com/writing/irish.htm

I pass the ball to Irish speaker here in the forum.

I always thought any language including voice and consonant could be written as it was read. There is even a phonetic alphabet which could be read as it is written for all:

Chookie

The problem there Efendi, is that until and unless every school and educational system in the world uses the IPA and only the IPA, it is nothing more than a tool for linguistics students to stroke their egos.

Then there are languages which don't show vowels in their writing....

Efendi

Well it is really not practical way of teaching how to read. When I first started learning english, I surprised about the way english is written. I don't understand why they do in this way. I opened a tread about the issue.
http://www.historum.com/showthread.p...227#post307227

I think if Gaelic language speaker find difficulty in reading and teaching their language they can adopt a letter system readeable as it is written.

Parnell

Nobody in Ireland really cares about the Irish language. At most 5% do, and the Gaelgoir seem to occupy this moral vacuum. Any time reform is mentioned they pop up and shame the political class in question.

Its a bit like our historical curse. Some want to move on, but do feel shame when cornered by a Gaelgoir.

Personally I'm of the Daniel O'Connel school of thought. Abandon and get rid and adapt to the modern world. The less languages the better as the less barriers to the interconnectiveness of the species. Ideally there would only ever be one universal language. I think these conservation efforts are rather eccentric and a complete waste of time. Other than for historical and antiquarian purposes, Irish has absolutey no practical use as a language.

Ri Fhionngaill

Not as a language, but as a method of communicating culture and knowledge which is unique to any language, then it is essential. You'll have a generation or more of very depressed people if the language suddenly disappears. And false statistics don't help. I doubt that half the population does speak it, but half the population claims to. They wouldn't do that if they despised it.

Parnell

No offence, but come on.

I studied Irish at school from age 4 to age 18. I can't speak a word of it now. That goes for 99% of my generation.

Fact is, we don't care about the language and we don't care if it dies out. We have a guilt complex about it, there is nothing more complex to it.

Chookie

I guess the situation in Scotland is very different then. I can remember getting the **** knocked out of me at school when I used Gaelic instead of English.

Being Scottish, I took against that.........

Irish Toaster

I'm 19 dude and I and a lot of my friends care about the Irish language. I certainly wouldn't want it to die. It's important to keep for our culture's sake.