<div dir="ltr"><br clear="all"><h1>There is no denying the clear threats to future of Irish</h1>
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<h3 class="">Conchúr Ó Giollagáin</h3>
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<p class=""><strong>Published</strong> 21/10/2015 <span>|</span> 02:30</p>
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<img src="http://cdn-01.independent.ie/irish-news/news/article34126861.ece/45f3c/ALTERNATES/h342/Ghaeltacht-stock.jpg" alt="'Shooting the messenger is not going to change the challenging conditions faced by Irish-speaking communities," height="342" width="513">
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'Shooting the messenger is not going to change the challenging conditions faced by Irish-speaking communities,
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As one of the authors of the two studies referred to in Rónán Mac Con
Iomaire's opinion piece ('Irish and the Gaeltacht - they haven't gone
away, you know', Irish Independent, October 1), I wish to address some
of the issues raised.
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<div class=""><p class="">The dismissal of the implications of these studies by RTé's Group Head of Irish Language is unjustified.</p></div>
<div class=""><p class="">Mr Mac Con Iomaire declines to
extend the courtesy to the authors, and indeed to the public, to name
the studies - 'Update of the Comprehensive Linguistic Study of the Use
of Irish in the Gaeltacht: 2006-2011' and 'Analysis of Bilingual
Competence: Language Acquisition Among Young People in the Gaeltacht' -
so as to clarify what he is actually talking about and to afford the
public the opportunity to read the reports and see if his arguments are
valid.</p></div><div class=""><p class="">These scientific
studies depict the current vulnerable condition of Irish-speaking
communities in the Gaeltacht. The first was based on an analysis of
current demographic data and the second is a comparative linguistic
study of spoken ability in both Irish and English among young native
speakers of Irish in the Gaeltacht.</p></div>
<div class=""><p class="">Mr Mac Con Iomaire seems to
dismiss the implications of these studies relating to the survival of
the Gaeltacht on two irrelevant grounds: a) that he is part of an Irish
language network in An Cheathrú Rua and b) that RTÉ has a new
Irish-language policy.</p></div><div class=""><p class="">The
grounding of his contentions in RTÉ's corporate policy is highly
questionable as institutional practice, giving the impression that his
arguments are RTÉ's corporate policy and that RTÉ is also dismissing
this scientific work because one of the organisation's executives is not
favourably disposed towards it.</p></div>
<div class=""><p class="">He is ill-informed in decrying a
sample size of 50 young native speakers of Irish, while suggesting an
even smaller sample as his own evidence, ie, himself.</p></div><div class=""><p class="">In
fact, a sample of 50 seven to 12-year-olds is actually an extremely
strong sample of the relevant age cohort in catchment areas of the
linguistic study.</p></div>
<div class=""><p class="">Mr Mac Con Iomaire (and by
association RTÉ) fails to produce any credible evidence or analysis to
support his dismissive contentions and yet he feels adequately equipped
to discard painstaking scientific research because he doesn't agree with
the conclusions.</p></div><div class=""><p class="">His
attitude is akin to having authority for building programming policy on
environmental issues, while rejecting the scientific evidence indicating
global warming.</p></div>
<div class=""><p class="">Shooting the messenger is not
going to change the challenging conditions faced by Irish-speaking
communities, as depicted in these studies. More seriously, the refusal
to engage adequately with research findings relevant to consumers of
Irish broadcasting indicates an unrealistic overview of the communities
surveyed in these reports.</p></div><div class=""><p class="">The
authors of these reports are not immune from constructive criticism,
but surely the onus on somebody wishing to set aside troubling research
findings is to produce a counter analysis and to back up that analysis
with something more credible?</p></div>
<div class=""><p class="">The scientific method is concerned with demonstrating evidence of salient practice, trajectories and underlying processes.</p></div><div class=""><p class="">Corporate authority does not imply an entitlement to reject research simply because you disagree with the results.</p></div>
<div class=""><p class="">Encouraging people to disregard
scientific surveys on the basis that they do not concur with your own
world view is not a serious argument.</p></div><div class=""><p class="">The
refusal to engage with the evidence, which suggests that the Gaeltacht
is in crisis and is in an advanced stage of social collapse, deserves to
be taken seriously.</p></div>
<div class=""><p class="">Those in positions of influence
will not be treated kindly by history if the trajectory towards the
dominance of English in the Gaeltacht - and the extirpation of Irish as a
social and cultural entity - is allowed to continue unabated, despite
official protestations.</p></div><div class=""><p class=""><em class="">Conchúr
Ó Giollagáin is the Soillse Research Professor in the University of the
Highlands and Islands, Scotland. He co-authored, along with Martin
Charlton, the 'Update of the Comprehensive Linguistic Study of the Use
of Irish in the Gaeltacht: 2006-2011'. 'The Analysis of Bilingual
Competence: Language Acquisition Among Young People in the Gaeltacht',
was co-authored by him along with Tamás Péterváry, Brian Ó Curnáin and
Jerome Sheahan</em></p></div>
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Irish Independent <br></p><p class=""><a href="http://www.independent.ie/opinion/comment/there-is-no-denying-the-clear-threats-to-future-of-irish-34127412.html">http://www.independent.ie/opinion/comment/there-is-no-denying-the-clear-threats-to-future-of-irish-34127412.html</a><br></p></div><br>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature">**************************************<br>N.b.: Listing on the lgpolicy-list is merely intended as a service to its members<br>and implies neither approval, confirmation nor agreement by the owner or sponsor of the list as to the veracity of a message's contents. Members who disagree with a message are encouraged to post a rebuttal, and to write directly to the original sender of any offensive message. A copy of this may be forwarded to this list as well. (H. Schiffman, Moderator)<br><br>For more information about the lgpolicy-list, go to <a href="https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/" target="_blank">https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/</a><br>listinfo/lgpolicy-list<br>*******************************************</div>
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