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Irish language 'ghettoised' as Glider reverts to English in east Belfast </h1>
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The Glider service will have bilingual signs in west Belfast. Picture by Hugh Russell
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18 September, 2018 01:00
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<div class="gmail-related-extra__caption">Pobal's Janet Muller said the Glider service reverting to English signs in east Belfast would 'ghettoise' the Irish language</div>
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<p>TRANSLINK has "ghettoised " the Irish language by its decision
to revert to English-only signs on the new Glider service when it leaves
west Belfast, it has been claimed.</p>
<p>The high-profile cross-city service, <a href="http://www.irishnews.com/news/northernirelandnews/2018/09/09/news/translink-boss-chris-conway-says-glider-service-a-success-1428526/">which launched earlier this month</a>, will have bilingual signs added to vehicles in the coming months.</p>
<p>However, Translink is to ensure the information signs switch to
English only before travelling to predominantly unionist east Belfast.</p>
<p>Irish language activist Linda Ervine, who runs hugely popular
Irish classes at the Skainos centre in the heart of east Belfast, has
branded the policy "bizarre".</p>
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<img src="https://www.irishnews.com/picturesarchive/irishnews/irishnews/2017/01/08/192329249-51414f8e-b001-4345-abb6-01d2535aeca3.jpg" style="max-width: 885px; width: 100%; max-height: 560px;">
Linda Ervine
<p>However, east Belfast DUP councillor Tom Haire said there was no need
for bi-lingual signage as people in the east of the city had "no more
interest in Irish than the man on the moon".</p>
<p>Janet Muller, director of Irish language advocacy group Pobal,
welcomed Glider's bilingual policy but criticised Translink for
discontinuing the signs in east Belfast.</p>
<p>"We regret the decision to restrict bilingual signage to certain
areas of the city – it is counterproductive and ineffective, and creates
the impression that the language only belongs in some parts of
Belfast," she said.</p>
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<img src="https://www.irishnews.com/picturesarchive/irishnews/irishnews/2018/09/18/112702150-16b40c26-c8d5-4a27-a19a-ac64406f05ab.jpg" style="max-width: 885px; width: 100%; max-height: 560px;">
Pobal's Janet Muller said the Glider service reverting to English signs in east Belfast would 'ghettoise' the Irish language
<p>"The name of the entire city - Belfast from Béal Feirste - and many
of its best known areas come from Irish. The language belongs to all and
should not be ghettoised."</p>
<p>A Translink spokesman said information at Glider halts in west
Belfast were already displayed in dual English/Irish language and that
this would be extended to Metro feeder services in the future.</p>
<p>"Irish language destination screen signage for the west Belfast
section of the G1 route is planned to be in place in the coming months,"
he said.</p>
<p>The spokesman said computer software would be developed to switch the
signs to solely English as the Glider crosses into the east of the
city.</p>
<p>In July, DUP South Belfast MP Emma Little-Pengelly<a href="http://www.irishnews.com/news/2018/09/01/news/emails-show-dup-mp-emma-little-pengelly-s-lobbying-over-glider-bus-stop-1421877/"> raised concerns that a Glider halt on the Albertbridge Road had been named Short Strand</a>.</p></div></div>
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+<br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><br> Harold F. Schiffman<br><br>Professor Emeritus of <br> Dravidian Linguistics and Culture <br>Dept. of South Asia Studies <br>University of Pennsylvania<br>Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305<br><br>Phone: (215) 898-7475<br>Fax: (215) 573-2138 <br><br>Email: <a href="mailto:haroldfs@gmail.com" target="_blank">haroldfs@gmail.com</a><br><a href="http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/" target="_blank">http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/</a> <br><br>-------------------------------------------------</div></div>