[lg policy] IRL: Walsh urges halving Irish language budget

[Jeffrey Kallen]

In some ways this article is not particularly remarkable. Periodically there are
people in Ireland who will call for reducing or eliminating Irish as a
compulsory school subject, often claiming that they do so BECAUSE they love the
language: it should be studied only by people who want to study it, not by
everyone. I would say that such arguments are either fallacious or insincere
(depending on one's actual level of commitment to maintaining Irish as a
national language), but that's another story.

What caught my eye is the following, which is a statement praising the value of
studying mathematics instead of Irish. The view quoted is that

"It is more important than some of the other individual languages because it is
analytical. It is not language-based or learning-based but thinking-based. We
need these skills to build the smart economy,"

And here's the rub. To put forward mathematics as 'analytical' and
'thinking-based' in opposition to language shows an astonishing
misunderstanding of what language actually is. What, indeed, could be more
analytical or thinking-based than language itself?

How, in terms of public debate, can such arguments be countered? I'm sure
they're not unique to Ireland, so perhaps others have some suggestions. I for
one would like to see campaigns which argue that too much mathematics is taught
in schools and that children need to learn more languages in order to sharpen
their cognitive and social skills -- but I suspect that won't happen. Any
suggestions appreciated!

Jeff Kallen
Trinity College Dublin



Quoting Harold Schiffman <hfsclpp at gmail.com>:

> Forwarded From:  edling at lists.sis.utsa.edu
>
>
> Irish Independent
>
>
>
> Walsh urges halving Irish language budget
>
>
>
> The amount of time spent teaching Irish in schools should be slashed
> and 'smart economy' subjects such as maths, science or even Chinese
> should be taught instead, according to an influential educator.
>
>
>
> Full story:
>
>
http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/walsh-urges-halving-irish-language-budget-2382982.html
>


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