Many Irish-Americans feel like outsiders when the topic turns to the Irish language. This collection of essays will inform them of the history of the language in America, the role this language plays in Irish-American identity, and the best way to go about learning it. The sociolinguistic essays concentrate on Irish as an American ethnic language, including interviews with native Irish speakers in the United States today, surveys of Irish usage, and an examination of letters by immigrants back to Ireland in the nineteenth century. Applied linguistic essays describe the Irish language student population in the United States, survey materials and methods used to teach Americans, and tell the story of one Irish language teacher in California whose work has led to great personal satisfaction and considerable Irish-American group solidarity. This is the first major work in English on the Irish language in America.
The first major work in English on the Irish language in the United States, this work combines historical perspective, sociolinguistic analysis and essays from the grassroots language movement to provide an unprecedented portrait of a little-known American ethnic language.
Idhe was a student of applied linguistics at Trinity College in Dublin, and though he spoke several languages adeptly, he could not for the life of him master Irish. He wondered if he had some deficiency, if the language was innately difficult, if the teaching techniques were faulty, or what else might be wrong. He started writing to everyone he could think of in the US asking for their experiences and perspectives. The most informative responses comprise this anthology. Among the topics are the history of the Irish language in America, Irish as an ethnic language, methods and results of teaching, letters from Ireland, and the Irish Mass. Includes a glossary without pronunciation. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.
