ciarÁn lenoach

PhD Student
Email:  c.lenoach1nuigalway.ie

Background and Qualifications

I have just completed a masters degree in language planning (MA sa Phleanáil Teanga) in Acadamh na Ollscolaíochta Gaeilge. My areas of study were primarily linguistics, sociolinguistics, language discourse and the language-planning process. The title of my mini-thesis is Dioscúrsa na Gaeilge Iarthraidisiúnta ( The Discourse of Post-Traditional Irish). In it I critically appraise the various academic analyses of developments in the spoken language of the Gaeltacht since 1960. Much of the academic discourse concerning changes in the acquisition of Irish since that time tends to be of a superficial nature and devoid of comprehensive fieldwork. The evidence gathered by a minority of scholars however points to the conclusion that the type of societal bilingualism prevalent in the Gaeltacht is subtractive in nature and has led to the attrition and incomplete acquisition of Irish, particulary in those born since 1990, and to rapid and ongoing language shift. International scholarship concerning the dynamics of the minority / majority language context largely supports this conclusion.

My current research project will continue this theme and will focus on gathering evidence of the reduced or incomplete language acquisition and the subsequent language development of the native speaker of Irish at various stages, beginning at a very young age. My aim is to analyse the material gathered (lexicon, phonology, morphology, syntax, calquing, code-switching) from a sociolinguistic perspective and ultimately to suggest areas of remedial action and intervention, be they in the home, at school or in other social contexts. It is hoped that such suggestions will be of particular value to educationalists and to those responsible for drafting curricula and the academic attainment of young Irish speakers. 

Publications

'Dioscúrsa na Gaeilge Iarthraidisiúnta' Paper given at Scoil Earraigh Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge, Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh. 1 February 2010.

'An Ghaeilge Iarthraidisiúnta agus a Dioscúrsa' (forthcoming 2011).

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