If what they spoke was Irish, I'd be all for it. But, for the vast majority, it seems that it's mostly just "English in Irish drag", to quote Ó Bearra. They're not thinking through Irish, but translating English into Irish, often using English syntax and idiom. There was a list of studies here a while back as well, detailing Gaeilscoil v. Gaeltacht Irish, which confirmed this association.


The fact that, as mentioned in the article, they often shy away from interacting with those they deem 'more fluent' proves the point to me. Doubly so the fact that there's 'fluent speakers' who are raising their kids with Irish, yet who can't understand the native speakers on RnaG.

If the only Irish that exists is that as spoken by learners... well, I won't call myself an Irish speaker. We really need to open up and realize that there's essentially two languages at this point. The article here, originally written for Hawai'ian, has a lot of parallels with the current Irish situation.

Ní thuigfidh mé go deo na daoiní atá ag foghlaim teangtha agus nach bhfuil ag iarraidh labhairt ar nós na gcainteoirí dúchais. Cha dtarlann a leithéid ach i gcás cuid do na teangthacha mionlaigh (gheibhthear a leithéidí sa Bhriotáin fosta, mar shompla). Ní bhfuighfeá foghlaimeoir Seapáinise ar bith, mar shompla, a déarfadh "tá mé ag foghlaim Seapáinise ach níl mé ag iarraidh labhairt mar Sheapánach ar chor ar bith". Nó a déarfadh "tá mé ag foghlaim Seapáinise ach níl mé ag iarraidh labhairt le Seapánaigh, cha labhraim Seapáinis ach le foghlaimeoirí eile", nó a déarfadh "cha dtuigim na Seapánaigh agus is cuma liom, labhraimsa Seapáinis Bhaile Átha Cliath/Londain/Phárais srl".

Tá cuma amaideach ar na ráitis seo, ach má deirtear iad ó thaobh na Gaeilg dó, is cosúil go nglactar leofa gan fadhb ar bith...

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Is fearr Gaeilg na Gaeltaċta ná Gaeilg ar biṫ eile
Agus is í Gaeilg Ġaoṫ Doḃair is binne

Ni thuigim féin é, is fadhb chasta é cinnte. Tá scaradh idir Gaeilge na Gaeltachta agus Gaeilge na ndaoiní eile. Tá Gaelscoileanna ag oscailt ar fud na tíre. Cá háit as a dtagann na múinteoirí uile a múineann iontu? Cad é caighdeán a gcuid Gaeilge? Bhí an t-ádh liom féin gur tháinig cuid mhór des na múinteoirí i mo bhunscoil féin as Gaeltachtaí (cé nár contae Gaeltachta in ao' chur é mo chontae féin), ach caithfidh nach bhfuil go leor daoibh sa tír dos na Gaelscoileanna atá á n-oscailt anois?

Caithfear meon measa a bheith ann ag baint leis an dteanga dúchais agus cainteoirí dhúchasacha. Agus conas fiú amháin an meon seo a chur cinn, a scapadh? Conas is féidir fiú amháin é sin a thosnú? Ní hamhaín go mba cheart Gaeilge a bheith á labhairt ag daoiní, ach Gaeilge mhaith nádúrtha, de chaighdeán maith.

N'fheadar