“BALBH I DHÁ THEANGA”, SPEECHLESS IN TWO LANGUAGES: THE SEARCH FOR AN ACADEMIC VOICE

Socio­Cultural Context of Writing

“BALBH I DHÁ THEANGA”, SPEECHLESS IN TWO LANGUAGES: THE SEARCH FOR AN ACADEMIC VOICE AMONG BILINGUAL IRISH­ENGLISH SPEAKERS

Siobhra Aiken

National College of Ireland, Galway, Ireland.

Although 1.77 million of the Irish population claim to speak Irish, the future of the language is continually threatened by the global dominance of English. A 2014 study of language acquisition among young children in the ​ Gaeltachtaí​ , or Irish speaking areas, shows that even children whose first language is Irish have a higher cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP) in English (Péterváry ​ et al. 2014). The anxiety evoked by this uneven bilingualism can result in Irish speakers becoming, in the words of poet Máire Mhac an tSaoi, “speechless in two languages.” The Academic Writing Centre in the National College of Ireland, Galway is the only centre in Ireland which caters for academic writing in the Irish language. This paper will draw on my own experience as a peer tutor and highlight the challenges that face both native and non­native speakers in finding their academic voice. Given than academic writing is “no one’s mother tongue” (Bourdieu ​ et al. 1994), I will demonstrate how the bilingual skills of English­Irish speakers can be transferred to an academic context. In addition, while English is increasingly the lingua franca of academia, the production of a corpus of dynamic scholarly writing in Irish is crucial for the credibility and future of the language. Fledging Irish language scholars are thus, to borrow K. David Harrison’s term, “language warriors” (2010), and I will demonstrate how this definite sense of identity among minority language speakers should be channelled to enhance their academic writing.

References

Péterváry, T., Ó Curnáin, B., Ó Giollagáin, C. and Sheahan, J. (2014) ​ Iniúchadh ar an gCumas Dátheangach, An sealbhú teanga i measc ghlúin óg na Gaeltachta/ Analysis of Bilingual Competence, Language acquisition among young people in the Gaeltacht.

Available at: http://www.cogg.ie/wp­content/uploads/iniuchadh­ar­an­gcumas­datheangach.pdf [Downloaded: 15 January 2015].

Ní Uigín, D. (2013) ‘An Litearthacht Acadúil agus an Fhéiniúlacht Acadúil: Cás­Staidéar ar an Ionad Scríbhneoireachta Acadúla in Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh’, Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh. Léann Teanga : an Reiviú : Gaillimh : OEG. Available at: http://leannteangaanreiviu.oegaillimh.ie/sites/g/files/g993166/f/201305/LéannTeanga­AnReiviú_2013_07_An %20Litearthacht%20Acadúil%20agus%20an%20Fhéiniúlacht%20Acadúil.pdf​ [Accessed 15 January 2015].

Bourdieu, P, Passeron, J.P, and de Saint Martin, M. (1994) ​ Academic discourse : linguistic misunderstanding and professorial power. ​ Cambridge: Polity Press.

K. Harrison (2010) ​ The last speakers : the quest to save the world's most endangered languages. Washington, D.C. : National Geographic.