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The Daltaí Boards » Archive: 1999-2004 » 2004 (January-March) » Indo criticising Irish language again! « Previous Next »

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Diarmo
Posted on Wednesday, February 18, 2004 - 08:31 am:   Edit Post Print Post

Me no parlez any foreign languages very good
It will come as no surprise to many of us who have spent long afternoons
trying to stay awake in class while a teacher drones on in a language we
can't understand, that sometimes the way this country teaches its children
languages leaves a lot to be desired.

But, we were always told, it would be good for our business careers - those
of us who got one, that is.

So kudos to the Mater Dei Institute's Dr Kevin Williams who must rank as
the first educator to actually admit that spending five years being force-
fed a language has less than spectacular effects.

Williams said yesterday: "We should not be surprised at the lack of
positive outcomes from teaching a foreign language four or five times a
week to pupils in a classroom where the language receives no reinforcement
in the children's family or community."

So given that information, it should come as no surprise that, despite 14
years of compulsory Irish, only a tiny minority have anything more than a
rudimentary grasp of their native language.

After all, when at least half the population are quite prepared to look at
the likes of Sile Ni Seoige speaking Irish on TG4, surely it's
counterproductive to shovel Peig at pupils like some linguistic equivalent
of foie gras?

Ian O'Doherty

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Risteárd
Posted on Wednesday, February 18, 2004 - 09:56 am:   Edit Post Print Post

How is that criticising the Irish language itself?

My impression is that the writer is criticising the teaching of Irish and foreign languages in Ireland and making the point that teaching these languages in school without any reinforcement outside is a waste of time. He has a point.

Another issue is that there is something particularly wrong with the teaching of Irish in our schools, given that most teenagers leave school more proficient in French (say) after 5 years of study, than in Irish after 13 or 14 years. I know that was the case with me and my peers.

Further, the prominent position of "Peig" in the Leaving Cert curriculum (to the detriment of excellent novels like "Fiche Bliain ag Fás") surely had a role to play in turning people off the language?

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Fear na mBróg
Posted on Wednesday, February 18, 2004 - 02:44 pm:   Edit Post Print Post

Níl aon rud faoi Pheig san Ardteist i mbliana.

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OCG
Posted on Wednesday, February 18, 2004 - 11:39 pm:   Edit Post Print Post

A Fhir na mBróg,

Ar bhain siad Peig as an gcurriculum? Táim cinnte gur bean lách ab ea í ach ní maith liom a leabhar ar chor ar bith.

Sílim gur cheart nach raibh an Ghaeilge riachtanach mar ábhar scoile sna Meánscoileanna mar déanann ní féidir ábhar a mhúineadh d'éinne nach bhfuil suim acu agus déanann an mí-oideas seo an iomarca dochair don Ghaeilge. Bíonn go leor daoine fásta glan in éadan na Gaeilge tar éis cuig bhlian curtha amú ag foghlaim teanga nach bhfuil suim dá laghad acu intí. Tá seans ann go mbeadh níos mó daoine fásta ag foghlaim muna raibh an drochthaithí seo acu cheana.

BTW, the guy in the Indo is NOT criticising Irish, he's criticising the way it's forced on people who don't want to learn it. I think he's right, frankly. If we only taught Irish in secondary school to kids who chose to study it we would at least avoid the outright hostility which many adults bear towards the language. It's time this nonsense came to an end, measaim féin.

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Fear na mBróg
Posted on Thursday, February 19, 2004 - 09:25 am:   Edit Post Print Post

Gaeilge na hArdteiste:

An teanga ise féin ( ie. stór focal, gramadach )
Dánta
Scéalta
Gearrscéalta
Stair na Gaeilge

I Stair na Gaeilge, tá rogha agat labhairt faoi Pheig chun do chuid eolais faoin stair a léiriú.

Is ábhar riachtanach í Gaeilge sna meánscoileanna agus is ceart! An bhfoghlaimíonn tú Gaeilge i gceart, brathann sé sín ar an múinteoir, ach go fóill, is aoibhinn gur ábhar riachtanach í Gaeilge sna meánscoileanna!

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