Recently I read the book The Tipping Point (ISBN 0-316-31696-2) which is a fascinating study of how little things can make a big difference. The book's author, Malcolm Gladwell, covers many subjects in his book, ranging from the amazing return of Hush Puppy shoes to Paul Revere's successful midnight run and it's effect on the American Revolution, to controlling epidemics in urban areas. I would recommend the book to anyone interested in how major trends, fashions, etc. can be brought about by some very well identified factors that are covered in this book.

The reason I'm mentioning this book is in regard to the factors discussed in the book and their possible application to creating a resurgence in the Irish language. That is, are there certain factors that can be brought into play, as clearly and convincingly discussed in The Tipping Point that will cause the Irish language to become in widespread use in many, if not all, aspects of the lives of the Irish people?

Here's a wikipedia link about the book to give an idea of what's covered in the book.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tipping_Point_%28book%29

A Mhic a chara,

The first thing that comes to mind as a way to encourage the use of the language is to revamp the educational system and make it so Irish is taught in a more effective and appealing way. But better than that would be to make all schools Irish medium as we've discussed numerous times.

Beir bua agus beannacht

I haven't read "The Tipping Point", but I have read Gladwell's "Blink" which came out last year sometime...

It seems that he is a fan of the choas theory and how something so small and insignificant can cause a series of events which lead to a huge outcomes.

Using the ideas from the link you gave I would say the "stickiness" and maybe the "new product cycle" concepts might be a very useful tools for the language.

It is no secret that people model themselves off of what they perceive as being attractive. For instance, all things being equal...why do we have to wear the latest fashions, why do we have to have the latest technologies, why do we buy name brand items when their generic conterparts are cheaper...and the list goes on and on...

Because for some reason we were given the impression that these items or whatever were better (more attractive) than the others. This is usually done through positive media and marketing...a pair of jeans is just a pair of jeans, however, you put them on model having a good time and now they have magically become super jeans.

If this concept is true...could we not little by little use it to create an attractive image for Irish? For instance, what if the number of those sexy models, actors, athletes, and performers starting speaking a little Irish here and a little Irish there. Not all Irish speaking, but just enough to get the point across they they like and use the language. Then all those people who model themselves off of these people might start thinking..."hey if they do it, maybe I will too?"

As for the "new product cycle" I think understanding this concept could help with issues facing the educational system. By understanding the introduction of new learning strategies and more importantly new technological teaching methods...we may begin to understand the reaction the students are having with these new methods and might start producing more productive results.

In truth, I think I would go with the media introduction method because I think it would have the most widespread affect on the people due to the media being the most influential factors in today's society.

"If this concept is true...could we not little by little use it to create an attractive image for Irish? For instance, what if the number of those sexy models, actors, athletes, and performers starting speaking a little Irish here and a little Irish there. Not all Irish speaking, but just enough to get the point across they they like and use the language. Then all those people who model themselves off of these people might start thinking..."hey if they do it, maybe I will too?" "--GAVIN

A few years ago there was a speaker at one of the Daltai weekends at Esopus. He was a journalist (I believe) from Ireland and he spoke on this very subject. Essentially, he was saying that in order for Irish to become resurrected, it needs to become "cool". I'll see if I can find his piece on the internet and provide a link.

I know its not a new concept...but it is one that is not being exploited in my thinking.

Scriobh Gavin: In truth, I think I would go with the media introduction method because I think it would have the most widespread affect on the people due to the media being the most influential factors in today's society

Gavin, you've made some good points above in your post, but in regard to the media method, I think the world is 'a changing.' My daughter, who recently graduated from a business school (NYU/Stern), has told me that there's an entirely new way that companies market their products, especially to younger folks. They use word-of-mouth techniques and "gurus," etc.

A James, your point about "cool" is important. Along with Gavin's idea about getting popular people involved in promoting the language seems to hold much promise.

If y'all get a chance, read The Tipping Point and I think you'll get a good idea of the many ways and people that can come into play to bring about large-scale change.

P.S. I don't work for any book publisher; maybe you can borrow the book from your local library.

I think another important component would be to make Irish more economically viable. Why do so many Americans want to learn Spanish, because it is going to score you lots of points with most all employers. People generally learn Spanish because it is very viable and sought after in the job market. If there was a way to make Irish a desirable skill at work I garentee more people would pay more attention to learning it.

Beir bua agus beannacht

It really doesn't have to be popular people...although a good spokesperson is worth their stones in gold ;0)

Take your favorite type of television show...Ireland is like everywhere else in that they have dramas, comedies, news, ect....

But what has happened with the Irish language and television? Why do they feel the need to divide mainstream television and the Irish language?

Now yes it is true that there are shows coming from other countries...and one would not expect these shows to be put into Irish. However, is it so much to ask for regular Irish language programming on the channels most watched in Ireland from time to time? And if this is too much to ask...then how about commercials in Irish during prime time television?

Commercials are great strategy for the language, they are short, they are simple to following (usually), they are promoting Irish, they are promoting business, and most important...commercials are a lot cheaper to make than a regular television show and won't get in the way of the shows that the people want to watch!!! That's good for eveyone involved.

Also, they allow for celebrities to make their mark without having to commit to anything serious. Which is good for them and even better for the language.

Like Gladwell was saying in "The Tipping Point" it is the little things which start the big changes.

The great majority of people living in Ireland have no interest in the language and see it as "an obstacle " to get over to complete their education up to leaving secondary level.Our "Dear Leaders" Prime Minister and President are mono-lingual and can only read out Irish , They cannot certainly hold a simple conversation with a member of the "minority speakers" of Irish.Our President has to have Summer School in Irish in order to brush up on "Our Native Tongue".
The language is being taught by people who cannot speak the language and who only have a "Cúpla Focal".There are many like me who are Native speakers who hold degrees in other subjects and because we did our courses outside Ireland and did not do Irish we cannot teach it.The only way to teach the language is through the spoken word and not to teach it with aides with half in English / half in Irish.Afterall the Native Americans learned English by "Compulsion " and the "Forbidding of their Native Language" similarly for the Aboriginals in the Land Down Under.But we are more "Civilized and PC" and would rather let our unique tongue go into extinction.

Riona sorry to sound critical but Ireland dosen't have enough proficient Irish speakers to teach all schools through Irish.Added to this not everyone would even want that.I believe its around 5% at present but the demand is increasing all the time.
Spanish I believe at the rate it is increasing will actually be a threat to the English languages dominance in America. So naturally people would want to learn it. You cant in my opinion compare that to Irish.

Mary Macaleese speaks Irish, though she did learn it as an adult. Burtie on the other hand ...

A Ghavin I like your points about commercials and how they would be a good way to get Irish floating around on channels other than TG4 without disrupting everyone's programming.

My TG4 programming goals:
They need to produce a Survivor-like show that features Irish-speakers surviving on some island and competing in challenges and voting each other out. The first season could be filmed on the Inishkias or some other uninhabited islands off the Irish coast and the whole show would be in Irish.
And they need to dub Star Trek the Next Generation into Irish and show it.

If I lived in Ireland that is what I'd want to be watching.

Beir bua agus beannacht

quote:

They need to produce a Survivor-like show

done. but the irish language scene is a bit small, so programmes like these tend to be slightly incestuous.

And in fairness to our president, she received all her education in the six counties, and therefore didn't even get the smattering of irish those in the 26 counties do.

But when she became president, she knuckled down, got a tutor, and is now fluent.

Wait a minute a Aonghuis, you are saying that they already made a Survivor show? Tell me about it le do thoil.

And to the unregistered guest, I know that there aren't enough people in Ireland interested in making all schools Irish medium but I still think that would be the best thing in the long run. It wouldn't happen all at once of course. If it was done little by little than new teachers and those already teaching would have lots of time to get their Irish up to speed. This may be considered radical but I like the idea. Now we just have to convince everyone in Ireland that it is a good idea, and that won't be easy. :(.

Beir bua agus beannacht

So looks like we've already discussed some aspects of how The Tipping Point concepts can be applied to the resurgence of the Irish language. I think some of the examples so far discussed touch on Mavens (fluent speakers as pointed out by Mickrua), salespersons and connectors (celebrities, political figures as pointed out by Gavin and James). Another factor that Riona's touched upon and that I think is important is the stickiness factor, and here's an excerpt from the Wikipedia summary:

quote:

Chapter 3: The Stickiness Factor: Sesame Street, Blue’s Clues, and the Educational Virus
Another crucial factor that plays a key role in determining whether a trend will attain exponential popularity is what Gladwell terms “the stickiness factor.” This refers to a unique quality that compels the phenomenon to “stick” in the minds of the public and influence their future behavior.

An interesting element of stickiness, as defined by Gladwell, is the fact that it is often counterintuitive, or contradictory to the prevailing conventional wisdom. To illustrate this point, Gladwell undertakes an in-depth discussion of the evolution of children’s television between the 1960s and the 2000s.

The PBS show Sesame Street represented a vast improvement in the “stickiness” of children’s television, in large part because it turned many of the long-established assumptions about children’s cognitive abilities and television-watching behaviors on their heads. These changes, based in large part on extensive research, resulted in a show that actually helped toddlers and preschoolers develop literacy.

Years later, the television show Blue’s Clues applied many of these same techniques to Sesame Street itself, resulting in the development of a program that research has shown can generate significant improvements in children’s logic and reasoning abilities. The attribute of stickiness, Gladwell argues, often represents a dramatic divergence from the conventional wisdom of the era

The complete summary can be found at:

http://wikisummaries.org/The_Tipping_Point#Chapter_1:_The_Three_Rules_of_Epidemi cs

http://www.tg4.ie/inte/deich/media/si-sos.wmv

Few years ago, called S.O.S, didn't watch it.

Tá an saol ró ghearr do reality tv.

I am not sure there are too many children shows made by Ireland? The last time I was there...when I flipped through the channels the majority of the children's shows that I saw were shows like "Sponge Bob Square Pants" and other shows from the US and Japan...

I know they recently came out with "Dora the Exlporer" in Irish which I think is a good thing because I know it is very popular here in the States for teaching Spanish to children. I think they are trying to do the same for Irish, but again...original Irish language shows would be more ideal to me.

Children are a good source to apply the "stickiness concept" from the book because they are the most impressionable people who will fall victim to it. Like I said, people have been exploiting children for years to get their way.

As for the President...I have to agree with Aonghus that we can't be be too hard on her past and should be concentrating on the fact that she as Aonghus pointed out "she knuckled down, got a tutor, and is now fluent..." If she can do it, so can the rest of us...

Also, the Spanish situation is slowing down in the United States...immigration both legal and non has severely slowed down in the past five years. The explosion of Spanish speakers was a result of the explosion of Spanish speaking people who entered the country and not into our school systems. In the last US census projection the Spanish only person tended to be 25 years and older without US education.

The only reason I bring this up is because it sort of relates to the topic...we exploited the fact that the children of these immigrants both legal and non, could be raised truly bilingual because of the enforced English language education they receive while living in their mostly Spanish speaking world. While they may speak whatever they want, they are truly functional in both languages. And that is a serious plus.

Going with a gradual introduction as proposed by most of us here...maybe the same type of approach could be applied to the Irish schools and allow for a truly bilingual children to start emerging.

Children (ages 0-19) make up roughly 29% of the total population of Ireland. If one wanted to apply the concepts of "The Tipping Point" for change, their best results are going to be in these age ranges. It is a lot easier to address this impressionable 30% of the total population, than it it is to address the other 70% who are more set in their ways and are going to fight every change they see as a threat or attack against them for not being Irish speakers.

http://historical-debates.oireachtas.ie/S/0148/S.0148.199607260004.html

This is kind of boring until you get down toward the bottom where Professor Lee takes over "as gaeilge". He (she?) addresses this issue of the "cool" factor and the impact it might have on the youth of Ireland. Of even more interest is the fact that most of the parliament had no idea what Professor Lee said!

McAleese deserves respect maidir leis an nGaeilge i mo thuairim.

And in response to Gaeilge becoming "cool" i think it's been going in that direction for some years now..

Cumann Gaelacha in the larger colleges promote it vibrantly..
Tg4 do it with Hector, Paisean Faisean etc etc
Raidió na Life, athdhearadh ar Lá&Foinse, Siopaí selling for example "Déanta in Eirinn" hoodies etc also help


It's far from being considered cool but it's on the right track..

A Aonghuis, that website didn't work on my computer but I imagine that if they did a Survivor show my way then it would be very successful :)

Beir bua agus beannacht

True...the groups you mentioned have been working very hard to put a positive spin on the language, and they deserve credit for all they have done.

However, the problem I have with groups like TG4 and RNAG is that while they are improving all the time...they still remain rather isolated from the general public's eye. What good is having great radio and television shows if no one bothers to turn to that channel? Some people might avoid these groups on purpose because they know they are associated with "Irish."

Paisean Faisean and Síle both with their contempory shows and attractive (at least I think so) presenters...have a very good chance to make it in the prime time slots on the other channels. I have watched a few of the episodes and I really liked what I saw, however, there is a good majority of Ireland who don't even know they they are on the air...and that is part of the problem.

Ladz, níl aon seans a bheidh Gaeilg ag fás i gcéad bhliain i nÉireann...

"And in response to Gaeilge becoming "cool" i think it's been going in that direction for some years now.. "

Bíonn sí fionnuar, is dócha...fionnuar mar caillíonn sí a fuil - cainteoirí duchachais 'is régiúna na Gaeilge.

Still, bíonn an corp ag rá, fós!

"McAleese deserves respect maidir leis an nGaeilge i mo thuairim."


Cén fáth? Deireann sí as a tóin, ah stop

Níor bhuail mé féin leí ach tá sé ráite liom ag roinnt mhaith daoine go bhfuil paisean agus grá aici don chultúr gaelach, bíonn sí ag freastal ar go leor imeachtaí Gaeilge agus cé nach bhfuil dualgas uirthi maidir leis an nGaeilge labhraíonn agus foghlaíonn sí í.

As the Gaeltachtaí get weaker, the galltachtaí get stronger, sin a déarfainnse.

Agus tá gach seans ann go mbeidh fás ann i gceann 100 bliain. Ní psychic thú!

(Message edited by domhnall on January 02, 2007)

i think all busniess should be required to have everything in gaeilge and english in small letter. i think this will help the day to day irish conversation

Agus, nuair a thosaíonn do ghúm a' rith, tosóaidh na daoine 'ag squintáil'! Ar aon chaoi, bíonn a lán gró idir lucht sa fhoirm 'comhrá'

Scríobh Gavin: If one wanted to apply the concepts of "The Tipping Point" for change, their best results are going to be in these age ranges [children 0-19].

Nóta maith, a Gavin. Feadar gurb é sin thuas sampla faoi "The Law of the Few." Ach, sa cás sin, The Law of the Many Few" (Sounds like an oxymoron )

From the link above:

The Law of the Few. Those with the skill sets described above have disproportionate influence over the spread of social phenomena, and without their aid, such dissemination is unlikely ever to occur.

FRC-GRMA

Na Gaeilgeoirí fionnuara....

http://www.snag.ie/

I think the real trick here is to make people earnestly want to learn the Irish language. I won't even begin to claim that I know what the general opinion of the Irish people is tword the language but I can offer this observation. I grew up on the border of Idaho, USA and B.C Canada. As a result I had several friends that were from Canada. They were forced to learn French in school as a pre-requisite to graduation. This did not make for a bilingual nation as was probably hoped for by the Canadian government. What I saw was a whole bunch of people that HATED the french language and the Government in Quebec that made them study it.

I like the idea of using influencial people to promote the language in a "fashionable" way. The trick would be making sure it was fashionable and not just a fad.

Scríobh Newbie: I like the idea of using influencial people to promote the language in a "fashionable" way.

I thought I'd interject Tipping-Point terms at times during this thread for reference's sake. I think Newbie's point above would fall under the category "salesmenpersons"

quote:

Salesmen are charismatic people with powerful negotiation skills. They exert "soft" influence rather than forceful power. Their source of influence may be the tendency of others, subconsciously, to imitate them rather than techniques of conscious persuasion.

Newbie, FYI. Canada - including Creston and Kingsgate B.C. - is offically Bilingual, English and French. It's a Federal Law ( from Ottawa ) not a Provincial law ( from Quebec city ). Somewhat like Belgium and probably Ireland?

Ultán: I apologize for the reference of the Canadian Government being in Quebec. I should have known better. Brain cramp I guess.