Changing Attitudes Towards Syntactic Vernacular Structures of Irish English: an Investigation

Abstract

Irish English vernacular features represent an expression of Irish culture and heritage of the complex history of the country. Yet the syntactical structures contained within Irish English, which are different from standard British English, are often removed from speech. The relationship between the languages of English and Irish has been complex throughout history, and their contact has contributed to forging Irish English. In my dissertation I propose to analyze the historical background behind the above mentioned contact, and to describe some of the most salient features of Irish English. I will then proceed to consider the results of Raymond Hickey’s A Survey of Irish English Usage, which was carried out in 2004, and I will then compare his findings to a survey I counducted in 2015, paying attention to the changing patterns displayed in the results. In the analysis the roles played by gender and age ranges in the perception of vernacular structures will be considered. I will then investigate further by evaluating a batch of surveys I carried out in an Irish primary school, in an attempt to pinpoint the inception of this linguistic awareness and attitudes. I will finish by presenting my conclusion that age, gender, the role played by the educational system, and contact through social media and international contexts plays a role in the development of linguistic attitudes towards Irish English.