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I was wondering if there are any people who only speak Irish (but not English or any other language) in either Ireland itself, North Ireland, or elsewhere?
I know for instance, even speaking Irish very fluently at all, let alone as a mother tongue or as one's only language is rare, but does it still exist? Are some older communities still left somewhere in the countryside, or are they a thing of the past?
I was wondering if there are any people who only speak Irish (but not English or any other language) in either Ireland itself, North Ireland, or elsewhere?
I know for instance, even speaking Irish very fluently at all, let alone as a mother tongue or as one's only language is rare, but does it still exist? Are some older communities still left somewhere in the countryside, or are they a thing of the past?
Does anyone have statistics on this?
I would bet you could count on one hand the number of people in Ireland who exclusively speak irish - gaeilge
perhaps on one of the islands of the west coast , only 5% of the population are fluent in irish , im presently trying to learn the language as ive never been fluent and have forgotten most of what I learned in school
Quite a few use Irish as their primary language in day to day life, and some are less than fluent in English, but the number with very limited or no knowledge of English at all? Probably a few dozen old people in the remote parts of the country.
Sad when you think about it, it must be a cool language. I know someone from Wales and her language is similar I suppose, weird but interesting sound and some very long words
Sad when you think about it, it must be a cool language. I know someone from Wales and her language is similar I suppose, weird but interesting sound and some very long words
Irish and Scots Gaelic are nearly the same. Welsh is a different language. But I think all these languages need to be saved. They are part of the country's history.
Irish and Scots Gaelic are nearly the same. Welsh is a different language. But I think all these languages need to be saved. They are part of the country's history.
Yes, but people actually have to use a language, there is no point in a museum language.
Found this shocking statement on the Wiki page on endangered languages:
"The general consensus is that there are between 6000 and 7000 languages currently spoken, and that between 50-90% of those will have become extinct by the year 2100."
Yes, but people actually have to use a language, there is no point in a museum language.
Found this shocking statement on the Wiki page on endangered languages:
"The general consensus is that there are between 6000 and 7000 languages currently spoken, and that between 50-90% of those will have become extinct by the year 2100."
Yes, they do need to be used by native speakers. I believe Irish is a requirement in schools. In Scotland there are many schools that teach Gaelic and in areas including the Outer Hebrides people are bilingual.
Yes, but people actually have to use a language, there is no point in a museum language.
Found this shocking statement on the Wiki page on endangered languages:
"The general consensus is that there are between 6000 and 7000 languages currently spoken, and that between 50-90% of those will have become extinct by the year 2100."
Yep, and the vast majority of people today speak about two dozen. Most of those 6-7 thousand are spoken by a few thousand, a few hundred or even a handful or one person. While it's impossible to imagine English going extinct (especially because of the sheer bulk of published literature) who knows what it might evolve into, if human civilisation lasts that long.
Yep, and the vast majority of people today speak about two dozen. Most of those 6-7 thousand are spoken by a few thousand, a few hundred or even a handful or one person. While it's impossible to imagine English going extinct (especially because of the sheer bulk of published literature) who knows what it might evolve into, if human civilisation lasts that long.
The Internet, globalization, and the migration into cities are achieving what thousands of years of warring have not achieved
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