V006518 Курсовая работа Английский язык в Ирландии

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION  …...........................................................................................1  

CHAPTER I

The Origin and Development of English in Ireland  …....................................  

1.1. Types of Irish English  …................................................................................3  

1.2. Historical account         …...............................................................................4  

1.3. An outline of attitudes towards the Irish English variety …...........................12

CHAPTER II

Irish English Pronunciation Peculiarities …......................................................

2.1. Vowel system ….............................................................................................15

2.1.1. Long vowels …...........................................................................................15

2.1.2. Diphthongs ….............................................................................................16

2.1.3. Short vowel …............................................................................................17

2.2. Consonants …................................................................................................17

2.4. Prosody ….......................................................................................................22

CONCLUSION …...............................................................................................25

BIBLIOGRAPHY  LIST ….................................................................................26

INTRODUCTION

In the last two centuries English has become a global language. Despite the fact that it is quite difficult to account for the precise number of English speakers, as we should keep in mind that the scope of language acquisition varies from impecable to basic, and thus it can hardly be defined how many people do speak a language, it still can be acknowledged that no less than a quarter of the world`s population speaks English as their first language, second language or foreign tongue. It can be stated that English is the language "on which the sun never sets".

English fortified its positions, becoming a received language of political bodies. Economic and industrial boost at the earlier stages of history made the language sound prestige thus incorporating the English saying: "Money talks". Furthermore, we observe a far more subtle and, consequently, deep influence of English: namely, the cultural impact. We can hear the words sung by John Lennon: "And the world will be as one", and though the message of this song is indisputably noble we still hear the words articulated in English, and this clash between unity and diversity comes to the surface to torture us whether we should sacrifice identity to build the Tower of Babel. Alongside culture, the English language affects everyday life: in a shop in Beijing we can read "pen" on a package along with the Chinese writing which is all Chinese to tourists.

In that way, English appearing in advertising, press, broadcasting, travel and education grips the unprecendented rule over the lion`s share of our globe. Gaining political, economic and cultural power, Great Britain and later the USA expanded their language, which prevailed and even forced out local languages, taking root in the local soil and absorbing its peculiarities, thus acquiring new features and national character.

However, the spread of English as an international language has hardly led to the crisis of linguistic identity, which is the essential part of one's sociocultural and national identity. K. Fox writes: "The principal effect of globalization has been an increase in nationalism and tribalism, a proliferation of struggles for independence, devolution and self-determination and the resurgence of concern about ethnicity and cultural identity in almost all parts of the world, including the so- called United Kingdom. (Fox 2004:14)

That is why it is crucial, while studying Irish English, to take into account a tremendous effect of the Irish language. Professor T.P. Dolan insists that Irish English cannot be placed on the same shelf as, for example, Australian English, American English and other varieties of the English language which developed in the former colonies of Great Britain, as on Irish ground two languages merged together: as he put it, it ‘…means that you have two languages in kind of unruly shotgun marriage together, fighting all the time over the centuries, for syntax, pronunciation, vocabulary, idiom.’ (Amador-Moreno 2008).

This unique specificity of the English language spoken in Ireland makes it an attractive subject for scientific analysis, which will have its theoretical value of making up a comprehensive list of the varieties of the English language as well its practical application of teaching listening comprehension of the numerous accents heard in the English-speaking world.  

The aim of this paper is to give a brief outline of the history of English in Ireland, the linguistic situation in the country  and the features characterizing the pronunciation of this variety as it has been described in the previous studies.

The paper consists of  an introduction, two chapters, conclusion and bibliography list. Chapter I provides a brief account of the history of Irish in terms of its relationship with English. Chapter II describes those peculiarities of Irish English that has been listed in prior studies.

    CHAPTER  I

        THE ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF ENGLISH IN IRELAND

1.1. Types of Irish English

For the  reason described above, some scientists claim that a regular, transparent term ‘Irish English’ may not be applicable to the variety of English in Ireland, as it does not reflect its unique character. Hence a new term: Hiberno-English. Though it is worth mentioning that some authors ascribe to these terms the difference in referent: for example, Rickford (1986) maintains that Hiberno-English is a collective term for all varieties of English in Ireland and that Irish English is restricted to the language of those for whom Irish is their first language.

In the term Hiberno-English the first element derives from Latin 'Hibernia' - 'Ireland'. The label 'Hiberno-English' gained currency in the 1970s as an alternative to Anglo-Irish. Now the difference between Anglo-Irish and HE is considered to be evaluative. HE implies a characteristically Irish version of English and highlights its 'Irishness' - 'Anglo-Irish' presupposes a concentration on how standard British English is pronounced in Ireland and focuses on its Englishness (Joan Rahilly).

The absence of one commonly-received term for the variety of English in Ireland and the neglect of HE in university studies may be attributed to the imposed perception of the Irish accent as something inferior. Moreover, the recognition of HE may seem an act of disloyalty to Irish, as it would produce a new banner for national identification and abandon the Irish language completely.

Speaking about Hiberno-English we, first of all, subdivide it according to the administrative division of the island: Northern and Southern, which also sets historically different outer and inner linguistic factors. For example, the Scottish element, brought over by Ulster Scots, is rather strong in the speech of Northern

Ireland, to say nothing of altogether closer connection between England and this part of the island.

Furthermore, there are two types of Irish English, according to R. Hickey, that are distinguished in terms of time, depth and speaker background: the variant spoken by the elderly rural population, which carries the features of creolisation in the early period of the shift from Irish to English. The second  type is that spoken by a younger urban population, it underwent changes triggered by social factors (this one spoken mostly in Dublin).  

1.2. Historical account

The isle of Ireland, situated in the North Atlantic, close by the greatest colonial power ever, Great Britain, comprises the Republic of Ireland (Irish: Éire), which covers almost five-sixth of the island, and Northern Ireland, which is  part of the United Kingdom. Historically, Ireland has been subdivided into four provinces: Connacht (north-west), Leinster (south-eastern Ireland, which formerly used to include the fifth province, Mearth), Ulster (north-east) and Munster (south-west), the division serves no administrative or political purposes, but is relevant for the studying of culture and language of Ireland. The population of the Republic of Ireland amounts to 4,832,765, and the vast majority worships Roman Catholic religion (84.7%).

The first humans arrived in Ireland between 7,000 and 6,000 BC. In the Stone and Bronze Ages, Ireland was inhabited by Picts in the north and a people called the Erainn in the south, the same stock, apparently, as in all the isles before the Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain. Those were hunters, fishermen and gatherers.  Around the 4th century B.C.  the Celts, or Gaels, arrived from Gaul or Galicia, Western Europe. They subdued and assimilated the inhabitants and established a Gaelic civilization. The Celts were bold warriors, pagans - this proud spirit may have left some echo in the rebel nature of their descendants. What the present Irish definitely inherited is their language which developed into Irish and in its turn modified the English language in Ireland. The Gaels' native tongue, the Celtic language (the term 'Gaelic' is not frequently used in Ireland) pertains to the Q-Celtic group as well as Scottish-Gaelic and Manx-Gaelic.

By the beginning of the Christian Era, Ireland was divided into five kingdoms: Ulster, Connacht, Leinster, Meath, and Munster. In 432 Saint Patrick introduced Christianity, which is an event of great importance in the history of the state: the constant confrontation between Protestants and Catholics affected social issues, including the language. The country developed into a center of Gaelic and Latin learning. Irish monasteries, the equivalent of universities, attracted intellectuals as well as the pious and sent out missionaries to many parts of Europe and, some believe, to North America. Saint Patrick, this pilgrim, and later the country`s patron saint explained the concept of the Blessed Trinity using a shamrock, which eventually became the country's symbol.

In the ninth century Ireland was ravaged by the Scandinavians,  just like the north of England, - by the Danes. These raiders sacked and burned down monasteries, enslaved Celtic people. However, later they settled down, brought over a number of crafts and also got going the trade. The Vikings founded Dublin, the capital of Ireland, as well as the actual culture capital of the country -  Cork -  and such towns as Wexford and Limerick – a place known to all English speakers by quippish poetry. For the absence of wide cultural gap, the Scandinavians assimilated completely with the native Irish population. They adopted Christianity. The language they spoke, Old Norse, had an effect on Irish, mostly in the field of lexis. The name of the country is a combination of the Celtic word ‘Eire’ and the Scandinavian word meaning ‘land’.

At the time the country was pulled to pieces by feud wars: Celtic leaders allied Scandinavian raiders to have the upper hand. In 1014 High King Brian Boru defeated the joint forces of the people of Dublin and the Vikings, though he died in the battle. This victory put an end to the Scandinavian invasion.

During the 11th and the 12th centuries the church of Ireland prospered. In the early and mid 12th  century a united Church was established, bishops became  leaders rather than abbots. The aggravating influence on the population of the local clergy   could not but  appear a thorn in  the side of the English. In 1152 Pope Adrian IV, who happened to be an Englishman, gave the English king, Henry II permission to invade Ireland and put down the church. The first English soldiers landed the island in 1169 and by the end of the century Ireland submitted, though rebellions and movements towards independence never ceased. Since then the English kings granted lands there, imposed reforms and religion, but at the same time through England the country kept up with the scientific, social and cultural progress. The first Irish parliament was called in 1264, though it was represented only by the Anglo-Irish ruling class.

In 1366 the Statutes of Kilkenny, conceived by the Parliament, forbade intermarriages between Anglo-Irish and the native Irish. They were not allowed to speak Celtic or wear Irish dress. However, those attempts to disintegrate the Irish society failed. From the end of the fourteenth century the English control continued to wane until by the middle of the 15th century the English only ruled Dublin and the surrounding area called ‘the Pale’.

As for the language, the development of English in Ireland since the twelfth century has not been continuous. Only the east and south-east coast, the area that was later called the 'Pale', were settled in the late Middle Ages. Dublin, which has already gained the status of capital, was firmly under the English domination, which couldn't but reinforce the position of the English language. However, it became a dominant language only at the stage of early modern period: English competed with Anglo-Norman and, obviously, with quantitatively significant Irish.

When the first settlers from the neighbouring island came to Ireland in the 12th  century they brought basically three languages: Anglo-Norman, a variety of medieval English, Welsh, and, maybe, Flemish. The latter two are of no relevance to the Irish English dialect. The Anglo-Normans were the leaders among the newcomers and the English were mostly their servants, which accounts for the low status of English from the late twelfth to the fourteenth century. As in England, French was the language of legislature, education and established itself in towns. A large number of loan-words in Irish appeared. The Irish language at that time was still quite powerful, even in court proceedings Irish was allowed.

The English nobility who came to the island at that time at length  gained a relative independence from the English crown and identified themselves with the Irish, which can explain the decline of the English language in Ireland in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. It was escalated after the adoption of Protestantism by the British government. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries the English presence spread gradually throughout the entire countryside.

In 1495 under the rule of Henry VII Tudor (1491-1547) Ireland was brought to heel. England extended its rule over all the territory of the country. Ireland became England's first colony. The conquerors looked down on the Irish considering them to be barbarous hicks. This attitude being favourable for the policy of Britain, which was to become the greatest colonial power in the world, was supported by British writers. For example, the English poet Edmund Spenser (1552-1599) made contribution into propagating such views.

Anglo-Irish relations were aggravated due to the religious-based dispute. The infamous Henry VIII, who, but for beheading his wives, was engaged in separating the Church of England from the Papacy, intended to claim himself a head of the Irish Church as well, which sparked off discontent of strong Catholics, who have always constituted the bulk of the Irish population. It aggravated the relationship between the two nations.

In the 1560s under the rule of Queen Elizabeth (1533-1603), after another rebellion in Munster was put down, the so-called English plantations, which are the organized settlements of the Irish landscape, the appropriation of the land from the Irish rebels and granting English nationals with it, fortified. The English finally settled down on the Irish ground. However, every cloud has a silver lining: the English triggered the development of Ireland. For example, in 1592 Elizabeth founded the first university in the country: Trinity College in Dublin.

During the reign of King James I (1603-1625), Protestant settlers in some areas outnumbered the native Irish. Between 1610 and 1613 many English people and Scots settled in Ulster on confiscated land. Many new towns were founded. Catholic schools were closed, and children were to attend Protestant institutions. Thus, the division into Catholic and Protestant reinforced.

During the reign of Charles I, a new group of settlers came, which provided fresh linguistic input. This input is regarded by Alan Bliss as the seed of modern Irish English.

Though in the sixteenth century the plantation of Munster was failed mainly because of the rebellion of 1598,  in the seventeenth century the English reinforced their claim. Under Oliver Cromwell the Irish were pushed further west which led to increasing anglicisation. Cromwell was determined to crush Irish resistance and impose Protestantism on Ireland. In 1653-1654 another plantation took place.  Large tracts of fertile land owned by Catholics were confiscated and redistributed among Cromwell's soldiers and Scottish colonists, displacing many families, and increasing the level of poverty and a feeling of bitter offence among the local population.