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The Irish language and English have been in contact in Ireland, under varying conditions and in varying relations,for over 800 years. The resulting Systems of cross-linguistic phonological influence have yet to be studied in detail, but it is gener ally assumed that some kind oftransfer has taken place.
Looking at studies of traditional dialectfrom the mid-twentieth Century, it becomes possible to test a hypothesis that cross-linguistic convergence has taken place through local, cross-dialectal convergence, with the assumption that thepatterns of Irish dialect geography wouldbe reflectedin the dialectal patterns of Irish English. On this assumption, though the historical province of Ulster plays a distinct role in Irish dialectology, the state border that separates the Republic of Ireland from the six counties of Northern Ireland would have little relevance for dialect distribution, since this border postdates the establishment of Irish dialectal patterns and does not follow any natural border that coincides with a dialect border. Examination of phonological variables in Irish and English shows relatively little direct transfer of Irish dialect patterns into English, and still less of a role for the political border. It is suggested, however, that the difference in Status of the Irish language on bot h sides ofthe border may in time have a divergent effect at the level of Standard language and second-language learning.
