Acceso usuarios
Helena Ní Ghearáin
This article analyses the findings of a study which investigated the hypothesis—based thus far on anecdotal evidence—that Irish speakers in traditional Gaeltacht areas do not accept official terminology planning, both in terms of their language practices and beliefs. While the findings provide some qualitative support for the hypothesis, in providing an insight into the language dynamics of the community, the complexity of the issue is revealed and it is argued that it cannot be reduced to a simple conclusion of ‘non-acceptance’. Informants’ terminology choices were shown to be influenced by societal norms governing language behaviour in various domains. However, the findings suggest a high degree of ambivalence towards new terminology and the terminology planning structure. A particularly interesting dynamic concerns the distinctions made by informants, and reflected in the wider discourse, between what constitutes ‘natural’ versus ‘artificial’ language development. These findings are located within the overall context of State-led language development and the Gaeltacht speech community’s spatial and social distance from such. It is argued that official terminology planning may contribute to the alienation of the community from the development of the language, undermining their sense of linguistic security and ownership.
