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An Caighdeán Oifigiúil

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An Caighdeán Oifigiúil ("the Official Standard"), often shortened to An Caighdeán, is an artificial written standard version of the Irish language, which is used in official publications and taught in most schools in the state. It was first published in 1958 by combining spelling reforms promulgated in 1945–47 with grammar standards published in 1953.[1][2] These in turn were based on the living vernacular dialects, generally favouring Connacht Irish over Munster Irish and Ulster Irish. A revised edition was published in 2012.[3] Since 2013, the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission, through the translation department, has been responsible for periodic updates to the standard, with reviews at least once every seven years.[4]

History

From the creation of the Irish Free State in 1922, successive governments were committed to promoting the Irish language, with separate teaching materials in each of the three living vernacular dialects. Official publications were often issued with Irish translations, including the texts of all acts of the Oireachtas (parliament). The Oireachtas establish a Translation Branch (Rannóg an Aistriúchán) for this work, which developed ad-hoc conventions to reconcile the different dialect forms and avoid favouring a single dialect in its output. When Éamon de Valera instigated a new Constitution adopted in 1937, he established a committee to propose spelling reforms for the "popular edition" of the Irish-language text.[nb 1] The committee was unable to agree, but member T. F. O'Rahilly sent his notes to de Valera, who forwarded them to Rannóg an Aistriúchán, which developed a system circulated within the civil service in 1945, and revised in 1947.[5][6][7]

Its development had two purposes. One was to simplify Irish spelling, which had retained its Classical spelling, by removing many silent letters, and to give a standard written form that was mutually intelligible by speakers with different dialects.[6] Another purpose was to create a grammatically regularised or "simplified" standard which would make the language more accessible for the majority English-speaking school population.

The first edition was reprinted regularly between 1960 and 2004;[1] there were minor revisions in 1960 and 1979.[8] A revised edition was published in 2012 both online and in hardcopy.[3] Among the changes to be found in the revised version are, for example, various attempts to bring the recommendations of the Caighdeán closer to the spoken dialect of Gaeltacht speakers,[9] including allowing further use of the nominative case where the genitive would historically have been found.[10]

Content

Though many aspects of the Caighdeán are essentially those of Connacht Irish, this was simply because this is the central dialect which forms a "bridge", as it were, between the North and South. In reality, dialect speakers pronounce words as in their own dialect, as the spelling simply reflects the pronunciation of Classical Irish. For example, [ceann] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help) "head" in early modern Irish was pronounced [cenːˠ]. The spelling has been retained, but the word is variously pronounced [caun̪ˠ] in the South, [cɑːn̪ˠ] in Connacht, and [cæn̪ˠː] in the North. [Beag] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help) "small" was [bʲɛɡ] in early modern Irish, and is now [bʲɛɡ] in Waterford Irish, [bʲɔɡ] in Cork-Kerry Irish, varies between [bʲɔɡ] and [bʲæɡ] in the West, and is [bʲɞɡ] in the North.

The simplification was weighted in favour of the Western dialect. For example, the early modern Irish [leaba] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help), dative case [leabaidh] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help) [ˈl̠ʲebˠɪʝ] "bed" is pronounced [ˈl̠ʲabə] as well as [ˈl̠ʲabɪɟ] in Munster Irish, [l̠ʲæbʷə] in Connacht Irish ([l̠ʲæːbʷə] in Cois Fharraige Irish), and [l̠ʲæbˠi] in the North. Native speakers from the North and South may consider that leabaidh should be the representation in the Caighdeán rather than actual [leaba] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help). However, [leaba] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help) is the historically correct nominative form and arguably preferable to the historically incorrect yet common use of the dative form for the nominative.

On the other hand, in other cases the Caighdeán retained classical spellings even when none of the dialects had retained the corresponding pronunciation. For example, it has retained the Classical Irish spelling of [ar] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help) "on, for, etc." and [ag] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help) "at, by, of, etc.". The first is pronounced [ɛɾʲ] throughout the Goidelic-speaking world (and is written [er] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help) in Manx, and [air] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help) in Scottish Gaelic), and should be written either [eir] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help) or [oir] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help) in Irish. The second is pronounced [ɪɟ] in the South, and [ɛɟ] in the North and West. Again, Manx and Scottish Gaelic reflect this pronunciation much more clearly than Irish does (Manx [ec] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help), Scottish [aig] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)).

In many cases, however, the Caighdeán can only refer to the Classical language, in that every dialect is different, as happens in the personal forms of [ag] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help) "at, by, of, etc."

  • Munster : agùm [əˈɡʊmˠ], agùt [əˈɡʊt̪ˠ], igè [ɪˈɟɛ], icì [ɪˈci], agùing [əˈɡʊɲ] / aguìng [əˈɡɪɲ] (West Cork/Kerry agùin [əˈɡʊnʲ] / aguìn [əˈɡɪnʲ]), agùibh/aguìbh [əˈɡʊvʲ] / [əˈɡɪvʲ], acù [əˈkʊ]
  • Connacht : am [amˠ] (agam [ˈaɡəmˠ]), ad [ˈad̪ˠ] (agad [ˈaɡəd̪ˠ]), aige [ˈɛɟə], aici [ˈɛci], ainn [an̠ʲ] (againn [ˈaɡən̠ʲ]), aguí [ˈaɡi], acab [ˈakəbə]
  • Ulster : aigheam [ɛimˠ], aighead [ɛid̪ˠ], aige [ˈeɟə], aicí [ˈeci], aighinn [ɛin̠ʲ], aighif [ɛifʲ], acú [ˈaku]
  • Caighdeán : [agam] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help) [ˈaɡəmˠ], agat [ˈaɡət̪ˠ], aige [ˈɛɟə], aici [ˈɛci], againn [ˈaɡən̠ʲ], agaibh [ˈaɡəvʲ], acu [ˈaku] / [ˈakə]

Critique

The Caighdeán is not universally respected by native speakers, in that it makes simplified language an ideal, rather than the ideal that native speakers traditionally had of their dialects (or of the Classical dialect if they had knowledge of that). Of course, this was not the original aim of the developers, who rather saw the "school-version" Caighdeán as a means of easing second-language learners into the task of learning "full" Irish. The Caighdeán verb system is a prime example, with the reduction in irregular verb forms and personal forms of the verb – except for the first persons. However, once the word "standard" becomes used, the forms represented as "standard" take on a power of their own, and therefore the ultimate goal has become forgotten in many circles.

The Caighdeán, with variations, is in general used by non-native speakers, frequently from the capital, and is sometimes also called "Dublin Irish" or "Urban Irish".

The differences between dialects are considerable, and have led to recurrent difficulties in defining standard Irish. In recent decades contacts between speakers of different dialects have become more frequent and the differences between the dialects are less noticeable.[citation needed]

Footnotes

  1. ^ The "popular edition" is the one distributed to the public, as opposed to the formally "enrolled edition" which is a physical document used by the Supreme Court and which uses the unreformed spellings.

References

Sources

  • Uíbh Eachach, Vivian, ed. (August 2012). Gramadach na Gaeilge: An Caighdeán Oifigiúil (PDF) (in Irish) (Caighdeán Athbhreithnithe ed.). Oireachtas. ISBN 9781406425765. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  • Gramadach na Gaeilge agus Litriú na Gaeilge – An Caighdeán Oifigiúil (in Irish). Dublin: Stationery Office / Oifig an tSoláthair. 1958.
  • Nic Pháidín, Caoilfhionn (2008). "Corpus planning for Irish – dictionaries and terminology". A New View of the Irish Language. Dublin: Cois Life. pp. 93–107. ISBN 978-1-901176-82-7. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); |format= requires |url= (help); External link in |chapterurl= (help); Unknown parameter |chapterurl= ignored (|chapter-url= suggested) (help)
  • Ó Cearúil, Micheál; Ó Murchú, Máirtín (1999). "Script and Spelling". Bunreacht na hÉireann: a study of the Irish text (PDF). Dublin: Stationery Office. pp. 27–41. ISBN 0-7076-6400-4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 July 2011.
  • Ó hIfearnáin, Tadhg (2009). "Irish-speaking society and the state". In Ball, M; Müller, N (eds.). The Celtic Languages (2nd ed.). London: Routledge. pp. 539–586. ISBN 0415422795. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); |format= requires |url= (help); External link in |chapterurl= (help); Unknown parameter |chapterurl= ignored (|chapter-url= suggested) (help)
  • Ó hIfearnáin, Tadhg; Ó Murchadha, Noel P. (2011). "The Perception of Standard Irish as a Prestige Target Variety". In Kristiansen, Tore; Coupland, Nikolas (eds.). Standard languages and language standards in a changing Europe. Standard Language Ideology in Contemporary Europe. Vol. 1. Oslo: Novus Press. pp. 97–104. ISBN 8270996599. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); |format= requires |url= (help); External link in |chapterurl= (help); Unknown parameter |chapterurl= ignored (|chapter-url= suggested) (help)
  • Ó Siadhail, Mícheál. "Standard Irish Orthography: An Assessment". The Crane Bag. 5 (2: Irish Language and Culture: An tEagrán Gaelach). Richard Kearney: 71–75. ISSN 0332-060X. JSTOR 30060637. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |subscription= ignored (|url-access= suggested) (help)

Citations

  1. ^ a b "An Caighdeán Oifigiúil". Oireachtas. 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  2. ^ "Ciorclán 18/1958:- Gramadach na Gaeilge agus Litriu na Gaeilge" (PDF). Circulars (in Irish). Government of Ireland. 12 September 1958. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  3. ^ a b Niamh Ní Shúilleabháin (2012-08-02). "Caighdeán Athbhreithnithe don Ghaeilge". Gaelport.com (in Irish). Retrieved 2012-08-02.
  4. ^ "Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Act 2013, Section 3". Irish Statute Book. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
  5. ^ "Circular 27/1947:- Irish Spelling" (PDF). Circulars. Government of Ireland. 30 September 1947. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  6. ^ a b "Beginners' Blas". BBC. June 2005. Retrieved 18 March 2011.
  7. ^ Ó Siadhail 1981, p.75 fn.1
  8. ^ Nic Pháidín (2008) p.102
  9. ^ Uíbh Eachach (2012) p.7: "Rinneadh iarracht ar leith san athbhreithniú seo foirmeacha agus leaganacha atá ar fáil go tréan sa chaint sna mórchanúintí a áireamh sa Chaighdeán Oifigiúil Athbhreithnithe sa tslí is go mbraithfeadh an gnáthchainteoir mórchanúna go bhfuil na príomhghnéithe den chanúint sin aitheanta sa Chaighdeán Oifigiúil agus, mar sin, gur gaire don ghnáthchaint an Caighdeán Oifigiúil anois ná mar a bhíodh."
  10. ^ Uíbh Eachach (2012) p.7: "Triaileadh, mar shampla, aitheantas a thabhairt don leathnú atá ag teacht ar úsáid fhoirm an ainmnigh in ionad an ghinidigh sa chaint."

Further reading

  • Ó Baoill, Dónall P. (1988). "Language planning in Ireland: the standardization of Irish". International Journal of the Sociology of Language. 1988 (70): 109–126. doi:10.1515/ijsl.1988.70.109. ISSN 0165-2516.
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