September 2015 European Research Network Meets at NUI Galway to Discuss ‘New Speakers’

Public round table to explore multilingual competence, language policy and becoming a ‘new speaker’ of various languages including Irish

Fifty leading experts in multilingualism from twenty-five European states will meet at NUI Galway on September 24 and 25 to discuss the challenges and opportunities associated with ‘new speakers’ of various languages including Irish.

The event will be hosted by the Department of Irish in the School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures as part of an ‘Action’ and research network supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology). The Action, ‘New Speakers in a Multilingual Europe: Challenges and Opportunities’, is led by Professor Bernadette O’Rourke of Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh and Dr John Walsh, Head of the Department of Irish at NUI Galway is a leading partner.

“New speakers refer to those who are regular and fluent speakers of a language other than their ‘first’ or ‘native’ language”, explained Dr Walsh. “Historically in linguistics and related disciplines, priority has been given to the ‘native speaker’ and other types of speakers have been marginalised. Our network focuses on multilinguals and investigates how people become ‘new speakers’ of various languages.”

So far the network has focused on new speakers of minority languages such as Irish and Basque, new speakers as immigrants and new speakers as transnational workers. In the second phase of the research, to be launched at the Galway meeting, general themes such as multilingual competence, language policy and becoming a new speaker will be explored.

The meeting will include a public round table event on new speakers of Irish. Three new speakers of Irish from various parts of Ireland and one speaker from the Gaeltacht will discuss their language background, their experience of learning Irish or English, their relationship with other Irish speakers and their thoughts on identity and belonging. This event will be held in the Aula Maxima at 4.30pm on Thursday, 24 September.

More information visit: http://www.nspk.org.uk/upcoming-event-details/round-table-on-new-speakers-of-irish.html

For further event details contact Dr John Walsh, Department of Irish, NUI Galway on 091 492563 or john.walsh@nuigalway.ie

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Cruinniú ag gréasán taighde Eorpach in OÉ Gaillimh chun plé a dhéanamh ar ‘nuachainteoirí’

Cruinniú poiblí chun féachaint ar inniúlacht ilteangach, polasaí teanga agus a bheith i do nuachainteoir i dteangacha éagsúla lena n-áirítear an Ghaeilge

Tiocfaidh caoga saineolaí ceannródaíoch san ilteangachas as cúig stát Eorpach is fiche le chéile in OÉ Gaillimh ar an 24 agus an 25 Meán Fómhair chun plé a dhéanamh ar na dúshláin agus na deiseanna a bhaineann le ‘nuachainteoirí’ i dteangacha éagsúla, an Ghaeilge san áireamh.

Roinn na Gaeilge i Scoil na dTeangacha, na Litríochtaí agus na gCultúr a chuirfidh an ócáid i láthair mar chuid de ghréasán gnímh agus taighde le tacaíocht ó COST (an Comhar Eorpach san Eolaíocht agus sa Teicneolaíocht). Tá an Gníomh, ‘New Speakers in a Multilingual Europe: Challenges and Opportunities’, faoi stiúir an Ollaimh Bernadette O’Rourke as Ollscoil Heriot-Watt i nDún Éideann agus is príomh-chomhpháirtí sa tionscadal é an Dr John Walsh, Ceann Roinn na Gaeilge in OÉ Gaillimh.

“Tagraíonn nuachainteoirí dóibh siúd atá ina gcainteoirí rialta agus líofa i dteanga seachas a ‘gcéad’ teanga nó a dteanga ‘dhúchais’”, a mhínigh an Dr Walsh. “Go stairiúil, i réimse na teangeolaíochta agus i ndisciplíní gaolmhara eile, tugadh tús áite don ‘chainteoir dúchais’ agus rinneadh cainteoirí eile a imeallú. Díríonn an gréasán seo ar dhaoine ilteangacha agus scrúdaíonn sé conas mar a dhéantar ‘nuachainteoirí’ de dhaoine i dteangacha éagsúla.”

Go dtí seo, dhírigh an gréasán ar nuachainteoirí teangacha mionlaigh cosúil leis an nGaeilge agus an Bhascais, nuachainteoirí mar inimircigh agus nuachainteoirí mar oibrithe trasnáisiúnta. Sa dara céim den taighde, a sheolfar ag cruinniú na Gaillimhe, scrúdófar gnéithe áirithe cosúil le hinniúlacht ilteangach, polasaí teanga agus conas a dhéantar nuachainteoir de dhuine.

Beidh ócáid phoiblí faoi nuachainteoirí Gaeilge ar siúl mar chuid den chruinniú. Labhróidh triúr nuachainteoirí Gaeilge as áiteanna éagsúla in Éirinn agus cainteoir amháin ón nGaeltacht faoina gcúlra teanga, a dtaithí ar fhoghlaim na Gaeilge agus an Bhéarla, a gcaidreamh le cainteoirí Gaeilge eile agus a gcuid smaointe ar fhéiniúlacht agus ar mhuintearas. Beidh an ócáid ar siúl san Aula Maxima ag 4.30pm Déardaoin, an 24 Meán Fómhair.

Tuilleadh eolais: http://www.nspk.org.uk/upcoming-event-details/round-table-on-new-speakers-of-irish.html

Chun tuilleadh eolais a fháil faoin ócáid déan teagmháil leis an Dr John Walsh, Roinn na Gaeilge, OÉ Gaillimh ar 091 492563 nó john.walsh@nuigalway.ie

-Críoch-