September 2015 Seolfaidh OÉ Gaillimh Suirbhé Teangeolaíochta ar Oileáin Árann

Seolfaidh OÉ Gaillimh Suirbhé Teangeolaíochta ar Oileáin Árann

 ‘An staidéar is cuimsithí ar aon chanúint Ghaeilge go dtí seo’

Seolfaidh Iar-Chláraitheoir agus Iar-Leas-Uachatarán na hOllscoile, an tOllamh Nollaig Mac Congáil, saothar an Dr Séamas Ó Direáin, Suirbhé ar an nGaeilge Labhartha in Oileáin Árann, Co. na Gaillimhe, ar Aoine 9 Deireadh Fómhair ag 1.30in in Téatar Uí Chearbhalláin, Áras na Gaeilge, OÉ Gaillimh.

Saothar saoil de chuid theangeolaí de shliocht Árann, an Dr Séamas Ó Direáin as California, is ea Suirbhé ar an nGaeilge Labhartha in Oileáin Árann, Co. na Gaillimhe, saothar a cruthaíodh thar tréimhse 25 bliain. Tráth dá raibh sé i mbun taighde ar theangacha na hAfraice sa Chéinia sna 1970í, thosnaigh an Dr Ó Direáin – a mbeidh 77 bliain slánaithe aige an mhí seo chugainn – ar an nGaeilge a fhoghlaim ó dheoraithe as Éirinn. Agus os cionn 40 bliain caite ó shin, tá ríméad ar an Dr Ó Direáin go mbeidh a Shuirbhé ar theanga dhúchais a mhuintire ar fáil anois ar líne agus saor in aisce ón 9 Deireadh Fómhair 2015 ar aghaidh.

Staidéar mionchruinn canúineolaíochta ar an nGaeilge labhartha in Oileáin Árann atá sa Suirbhé seo. Díríonn sé go speisialta ar na difríochtaí tíreolaíocha agus sóisialta a bhaineann leis na glúnta, idir shean agus óg, leis na hinscní (fir/buachaillí agus mná/cailíní), agus le leibhéil oideachais.

Den chéad uair riamh i gcás aon teanga in aon áit ar domhan, déantar anailís chuimsitheach shochtheangeolaíochta agus canúineolaíochta ar raon leathan éagsúlachtaí a mhaireann san fhoghraíocht agus sa ghramadach. I gcás an oileáin is mó, Árainn (nó Inis Mór, mar a thugtar air amanta), tá mioneolas sa Suirbhé i dtaobh éagsúlachtaí foghraíochta, gramadaí agus an stóir focal go fiú ar leibhéal na mbailte fearainn.

Adeir an tOllamh Kevin Scannell, Ollamh le Matamaitic agus Ríomheolaíocht, Ollscoil St Louis: “Is léir go bhfuil éacht déanta ag Séamas Ó Direáin lena chuid taighde teangeolaíochta ar na canúintí Gaeilge in Oileáin Árann.  Is dócha gurb é seo an staidéar is cuimsithí ar aon chanúint Ghaeilge go dtí seo, agus tá sé go hiontach go mbeidh scoláirí agus taighdeoirí in ann teacht ar an anailís agus ar na bunsonraí go léir ar líne i bhfoirm inchuardaithe leictreonach."

Adeir an Dr John Walsh, Léachtóir Sinsearach le Gaeilge, OÉ Gaillimh: “Baineann tábhacht náisiúnta agus idirnáisiúnta leis an saothar canúineolaíochta seo le Séamas Ó Direáin. Cuireann sé go mór lenár n-eolas ar chanúineolaíocht chomhaimseartha na Gaeilge trí chéile agus sáraíonn sé aon staidéar eile a deineadh ar chanúintí Árann roimhe seo. Is mór iad na deiseanna eile taighde a eascraíonn as agus tá áthas orm gur in Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh a bheidh sé lonnaithe feasta.”

Féach an Suirbhé www.aranirish.nuigalway.ie

-Críoch-

NUI Galway to Launch Linguistic Survey of the Aran Islands

‘Most comprehensive study of any dialect of Irish completed to date’

Former NUI Galway Registrar and Deputy President, Professor Nollaig Mac Congáil will launch Dr Séamas Ó Direáin’s A Survey of Spoken Irish in the Aran Islands, Co. Galway on Friday, 9 October at 1.30pm in Áras na Gaeilge, NUI Galway.

Created over a period of 25 years, A Survey of Spoken Irish in the Aran Islands, Co. Galway represents the life’s work of Californian linguist Dr Séamas Ó Direáin, whose grandparents emigrated from Inis Mór to Boston over 100 years ago. Dr Ó Direáin, who turns 77 this October, first started learning Irish from expats in Kenya in the 1970s where he was researching African languages. Over 40 years later, he is delighted to make his Survey available for free and online from 9 October.

The Survey constitutes a highly detailed, almost microscopic, micro-dialectological study of spoken Irish in the Aran Islands, focusing on geographical and social variation linked to generations (older and younger age-groups), genders (male and female), and level of education.

It provides for the first time ever, for any language anywhere in the world, an extensive analysis linguistic variations of the islands. In the case of the largest of the three islands, Inis Mór, the Survey includes detailed information on phonological, grammatical and lexical variation at the level of individual townlands.

Professor Kevin Scannell, Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science, St Louis University, said: “Séamas Ó Direáin’s linguistic research on the dialects of Irish spoken in the Aran Islands is clearly a major achievement. This is probably the most comprehensive study of any dialect of Irish completed to date, and it is wonderful that scholars and researchers will now have searchable online access to all of the data and analysis.”

Dr John Walsh, Senior Lecturer in Irish at NUI Galway, said: “This dialectological work by Séamas Ó Direáin is of national and international importance. It adds greatly to our knowledge of the dialectology of Irish in general and surpasses all over previous studies of the dialects of Aran. Many other research possibilities can emerge from it and I am delighted that it will be housed at the NUI Galway from now on.”

For further information or to view the Survey visit aranirish.nuigalway.ie.

-Ends-