Stiogma an Ghaeilge: Cárbh as don náire atá orainn ár dteanga dhúchais a labhairt go phoiblí?

Ghaeilge ar ár meáin sóisialta, táimid i mbun léirsiú ciúin chun an stiogma frith-Ghaeilge a bhriseadh síos

Chuile bliain, déantar cáineadh forleathan ar na suimeanna airgid a gcaitheann Rialtas na hÉireann chun an Ghaeilge a spreagadh ar fud na tíre. Déantar iarracht meáin Gaeilge ar nós TG4 agus Raidió na Gaeltachta a fhorbairt, déantar athrúchán i ndiaidh athrúchán ar shiollabas Gaeilge scoile, ach fós is annamh é a chloistear an teanga ar sráideanna na hÉireann. Toisc tábhachtach nuair a imscrúdaítear na cúiseanna nach labhraítear an Ghaeilge go hoscailte agus go poiblí ná go bhfuil stiogma ag baint leis an teanga i gcomhair grúpaí ar leith den phobal. Cé go gcríochnaíonn na míllte daltaí meánscoile a n-oideachais Gaeilge Ardteistiméireachta le grád réasúnta ard agus tuiscint mhaith den teanga, ní úsáideann siad riamh a gcuid Gaeilge. Tá neirbhís agus náire orainn mar tír an teanga a labhairt – agus tá an tabú seo i dtreo a úsáid ag cur lena meath tapaigh.
Ní áibhéil ar bith í le rá go bhfuil íomhá dhiúltach den Ghaeilge ag formhór na tíre seo. Tá drogall ar dhaltaí an teanga a fhoghlaim, agus úsáidtear cur síos simplí de “theanga marbh” uirthi chun gluaiseachtaí a chur chun cinn a mbíonn ag iarraidh stad a chur le múineadh an teanga amach is amach. Dar le go leor daoine, ní bhaineann an Ghaeilge lenár dtír a thuilleadh, agus ní fiú é tréaniarracht a chur isteach i dteanga casta nach bhfuil úsáideach láithreach sa domhain ghairmiúl. Anuas ar seo, tá eispearais de shaghas ag daoine nár chóir an teanga a labhairt muna bhfuil Gaeilge líofa agat. Cruthaíonn an fhuarchúis seo don teanga cultúr forleathan ina bhfuil Gaeilgeoirí, fiú le Gaeilge foirfe acu, ró-chúthaileach an teanga a labhairt. Tá ionchas de shaghas againn mar Éireannaigh nach mbeidh suim ag a chéile inár dteanga dhúchais, agus úsáidimid Béarla ina ionad gan athchomhairle a dhéanamh linn féin. Nuair a bheartaímid é seo a dhéanamh, ní chuirtear dúshlán riamh faoi bhlocanna meabhrach atá againn i dtreo an teanga, agus fanann an stiogma ciúin díreach mar a tá – ciúin.
Is iomaí iad na cúiseanna don mheon “frith-Gaeilge” seo. Go minic, úsáidtear laigeachtaí an chóras oideachais chun ár n-easpa cumais maidir le húsáid agus tuiscint an Ghaeilge a mhíniú. Cé nach fédir an milleáin d’fhadhb ollmhór mar seo a chur ar ní aonar, is léir go bhfuil ró-bhéim ar chúrsaí gramadaí leadránacha agus litríocht leamh mí-oiriúnach inár siollabas scoile faoi láthair. Imríonn an iarmhairt fadtéarmach de choilíneachas na Bhreataine ról tábhachtach freisin. Tar éis na céadta bliana de dhlíthe a ndearna leathrom ar labharthóirí Gaeilge, tá ceangailt deimhin cruthaithe sa mheon Éireannach idir an Ghaeilge, an bochtanas agus easpa deiseanna. Spreagtar gach glúin Éireannach an scéal seo de choilínigh a chreidiúint chomh maith leis an easpa tacaíochta agus spreagtha chun an teanga a úsáid ó fuair an tír a neamhspleáchas. Tá stiogma láidir tagtha chun cinn dá bharr agus chuir sé ina luí ar na daoine aontú leis an tuairim nach bhfuil áit ar bith acu don Ghaeilge sa domhan nua-aimseartha.
Is féidir an stiogma seo a shárú, ach ní féidir meon an phobail chun athrú thar oíche. Le troid i gcoinne an tabú agus an náire atá againn faoi láthair i gcoinne an Ghaeilge, caithfear gnáthúsáid an teanga ar bhonn laethúil a spreagadh – agus caithfear í a spreagadh láithreach. Le stad a chur ar mheath an teanga, ní mór dúinn meon nua a chothú, meon a chuireann béim ar na gnéithe ilraonacha dearfacha den Ghaeilge agus a nochtaíonn na tabúnna bréagacha atá inár gcinn gan fiú fhios againn. Chuile uair a gcaithimid ár gcúpla focail isteach i gcomhrá Béarla; chuile uair a roghnaímid chun seirbhísí an stáit a úsáid trí Ghaeilge in ionad Béarla; chuile uair a úsáidimid an

Ghaeilge ar ár meáin sóisialta, táimid i mbun léirsiú ciúin chun an stiogma frith-Ghaeilge a bhriseadh síos. Táimid ag léiriú gur teanga beo í an Ghaeilge, agus ní hamháin gur féidir ach gur chóir í a úsáid.

Translation

The Irish Language’s ‘Stigma’: Why are we so embarrassed to speak our native language?

Every year, the Irish Government is ostracised for the amounts of money it spends on programmes to encourage the use of the Irish language. Efforts are made to develop Irish media outlets such as TG4 and Raidió na Gaeltachta and endless modifications are made to school curriculums, but it is still rare to hear the language spoken when walking through the streets of most Irish towns. A notable reason as to why Irish is so seldom spoken is the quiet stigma surrounding the language for numerous groups within the population. Although thousands of students finish their Leaving Certificate examinations every year with a reasonable grade in Irish and a good understanding of the language, the majority will never put their knowledge of the language to use. As a country, we are nervous and embarrassed when it comes to speaking the Irish language – and this taboo towards its use is contributing to its rapid decline.

It’s no exaggeration to say that the majority of people in this country have a generally negative view of the Irish language. Students are reluctant to learn it, with the oversimplified and vague description of a “dead language” frequently being used to promote movements that want to see an end to the language being taught in our schools. Many believe that Irish is no longer relevant to our country, and that it is not worth putting in considerable effort to learn a language that isn’t immediately useful in the professional world. On top of this, an expectation of sorts has emerged that you shouldn’t speak the language without being fully fluent in it. This widespread apathy towards Irish has led to a culture where even people who are fluent in the language are too shy to speak it. We expect one another to have the same negative view of the Irish language, and as a result default to English. In choosing to do so, people’s mental blocks towards the language are seldom challenged or confronted, and the silent stigma remains just that – silent.

There are numerous reasons for this “anti-Irish” mentality. The weaknesses of our education system are often used to explain our difficulties with using and understanding the language. Although you cannot use one singular explanation for an issue as broad and complex as this one, it is obvious that there’s too much of an emphasis on tedious grammatical elements of the language and that the syllabus is currently full of tedious and largely irrelevant literature. The long-term effects of British colonialism also plays an important role in this phenomenon. After centuries of  laws that discriminated against Irish speakers, a firm link has established itself in the Irish psyche that connects the language with poverty and a lack of opportunities. Generation after generation of Irish people being encouraged to think this way by their colonisers combined with poor infrastructure for supporting the use of Irish since the country gained independence has allowed a stigma to emerge, and has led to most people tacitly agreeing with centuries-old rhetoric that Irish has no place in a modern Ireland.

It’s possible to address this stigma, but the attitude of an entire nation cannot be changed overnight. In order to confront the current taboo about speaking Irish, the use of the language on a daily basis in informal settings needs to be normalised – and it needs to be normalised now. In order to prevent the decline of a language, we need to change our attitude towards it. In the case of Irish, we need to replace our unconscious bias against the language with an appreciation of everything it has to offer us instead. Every time we choose to throw our cúpla focail into a conversation in English; every time we choose to avail of the state’s services through Irish instead of through English; every time we choose to communicate on social media platforms through Irish, we are choosing to engage in silent protest to dismantle the stigma. We are showing that Irish is an alive language, one that not only can but should be used and celebrated.