Topic: 2024-Indigenous Languages
Country: Ireland
Delegate Name: Anna Preston
Country: Ireland
Topic: Indigenous Language
Committee: SOCHUM
Delegate: Anna Preston
School: Williamston High School
Indigenous Language background globally. 96 percent of the world’s approximately 6,700 languages are spoken by only 3 percent of the world’s population. Although indigenous peoples make up less than 6% of the global population, they speak more than 4,000 of the world’s languages.The extinction of these 6700 languages is predicted by 2100 if not helped. Indigenous languages are the central identity for indigenous people that includes the preservation of their cultures, worldviews and visions as well as a form of self expression. The main threat to these languages is colonization and the decimation of indigenous people. Article 13 of the United Nations Declaration of Rights of Indigenous People states that these people have the right to revitalize, use, develop and transmit to future generations their languages, oral traditions, writing systems and literatures
The Gaelic language in Ireland – Gaeilge or Irish, is a Celtic language and one of the oldest and most historic written languages in the world. This language has been intertwined with Ireland’s cultural identity, literature, and history. Gaeilge was the prominent language of Ireland until the 19th century when the British ruled dominant and English was used more heavily. In America Irish immigrants were shunned for their identity and the native language of Gaeilge was almost entirely wiped out. This caused efforts to revive the language and in the early 20th century it became the official language of the Republic of Ireland. Gaeilge/Irish is taught in Irish schools and used heavily in some parts of Ireland. To protect the indigenous languages of Ireland, the Irish language is a mandatory subject in schools across the Republic of Ireland. This ensures as time goes on, that the language will not be completely lost and that most of the country will have a basic understanding of it for the sake of their culture. Another way is the Gaeltacht Regions. The Irish government has set in place designated areas in which Irish is a “community language” instead of English. These areas receive special support to promote the use of the Irish language. Government policies such as the Official Languages Act of 2003 mandates the use of the Irish language in public services and documentation to ensure that people can access government services in their native language. Technology and Media have also been used to promote the speaking of Gaeilge. TG4 is an Irish language TV channel that provides content to help people learn and understand Irish and there’s been a push to incorporate Irish language into apps, social media and online resources to make it more accessible to younger generations.
To continue promoting the indigenous language of Ireland, the Irish government aims to improve and expand Irish language education making it more effective and engaging. This includes better training for teachers, updated curriculum, and increased funding and support for Irish language schools (Gaelscoileanna). Another strategy to promote the indigenous language is through laws and legislation. Strengthening language laws such as the Official Languages Act will ensure that this language is being taught and it ensures the culture of the Irish language will survive. Listening, talking, writing and thinking in Irish, and being able to fluently swap to English, gives better understanding of language structure. Listening and communication skills in general can be more developed if more than one language is spoken. Countries who would most likely collaborate with Ireland are countries that have smaller populations that speak the indigenous language and have English taking over.
