Languages of Northern Ireland

Last updated

Languages of Northern Ireland
Derry Guildhall Nameplate 2013 09 17.jpg
Sign in English, Irish and Scots at Derry Guildhall
Official English, Irish
National English (99.17%) [1]
Vernacular Ulster English, Hiberno-English, Ulster Irish
Minority Irish (0.3% main usage, 12% knowledge), Ulster Scots (8% knowledge) [2]
ImmigrantPolish (1.1% main usage), Lithuanian (0.5% main usage), Romanian (0.3% main usage)
Signed Northern Ireland Sign Language, British Sign Language, Irish Sign Language
Keyboard layout
The brand identity of the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure in Northern Ireland as shown on this sign is displayed in English, Irish, and Ulster Scots Multilingual sign Department Culture Leisure Arts Northern Ireland.jpg
The brand identity of the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure in Northern Ireland as shown on this sign is displayed in English, Irish, and Ulster Scots

English is by far the most spoken, and the "de facto" national language of Northern Ireland,[ citation needed ]; it occurs in various forms, including Ulster English and Hiberno-English. Irish is an official language of Northern Ireland since 2022, [3] and the local variety of Scots, known as Ulster Scots, has official minority status, with services in the language provided by public authorities. [4] [5] Northern Ireland Sign Language and Irish Sign Language have also been recognised with minority status since 29 March 2004. [6] [7]

Contents

Approximate boundaries of the current and historical English/Scots dialects in Ulster. Mid-Ulster English is in light blue. Ulster Scots (green) is no longer spoken in that entire area. The Irish-speaking Gaeltacht is not shown. English dialects in Ulster contrast.png
Approximate boundaries of the current and historical English/Scots dialects in Ulster. Mid-Ulster English is in light blue. Ulster Scots (green) is no longer spoken in that entire area. The Irish-speaking Gaeltacht is not shown.

Before legislation passed in 2022 that allowed the use of Irish in courts, the Administration of Justice (Language) Act (Ireland) 1737 also officially prohibited the use of languages other than English in legal proceedings, though this act is now repealed. [8]

The Irish used in Northern Ireland is primarily of the Ulster Irish dialect, with An Caighdéan (the standardised written Irish of the Republic of Ireland) rarely encountered.

Under the Good Friday Agreement, Irish and Ulster Scots (an Ulster dialect of the Scots language, sometimes known as Ullans), are recognised as "part of the cultural wealth of Northern Ireland". [9] Two all-island bodies for the promotion of these were created under the Agreement: Foras na Gaeilge , which promotes the Irish language, and the Ulster Scots Agency, which promotes the Ulster Scots dialect and culture. These operate separately under the aegis of the North/South Language Body, which reports to the North/South Ministerial Council.

The British government in 2001 ratified the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. Irish (in Northern Ireland) was specified under Part III of the Charter, with a range of specific undertakings in relation to education, translation of statutes, interaction with public authorities, the use of placenames, media access, support for cultural activities and other matters. A lower level of recognition was accorded to Ulster Scots, under Part II of the Charter. [10]

The earliest linguistic records from what is now Northern Ireland are of Primitive Irish, from about the 5th century AD. Languages spoken in Iron Age Ireland before then are now irretrievable, although there are some claims of traces in toponymy, including in Northern Ireland. [11] Shelta, a mixed language spoken by Irish Travellers (Rilantu Mincéirí), is also native to Ireland.

English

The dialect of English spoken in Northern Ireland shows influence from the lowland Scots language. [12] There are supposedly some minute differences in pronunciation between Protestants and Catholics, the best known of which is the name of the letter h, which Protestants tend to pronounce as "aitch", as in British English, and Catholics tend to pronounce as "haitch", as in Hiberno-English. However, geography is a much more important determinant of dialect than religious background.

Irish

Percentage of people aged 3+ claiming to have some ability in Irish in the 2011 census Map of those with some ability in Irish in the 2011 census in Northern Ireland.png
Percentage of people aged 3+ claiming to have some ability in Irish in the 2011 census

The Irish language (Irish : an Ghaeilge), or Gaelic, is a native language of the island of Ireland. [13] It was spoken predominantly throughout what is now Northern Ireland before the Ulster Plantations in the 17th century and most place names in Northern Ireland are anglicised versions of a Gaelic name. Today, the language is associated with Irish nationalism (and thus with the Catholic community). However, in the 19th century, the language was seen as a common heritage, with Ulster Protestants playing a leading role in the Gaelic revival.

In the 2021 census, 12.4% of the population (from age 3 up) of Northern Ireland claimed some knowledge of Irish, [14] up from 11% in 2011. [15] 0.3% claimed to use it at home, up from 0.2% in 2011. [14] In a survey in 1999, 1% of respondents said they spoke it as their main language at home. [16]

The dialect generally spoken in Northern Ireland, Ulster Irish or Donegal Irish, [17] is the one closest to Scottish Gaelic (which developed into a separate language from Irish Gaelic in the 10th century). Some words and phrases are shared with Scots Gaelic, and the extinct dialects of east Ulster – those of Rathlin Island and the Glens of Antrim – were very similar to the dialect of Argyll, one of the parts of Scotland nearest to Northern Ireland.

Use of the Irish language in Northern Ireland today is politically sensitive. Since 2022 the languages holds official status in a manner similar to the Welsh-English bilingual status in Wales, though the erection by some district councils of bilingual street names in both English and Irish, [18] invariably in predominantly nationalist districts, is resisted by some unionists who claim that it creates a "chill factor" and thus harms community relationships. Before the intervention of Westminster in 2022 to make Irish an official language, efforts by members of the Northern Ireland Assembly to legislate for some official uses of the language failed to achieve the required cross-community support.

Ulster Scots

Percentage of people aged 3+ claiming to have some ability in Ulster Scots in the 2011 census Map showing the percentage of people aged 3+ claiming to have some ability in Ulster Scots in the 2011 census.png
Percentage of people aged 3+ claiming to have some ability in Ulster Scots in the 2011 census

Ulster Scots comprises varieties of the Scots language spoken in Northern Ireland. For a native English speaker, "[Ulster Scots] is comparatively accessible, and even at its most intense can be understood fairly easily with the help of a glossary." [19]

Along with the Irish language, the Good Friday Agreement recognised the dialect as part of Northern Ireland's unique culture and the St Andrews Agreement recognised the need to "enhance and develop the Ulster Scots language, heritage and culture". [20] The language is officially recognised as a minority language in Northern Ireland, and public authorities must provide services in the language.

Approximately 2% of the population claim to speak Ulster Scots. [21] The number speaking it as their main language in their home is low, [16] with only 0.9% of 2011 census respondents claiming to be able to speak, read, write and understand Ulster-Scots. 8.1% professed to have "some ability" however. [15]

Sign languages

The most common sign language in Northern Ireland is Northern Ireland Sign Language (NISL). However, since, in the past, Catholic families tended to send their deaf children to schools in Dublin where Irish Sign Language (ISL) is commonly used. ISL is still common among many older deaf people from Catholic families.

Irish Sign Language (ISL) has some influence from the French family of sign language, which includes American Sign Language (ASL). NISL takes a large component from the British family of sign language (which also includes Auslan) with many borrowings from ASL. It is described as being related to Irish Sign Language at the syntactic level while much of the lexicon is based on British Sign Language (BSL) [22] and American Sign Language.[ citation needed ]

As of March 2004 the British Government recognises only British Sign Language and Irish Sign Language as the official sign languages used in Northern Ireland. [23] [24]

Immigrant languages

At the 2001 census, Chinese was the most widely spoken immigrant language in Northern Ireland, with Arabic and Portuguese also spoken by a significant number of people. [5] However, an influx of people from recent EU accession states significantly increased numbers of speakers of languages from these countries. In the 2011 census, Polish was the most widely spoken immigrant language, followed by Lithuanian. [25]

Extinct languages

None of these languages were spoken by a majority of the population, but are of historical interest, giving loan words to Ulster Scots, Irish and Hiberno-English.

Latin

Latin was introduced by the early Christians by c.500. It remained a church language, but also was the official language after the Norman conquest in 1171. It was used by the Roman Catholic church for services until the Vatican II reforms in 1962–65.

Norman language

Norman settlers introduced the Norman or Anglo-Norman language during the Norman invasion of Ireland of 1169. From it derived "Law French", that continues to be used today for certain legal purposes in both jurisdictions on the island.

Related Research Articles

The Goidelic or Gaelic languages form one of the two groups of Insular Celtic languages, the other being the Brittonic languages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Ireland</span> Part of the United Kingdom

Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland that is variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares an open border to the south and west with the Republic of Ireland. At the 2021 census, its population was 1,903,175, making up around 3% of the UK's population and 27% of the population on the island of Ireland. The Northern Ireland Assembly, established by the Northern Ireland Act 1998, holds responsibility for a range of devolved policy matters, while other areas are reserved for the UK Government. The government of Northern Ireland cooperates with the government of Ireland in several areas under the terms of the Belfast Agreement. The Republic of Ireland also has a consultative role on non-devolved governmental matters through the British–Irish Governmental Conference (BIIG).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scots language</span> West Germanic language

Scots is an Anglic language variety in the West Germanic language family, spoken in Scotland and parts of Ulster in the north of Ireland. Most commonly spoken in the Scottish Lowlands, Northern Isles, and northern Ulster, it is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Goidelic Celtic language that was historically restricted to most of the Scottish Highlands, the Hebrides, and Galloway after the sixteenth century; or Broad Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Standard English. Modern Scots is a sister language of Modern English, as the two diverged independently from the same source: Early Middle English (1150–1350).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rathlin Island</span> Island of County Antrim, Northern Ireland

Rathlin Island is an island and civil parish off the coast of County Antrim in Northern Ireland. It is Northern Ireland's northernmost point. As of the 2021 Census there are 141 people living on the island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ulster Scots dialect</span> Scots as spoken in Ulster, Ireland

Ulster Scots or Ulster-Scots, also known as Ulster Scotch and Ullans, is the language of Scots spoken in parts of Ulster, being almost exclusively spoken in parts of Northern Ireland and County Donegal. It is normally considered a dialect or group of dialects of Scots, although groups such as the Ulster-Scots Language Society and Ulster-Scots Academy consider it a language in its own right, and the Ulster-Scots Agency and former Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure have used the term Ulster-Scots language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Languages of the United Kingdom</span>

English, in various dialects, is the most widely spoken language of the United Kingdom, but a number of regional and migrant languages are also spoken. Regional indigenous languages are Scots and Ulster Scots and the Celtic languages, Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh and, as a revived language with few speakers, Cornish. British Sign Language is also used. There are also many languages spoken by immigrants who arrived recently to the United Kingdom, mainly within inner city areas; these languages are mainly from continental Europe and South Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irish language in Northern Ireland</span> Overview of the role and situation of the language

The Irish language is, since 2022, an official language in Northern Ireland. The main dialect spoken there is Ulster Irish. Protection for the Irish language in Northern Ireland stems largely from the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kilkeel</span> Town in County Down, Northern Ireland

Kilkeel is a small town, civil parish and townland in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is the southernmost town in Northern Ireland. It lies within the historic barony of Mourne. Kilkeel town is the main fishing port on the Down coast, and its harbour is home to the largest fishing fleet in Northern Ireland. It had a population of 6,633 people at the 2021 census. The town contains the ruins of a 14th-century church and fort, winding streets and terraced shops. It lies just south of the Mourne Mountains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irvinestown</span> Town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland

Irvinestown is a town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. At the 2021 census it had a population of 2,325 people. The most notable buildings are Necarne Castle, formerly known as Castle Irvine, and Castle Archdale. Irvinestown is situated within Fermanagh and Omagh district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Draperstown</span> Village in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland

Draperstown is a village in the Sperrin Mountains in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is situated in the civil parish of Ballinascreen and is part of Mid-Ulster district. It is also part of the Church of Ireland parish of Ballynascreen and the Catholic parish of Ballinascreen, and within the former barony of Loughinsholin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maghera</span> Town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland

Maghera is a small town at the foot of the Glenshane Pass in Northern Ireland. Its population was 4,235 in the 2021 Census. Formerly in the barony of Loughinsholin within the historic County Londonderry, it is today in the local-government district of Mid-Ulster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carryduff</span> Town in County Down, Northern Ireland

Carryduff is a small town and townland in County Down, Northern Ireland, about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) south of Belfast city centre. It had a population of 7,173 people in the 2021 census. Most of the settlement lies within the townland of Carryduff, although part of it extends into the neighbouring townlands of Killynure and Mealough.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antrim, County Antrim</span> Town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland

Antrim is a town and civil parish in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It lies on the banks of the Six Mile Water on the north-east shore of Lough Neagh. It had a population of 25,606 people in the 2021 census. It is the county town of County Antrim and was the administrative centre of Antrim Borough Council until its 2015 merger with Newtownabbey Borough Council to form Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council. The town lies 14 miles (23 km) north-west of Belfast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ulster English</span> Variety of English spoken in Northern Ireland

Ulster English, also called Northern Hiberno-English or Northern Irish English, is the variety of English spoken mostly around the Irish province of Ulster and throughout Northern Ireland. The dialect has been influenced by the local Ulster dialect of the Scots language, brought over by Scottish settlers during the Plantation of Ulster and subsequent settlements throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. It also coexists alongside the Ulster dialect of the Irish (Gaelic) language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culture of Ulster</span>

Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland. Due to large-scale plantations of people from Scotland and England during the 17th and 18th centuries, as well as decades of conflict in the 20th, Ulster has a unique culture, quite different from the rest of Ireland. As all of Northern Ireland lies within Ulster and comprises about 90% of its population, the culture of Northern Ireland is very similar to that of the whole of Ulster. In particular, the Ulster Scots, or Scots Irish identity is strong among descendants of the Plantation, notably in counties Antrim, Cavan, Donegal, and Down. There is also a thriving indigenous Gaelic culture, largely attributed to the GAA and Conradh na Gaeilge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Languages of Ireland</span>

There are a number of languages used in Ireland. Since the late 18th century, English has been the predominant first language, displacing Irish. A large minority claims some ability to use Irish, and it is the first language for a small percentage of the population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Languages of Scotland</span>

The languages of Scotland belong predominantly to the Germanic and Celtic language families. The main language now spoken in Scotland is English, while Scots and Scottish Gaelic are minority languages. The dialect of English spoken in Scotland is referred to as Scottish English.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demographics of Northern Ireland</span>

Northern Ireland is the smallest of the four components of the United Kingdom in terms of both area and population, containing 2.9% of the total population and 5.7% of the total area of the United Kingdom. It is the smaller of the two political entities on the island of Ireland by area and population, the other being the Republic of Ireland. Northern Ireland contains 27.1% of the total population and 16.75% of the total area of the island of Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irish language</span> Celtic language native to Ireland

Irish, also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language group, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was the population's first language until the 19th century, when English gradually became dominant, particularly in the last decades of the century. Today, Irish is still commonly spoken as a first language in Ireland's Gaeltacht regions, in which 2% of Ireland's population lived in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sean</span> Given name

Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Hiberno-English, is a masculine given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name Yohanan, Seán and Séan, rendered John in English and Johannes/Johann/Johan in other Germanic languages. The Norman French Jehan is another version.

References

  1. ↑ Proficiency in English, 2011 census, NINIS. According to the 2011 census, 99.17% (1,721,242) of participants could speak English "well" or "very well". Retrieved 11 July 2015.
  2. ↑ "Northern Ireland Census Data". explore.nisra.gov.uk. Retrieved 2022-11-17.
  3. ↑ "Irish language and Ulster Scots bill clears final hurdle in Parliament". BBC News. 2022-10-26. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
  4. ↑ "UK Government acts on Identity and Language legislation for Northern Ireland". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
  5. 1 2 "Language/Cultural Diversity: Frequently Asked Questions". Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure. Archived from the original on 2010-12-21. Retrieved 2011-01-31.
  6. ↑ "Sign Language". Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure. Archived from the original on 2011-01-09. Retrieved 2011-01-31.
  7. ↑ "Paul Murphy announces recognition for sign language". Northern Ireland Office. 2004-03-30. Archived from the original on 2011-05-20. Retrieved 2011-01-31. I am pleased to announce formal recognition for both British and Irish Sign Languages in Northern Ireland and in Ireland.
  8. ↑ "Identity and Language (NI) Bill: Second Reading Opening Speech". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
  9. ↑ "The Agreement" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-10-03. (204 KB)
  10. ↑ "Council of Europe Charter monitoring report, 2010" (PDF). Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  11. ↑ D. Ó Corrain, 'A future for Irish placenames', in: A. Ó Maolfabhail, The placenames of Ireland in the third millennium, Ordnance Survey for the Placenames Commission, Dublin (1992), p. 44.
  12. ↑ Markku Filppula (2005). Dialects across borders. John Benjamins Publishing Co, Amsterdam. p. 90. ISBN   9027247870 . Retrieved 2 January 2011.
  13. ↑ Ryan, James G. (1997). Irish Records: Sources for Family and Local History. Flyleaf Press. p.  40. ISBN   978-0-916489-76-2.
  14. 1 2 Main statistics for Northern Ireland - Statistical bulletin - Language. Belfast: NISRA for Census Office (UK). 22 September 2022. pp. 4, 6, 7.
  15. 1 2 "Census Key Stats bulletin" (PDF). NISRA. 2012. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  16. 1 2 Northern Ireland LIFE & TIMES Survey: What is the main language spoken in your own home?
  17. ↑ "Frequently-Asked Questions about the Irish Language". Ultach. Archived from the original on 16 April 2009. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  18. ↑ The Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 (No. 759 (N.I. 5))
  19. ↑ Aodan Mac Poilin, 1999, "Language, Identity and Politics in Northern Ireland" in Ulster Folk Life Vol. 45, 1999
  20. ↑ "St Andrews Agreement" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 November 2006. (131 KB)
  21. ↑ Northern Ireland LIFE & TIMES Survey: Do you yourself speak Ulster-Scots?
  22. ↑ Janzen, Terry (2005). Topics in Signed Language Interpreting: Theory And Practice. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company. pp. 256 & 265. ISBN   90-272-1669-X. OCLC   60742155 . Retrieved 22 June 2008.
  23. ↑ "Sign Language". Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure. Archived from the original on 9 January 2011. Retrieved 22 June 2008.
  24. ↑ "Paul Murphy announces recognition for sign language". Northern Ireland Office. 30 March 2004. Archived from the original on 20 May 2011. Retrieved 22 June 2008. I am pleased to announce formal recognition for both British and Irish Sign Languages in Northern Ireland.
  25. ↑ "Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service" . Retrieved 7 October 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.