Why do the Irish speak English?

Language identifies. He speaks French so he is French. But the Irish speak English and are certainly not English. When the Irish writer Sa uel Beckett was asked whether he was English! he answered on the contrary. E"eryone agrees that the Irish are "ery unlike the English. How did it co e a#out that the Irish people speak a foreign language$ Ha"e they no language of their own$ %& ''''' ''''' ( )he first official language of Ireland is Irish! #ut you could spend your whole lifeti e in Ireland and ne"er hear anything #ut English in e"eryday con"ersation! other than perhaps slainte * the Irish toast. +u#lic figures so eti es include a cupla focal * a few words * of Irish in their speeches. ,ut of a population of -.. Whats ore! they illion! no ore than / per cent still speak Irish daily! #ut Irish is a co pulsory su#0ect for school children throughout their school years. ust pass Irish in order to #e ad itted to the 1ational 2ni"ersity of Ireland! or any other state 0o#s. Street na es! signposts and a0ority of the population wishes to retain Irish in pride of uch! why dont the Irish speak Irish$ to work in the ci"il ser"ice and in destinations are all #ilingual. )he "ast place. So if they lo"e the language so

%3 ''''' ''''' ( )he answers are found in history! which is largely deter ined #y geography. )he 4o ans con5uered tri#es who o"erran the ost of the known world! #ut though they looked across the sea to ainland of Britain and laid the #asis for odern English didnt #other to Ireland and clai ed to #e a#le to con5uer it with one #attalion! they ne"er did. )he 6er anic cross the Irish Sea. 1or an warlords in"aded England! then Irish the sel"es. %- ''''' '''''( In the si7teenth century! 8ing Henry 9III of England #eca e concerned that Ireland could #e used as a #ack door into England #y France or Spain and feared it could #e persuaded to colla#orate with his ene ies. He decided that Ireland should confor succeeding to England in e"ery way and #egan a syste atic con5uest! continued #y his daughter Eli:a#eth I and onarchs. ,ne of their priorities was the eli ination of the Irish language. Irish anuscripts in Irish were destroyed. poets were 0ailed and a great nu #er of o"ed on to Ireland in the twelfth

century! #ut they were e"entually assi ilated into Irish culture until they were ore Irish than the

%/ ''''' ''''' ( )he struggle of )he ,ld 6aelic ,rder to sur"i"e lasted nearly 3;; years! #ut #y the end of the eighteenth century it was dead and the English "ictory was co plete. Fro that ti e on! all the affairs of the nation were conducted in English and Irish #eca e the language of the poor. )he only #ook pu#lished in Irish was the Bi#le. %< ''''' '''''( 1owadays! the Irish continue to speak English and they learn Irish. )here is a fa ous Irish saying= > country without a language is a country without a soul. )he Irish ha"e two languages! their own which they hardly speak and English which is not theirs! #ut #y keeping the one and creati"ely using the other! perhaps they anage to hold onto the soul of Ireland.

Read the text and match each part (15) with two statements (A )! "here are three extra statements! Write yo#r answers in the gaps a$ter the n#m%ers! A )he English language as it is today took its origin in the language of 1or an in"aders. & )he Irish were gradually depri"ed of not only their political independence! #ut also their cultural heritage. ' )he fact that Ireland is an island pre"ented so e groups of people fro territory. ( >ccording to popular #elief! the e7istence of their own language is crucial to the Irish preser"ing their sense of identity. E )he end of the eighteenth century replaced #y English. ) Its not easy to hear the Irish language spoken in Ireland! e"en if you stay there for 5uite a long ti e. * Irish stopped #eing an official language in Ireland a#out two centuries after the reign of ?ueen Eli:a#eth I. + )he Irish appear to #e a#le to culti"ate their own culture despite the fact that they ha"e practically no language of their own. arks the death of the Irish language which was entering its

Howe"er few speakers of Irish there are! knowledge of this language in Ireland is necessary to pursue so e types of career.

, >t one point of its history! Ireland ca e to #e regarded as an area of potentially dangerous political acti"ity. - E7cept for one #ook! there were no pu#lications in Irish! and this pro"ed that it was turning into a dead language. . >s the Irish are e7tre ely proud a#out their language! the geographical locations ha"e all their na es in Irish. In contrast to the 4o ans and the 6er anic tri#es! the 1or ans con5uered than 0ust England. ore

A"'+ "+E W/R(0 )R/ 1 4 6 8 5 co pulsory ad itted ci"il ser"ice clai #ilingual

"+E "E1" WI"+ "+E (E)I2I"I/20

3 signpost 5 retain 7 9 o"erran warlords

1: throughout

a( to say that so ething is true although it has not #een pro"ed #( sign at the side of the road c( to spread o"er an area 5uickly d( that ust #e done #ecause of a law or a rule! ilitary group that is not official andatory e( using two languages f( the leader of the h( during the whole period of ti e i( to keep so ething 0( to allow to 0oin! accept g( go"ern ent depart ent and people who work for

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Read the text and match each part= &. )> I 3. '> -.&> , /! *> <. (>+ %e7tra state ents= A> E> . (

atch the words $rom the text with the de$initions? 1d 4@ 6g 8a 5e 3% 5i 7c 9$ 1:h