People are funny, there’s no doubt about it. That’s funny-peculiar, not funny-ha-ha. There are those who say that a woman attaches great importance to the kind of shoes a man wears, that it’s one of the first things she looks at. There are people who form their likes and dislikes on the basis of accent. Absurd, eh? But what about those who form their opinion of people on the basis of pronunciation, grammar and spelling?
I’ve had people approach me to tell me the latest incident of a politician (very often but not always Sinn Féin) saying ‘I done’ or ‘I seen’ rather than ‘I did’ or ‘I saw’. I’ve heard an SDLP politician speak contemptuously of the ‘jail Irish’ spoken by many Shinners. And then there’s the news story in yesterday’s VO/Irish News, with the heading “Sinn Féin Irish election poster contains spelling mistake”. The word in question appeared in the poster as ‘Comhionnanas Anois’, with the newspaper adding sniffily “However, the correct spelling of the Irish word for equality is comhionannas”.
I’ll resist my teacher instinct to tell the Irish News that they should have put ‘comhionannas’ inside inverted commas and say instead “God preserve us from deeply silly people”.
If someone told you that a French politician was dismissed as useless because he kept making a grammatical lapse, you’d assume the accuser was a bit off his head. Likewise, if someone’s ability was decided on what kind of shoes s/he wore or what accent they had, you’d be tempted to reach for your revolver. As for those who sneer at people who have imperfect Irish: linguistic snobbery is an appalling affliction.
So to the spelling error seized on by the Irish News. When I used to work with student English teachers, we talked at some length about what made for a good piece of writing. Top of the list for many of them (at the start of the year anyway) came spelling and punctuation. They felt that if a pupil submitted a piece of work that was flawless in these two aspects, they would be very pleased. When I asked them who their favourite author was and why, they named various contemporary writers and praised their ability to create atmosphere, to present character, to devise plot, to reflect life. When I said I’d read a book last month which was first-rate – there wasn’t a single spelling or punctuation mistake throughout – they got the message. In communication, the rules of grammar and spelling are there to help us towards meaning. When they make us slaves to their orthodoxy, at the cost of the worth of content, we are truly sad.
So The Irish News spelling story is a sad story. It’s a bit like those unionists who were outraged (that old word again) when Gerry Adams was reported as saying that the implementation of equality would break the [Unionist] bastards: they bridled at the word ‘bastards’ but missed the claim that they were opposed to equality. Dear Irish News, the spelling of ‘comhionannas’ is in a long queue for our attention. Equality, in contrast, simply can’t wait.
” It’s a bit like those unionists”
I did wonder when those pesky unionists were going to appear. Had to wait until the last paragraph this time.
Who needs “to create atmosphere, to present character, to devise plot, to reflect life”, never mind that punctuation malarky, when the punchline is always the same?
It’s my daily go to cliche these days. Just for fun, and reassurance that the world is as it should be.
As long as you’re happy, PF, I can ask no more from life…Btw, you do know this is a political column? Care to do a guest blog so I can observe and improve??
“Care to do a guest blog so I can observe and improve??”
What, do better than the daily dose (to I have to flag up the pun?) of expert unionist bashing?
My proposal is this:
Title – ‘The trouble with Nationalists’.
Followed by blank copy.
And come to think of it. Did you ever teach your students anything about irony?
You could have used a sentence or two to help, perhaps something like, “Those bastards over there, do you see them? Yes, those bastards. Well they’re the bastards who won’t treat everyone equaly. Bastards they are.”
Ha haaaaa. I like it, PF. Keep taking the tablets…
“Btw, you do know this is a political column? ”
Well, if you say so.
“Care to do a guest blog so I can observe and improve??”
To be honest, I really don’t see how I would be any better at bashing unionists than you already are!
“Keep taking the tablets…”
Yea, sure – interesting teaching schedule, though:
Spelling, Punctuation, Grammar, Irony, Ad hominem…
How long do we have to wait for, ‘Argument’?
Patrick Kavanagh’s dictum ‘Culture is always something that was/ Something pedants could measure’ , Esteemed Blogmeister, was a particular favourite of one of his closest croneys, Cronin,
Yes, indeed, Anthony Cronin, poet, man of letters, impressario of the Arts, columnist in The Unionist Times, rebel, Fintellecual, and the public face of Aos Dána.
It might well have been the p-word which particularly appealed to teanga-loathing Tone’s inner pedant. Certainly, if his go-by-the-wall biography of Flann O ‘Brien is anything to go by.
Take the very second paragraph of the very first page of this biog of the Gog and Magog of bilingual literature:
-A plaque on number 15 Bowling Green commemorates the birth of the wirter Brian O’Nolan or Bian O Nualláin there in 1911. Because nationalists have a majority on Stabane’s Urban District Council the plaque is in both English and Irish, but in the Irish vesion the word ‘scriobhnoir’, which means writer, is misspelled.
Gotcha !
AN ANTIC DISPOSITION
Re the Leprechaun AC was pedantic
The Omadaun Gaels -so necromantic
Aos Dána of Cronin
A moument to Onan
With CJ Hockey, he was so sycophantic .
Tá an Irish News ag iarraidh cnoc a dhéanamh as carnán – making a mountain out of a molehill. Ar a laghad tá lucht Shinn Féin ag úsáid na Gaeilge murab ionann agus an SDLP agus na páirtithe eile.
I am a bit of a pedant when it comes to grammar. The teacher in me I suppose. It pains me to hear a Minister in charge of the education of our children say “I done..” “I seen..”. It pains me even more to hear a SF spokesperson refer to the feast that is known throughout Europe as St. Stephen’s day, as “Baxin’ Day.
As far as I can see the Irish News merely reported the misspelling, which is their job, they did not in my view make a mountain out of a molehill. I have a 50 year old degree in Irish for what it’s worth . I retain a deep love of the language but still struggle with the intricacies of its grammar, so I would not get too worked up a bout a slight spelling mistake which nevertheless perfectly conveys the pronunciation of what is a word not that frequently met.
With regard to “Jail Irish” or “Long Kesh Irish” as some people refer to it, I subscribe to the old adage “Is fearr Gaeilge briste na Béarla Cliste”, which translates as Broken Irish is better than clever English. If someone in gaol earns a degree in Psychology should we refer to it as “a gaol degree” and to him or her as “a gaol psychologist”?
Some discontented middle class listeners to the doleful Joe Duffy Show have, in the past, complained that they could not understand Gerry Adams’s Irish. More recently a Church of Ireland Minister in Fermanagh alleged that Irish speakers of his acquaintance in the south had confided in him that they also could not understand Deputy Adams’s Irish. The clergymen in question should beware of taking heed of what Irish was referred to as “Dúirt bean liom go ndúirt bean leí..”, a somewhat sexist phrase meaning “a woman told me that a woman told her…”. Basically a warning not to heed hearsay gossip. It is utter nonsense for any competent Irish speaker, (assuming that she or he has not a hearing difficulty), to claim that they cannot understand Gerry Adams’s Irish. It may not be the most elegant Irish ever spoken but it is crystal clear and Mr. Adams deserves credit for promoting the language in the chamber. It is notable that none of Mr. Adams past or current political opponents who are regular contributor a to the Dáil debates as gaeilge (Joe Higgins, Enda Kenny, Eamonn Ó Cuiv have ever complained of failing to understand Mr. Adams contributions. I suspect the sub-text of the “Jail/Long Kesh Irish” complainants is a visceral dislike and intolerance of the Belfast working class accent in any language.
Frankly Jude, all Sinn Féin election posters, as Gailge, contain spelling mistakes.
Our national language contains only twenty three letters, ‘V’ ‘J’ and ‘Y’ are not in our language, the proper spelling of ‘votail’ is ‘bhotail’, I did point this out in 1988 but, ignored, you cannot, nor should not, ignore facts.
Mark
I should preface my comment with a, I’m not trying to be sarcastic, so, having said that, could it be that the use of the the ‘v’ instead of ‘bh’ was deliberate to make it appear more like ‘vote’- with which people would be more familiar?
Na h’abair e PF, we have a Deputy representing Galway whose Grandfather sought the introduction of the roman ‘V’ into our language, he uses it in the spelling of his name, I disagree with the need to do this, in light of an alternative.
You may be right but, when Sinn Féin election posters again appeared in the 1980’s I, my Father and everyone I knew was aware of the fact our language/alphabet, has only twenty three letters, if what you suggest is so, do Sinn Féin believe the electorate they appeal to are uneducated dunderheads?
On second thoughts, don’t answer that.
Actually the Irish alphabet has only 19 letters and the letter h is only an indication of aspiration of the previous letter. The proper word for vote is roghnaigh meaning to choose.
Sorry. 18
Thank you, Mark.
Go raibh maith agat, Mark – ach… FOCLÓIR GAELIGE-BÉARLA – Niall Ó Dónaill :
imagine texting in grammar. lol.its not important nowadays.
Imagine people putting in capital letters and full stops, Billy. theridiculousnessofit.
Mark, when I began learning Gaeilge there were 17 letters in the alphabet. About then there was a massive immigration of H,J,K, Q, V, W, X, Y and Z making a grand total of 26. About the same time there was a shake up in the spelling. Like the curate’s egg, good in parts.
Jaysus Brian, you’re older than I then. We got the twenty three, I always wondered about ‘x’ ‘u’ of course was always there though I’m not as sure about ‘o’, all that said though, I’d still prefer ogham, having been taught by two of those who translated it, have my name written in it somewhere.
Game ,set and match to Collins with that photostop!
If one was to proofread the Irish News they could fill a reporters’ notebook with spelling and punctuation mistakes.
I wonder, had the SDLP produced something in Irish containing a mistake, would they have made a story of it, or is it just the anti-Sinn Fein bias of the Irish News.
The man who never made a mistake never made anything!
Bob Dylan – Lörrach Stimmen Festival, Germany (16th July 2015) [Full Concert]
Ha ,ha, Jude..Yes that is the problem with language.People are inclined to forget that it is a communication tool made up from our own little animal grunts and a collection of abstract , ever- changing symbols.Sometimes we get those grunts and pictograms perfectly parsed and sometimes we mess it up.Sometimes the keys on the keypad conspire to make us appear as fools, too.Sometimes (thta) bag of apostrophes is scattered too liberally and out of context and sometimes harsh swear-words are used too much and so out- of-that-same- context as to lose and therefore not “loose” their original power. I have to admit to being constantly tripped -up by both my fingertips on the keypad and grammatical mistakes in the press, from people you would assume would know better, but obviously do not(dont) and the same goes for some of our blogging respondants who otherwise appear to be perfectly intelligent human -beings with a smidgen of fault .
Admittedly, the “I done” and the “I seen” can jar and they do expose colloquial holes in someone’s grammar and word usage but they shouldn’t really be an admission of low-intellect.There are very many forms of intelligence after all. Still…..there’s enough of the lurking pedant in me for them to sometimes jar.I think it is simply the sloppiness and thoughtlessness that bugs me and not the slang or colloquial nuance , which , on the other hand , can be most amusing and entertaining . It always depends on None of this is to mistake the new language of “text” for English Language which is a bird of a different feather and should really only be used hastily, while tapping on the telephone and never confused with the Real McCoy.
As for a fellow’s shoes….well that really is another story isn’t it? I always had a fancy for well made shoes myself. They say you should dress from the shoes up and that no matter the state of your other clothing, no one will really notice the cut of your jib if your shoes are polished ….or so legend would have it.
That first line is only placed there to confuse…ignore it….
The Shafties are very fond of “l have came”.
Indeed they do fiosrach ….but what bugs me about Shaftyspeek is the use of the word “bool”( variously possibly a wooden hoop forming part of the framework of a basket }…….when they really mean “bull” as inthe male elephant or possibly even Mr Cow himself…..
You have to be careful,Harry. Pull,foot, bully all rhyme but cull,mull and dull don’t. I used to laugh at the Radio two thirds Ulster when they had articles on the programmes about the spread of ‘boolying’ in E Belfast schools. As a learned fellow like yourself will know, this boolying is a relic of the time when the natives were nomadic herdsmen and used to drive the cattle to mountain pastures I.e. booly the cattle. I was amazed to hear it being re introduced in Shaftsville.
Parding?
Yes …Isn’t language wonderful?….
not going by watching the utv debate its not and neither is further education if that lot are an example.