Irish English, Anglo-Irish, or Hiberno-English

Ireland

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Irish English


Kilkenny castle park from the southeast
English is the principal language in Ireland. Centuries of British imperial influence and the growth of English as global lingua franca have driven the Gaelic Irish language to near-extinction.

Schools teach Irish. Much official paperwork is bi-lingual. There are some television shows,* and a column in any good newspaper. In practice, Irish is generally disused, limited to small areas along the western seaboard.

The Irish speak English — but it's Irish English.

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• Irish-English terms and expressions, from "after" to "zonks" ...

• (Gaelic) Irish words in common use...

• Talking about the weather starts the Irish day....

• "Didn't do a tap" — how to talk about work...

• Cursing in Ireland — the congenial Irish foul mouth...

• Tá mé ar meisce — states of drunkenness...

• There are some standard English words that are used differently in Ireland....

• Tirty-tree and a toord — the Irish-English "th" sound...

• The rogue Irish comma ...


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* The Irish-language television station TG4 shows excellent documentaries. They're subtitled in English.

When the interviewee is speaking in English, the dialogue is never subtitled into Irish.

If there were anybody within the Gaeltacht who does not understand English, TG4 would surely subtitle those portions in Irish.

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