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Observing linguistic evolution in an Irish archipelago

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 October 2021

Séamas Ó Direáin
Séamas Ó Direáin*
Affiliation:
Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge, National University of Ireland, Galway, Galway, Ireland
*
Author for correspondence: Séamas Ó Direáin, Email: seamas.odireain@gmail.com
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Abstract

This article describes the results of a research project carried out over a period of 25 years on the spoken Irish Gaelic of the Aran Islands, Co. Galway, Ireland. It combines microdialectology with sociolinguistics and investigates a wide range of phonological, grammatical, and lexical variables. In addition to revealing complex patterns of geolinguistic variation involving small local areas on the main island and on neighboring islands, it also shows the clear influence of age, gender, and individual creativity on the patterns of variation.

Keywords

dialectologylinguistic variationlinguistic changelinguistic innovationlanguage acquisitionlanguage and genderminority languages in EuropeIrish Gaelic dialectsCeltic languagesintergenerational language transmission
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Linguistic Geography , Volume 9 , Issue 1 , April 2021 , pp. 28 - 39
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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