Language and Landscapes of Ireland
Abstract
This chapter addresses the complex relationship between the language and landscapes of Ireland, at different levels. Indeed, the dialectic of language and landscapes constitutes a rich problematic, one that is defined fundamentally by colonial history. The problematic naturally involves colonially-induced language change in Ireland (and the link with the traditional environment), but also the question of real or imaginary Irish linguistic influence on the English-speaking world through the Irish diaspora. Simply put, the destruction of the traditional Gaelic landscape coincides with the construction abroad of cultural or mythical Irish landscapes. The dialectic language / landscapes clearly offers a rich and vibrant problematic; one that is marked by a series of natural interactions between language and landscapes of Ireland at home and abroad, but also, as we shall see, by a phenomenon of cultural compensation, which is perhaps less natural.
Keywords
Cultural Landscape Peat Land Colonial History Irish Language Mass EmigrationPreview
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