Is fearr Gaeilge bhriste ná Béarla cliste.

Out of all of the wonderful phrases the Irish language has to offer, none ring home more true to me than this. Broken Irish is better than clever English. Often used by those who aspire to see learners gain the confidence needed to speak their indigenous language, without worrying about the grammatical nuances that come with it. This is not only a philosophy to live by for Irish speakers, but indeed - any language.

Being bilingual is great, but becoming bilingual is that much greater. The journey from a few words, to perfect fluency is one that cannot be compared with any other form of study. They say, you never truly become fluent in any language - and I guess to an extent, that is true.
  

Yesterday - I popped into a local book-store to meet up with a friend for a coffee and a chat. While ordering tea and coffee, a woman listened attentively at our conversation in Irish. Just as she left the store, she smiled and said "Bhí sin deas a chloisteáil.." Bhí ionadh orm chun an fhírinne a rá..
  

So we sat down and had our tea and coffee, happy with the acknowledgement from a stranger at our willingness to speak Irish. Only 10 minutes passed, when another woman who had been listening in at our conversation thanked me for giving her a seat. "Go raibh maith agat" she said proudly to me - delighted with a rare opportunity provided for her to use her cúpla focal.
  

It's unfortunately a rare occurrence in Ireland to hear our indigenous language spoken taobh amuigh den  ghaeltacht. Níl mórán deiseanna ann dúinn An Ghaeilge a úsáid. Sin an fadhb is mó atá againn in Éirinn.. But even where there are opportunities, people still neglect to use it. Why so?

Across the world, minority languages have far too few learners willing to use them in a practical manner. So why don't they? It all boils down to their inability to live and breathe the words: 'Is fearr Gaeilge bhriste ná Béarla cliste'. People are way too self-conscious when learning a language. They fear the inevitable grammatical mistake. You know what I say to grammar? Grammar, schammar!
  

The most difficult aspect of learning a language is plucking up the courage to just give it a bash, and lose your inhibitions. I read a good analogy somewhere.. Some fella posed the question asking - 'Does someone need to be proficient at ballet, to have fun on a dance floor? Does someone really need to be an opera singer, to sing along to their favourite song?' Of course not - So why do so many people feel that special rules apply to speaking a language?

So seo an pointe atá agam. Déan iarracht - Is cuma cén saghas ábaltacht atá agat. A language only dies if people stop speaking it.. And as we say in Ireland - Tír gan teanga, tír gan anam.

by guest blogger Seán Ó Briain