Janet Muller: Language and Conflict in Northern Ireland and Canada. A Silent War (Palgrave Studies in Minority Languages and Communities)

Abstract

Written by an author who serves as Chief Executive Officer of POBAL, meaning ‘community’ in Irish, a non-governmental organisation for the Irish-speaking community in Northern Ireland, this book reflects the unique insights that such a role allows into language issues in contemporary Northern Ireland. Situated within the broader context of conflict resolution, the book explores the approach adopted to managing linguistic diversity in Northern Ireland against the socio-political background leading up to the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 and onto the present day. Following years of political strife, the agreement between staunch political opponents reflected a milestone in the North’s history, whereby a devolved Assembly was established, only to be suspended in 2002. It was a further 5 years before devolution was re-established through the St Andrew’s Agreement in 2007. Among the measures as part of the agreement was a commitment to enact an Irish language act which, at the present time, is still outstanding. As the author outlines, the linguistic situation in Northern Ireland reflects religious and political differences. The complexity of the situation, however, is further enhanced by the fact that English as the dominant language co-exists with not just one, but two minority languages whose minority status differs considerably, namely Irish and Ulster Scots. In the latter case, the author calls into question its status, suggesting that it may be more appropriately considered a dialect of English given that Ulster Scots is comprehensible to speakers of English. While an Irish language act was envisaged as part of the St Andrew’s Agreement, no similar arrangement was considered for Ulster Scots. Following on from an initial chapter which situates language policy in the context of conflict resolution, the chapters provide substantial insights into the factors surrounding the potential for an Irish language act in Northern Ireland, in relation to demographic, educational, media and political issues. Chapter 2, for