Letter: If language dilutes national identity then why do I – an English-speaker – consider myself Irish?

In his letter Paul Berry rails against the usage of bilingual signs.
By Alex Kane
Published 17th Oct 2020, 07:00 BST
An anti-Irish Language Act sign at Stormont, placed there by unionist activistsAn anti-Irish Language Act sign at Stormont, placed there by unionist activists
An anti-Irish Language Act sign at Stormont, placed there by unionist activists

(We mustn’t give in to Irish act, October 16)

Bi-lingual and indeed tri-lingual signs are used across all regions of the world in recognition of ancient and minority languages and as an acknowledgement to those minorities that live within those regions.

A language cannot hurt anyone. People have the wit to cherish a language no matter who used it or in what context it was used, and the intelligence to separate user from language.

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Letter to the editorLetter to the editor
Letter to the editor

Most place names on the island of Ireland including Northern Ireland are Irish place names Anglicised phonetically; in reality placing the Irish version of the name on a sign is simply returning it to its original form.

A language cannot dilute your nationality; if that was the case, all of Ireland who speak English would now consider their Irishness diluted or diminished – they don’t.

For the Union to continue and the link with the UK to remain, Northern Ireland will depend on a majority within it to want that to happen.

Continue to disrespect and disregard a language that is precious to many, and that belongs to all, and it might just disillusion those ‘middle ground’ people that the Union depends on for its survival.

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After all, the more inclusive, accepting and welcoming Northern Ireland is, the more likely it is to continue.

Should it break up over un-inclusive, un-welcoming, un-accepting attitudes, the future generation might well ask why was the Union allowed to be broken by intolerance.

When a house or place is shared, then those who share it must have input into how it is decorated.

Mary Russell, Balregan, Dundalk

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Related topics:Paul BerryNorthern IrelandPeople