The Irish language has been part of this island’s cultural inheritance for over 2,000 years

The letter correspondent (‘DUP is not heeding community feelings,’ Mar 30), commenting on Ben lowry’s article on the Irish language (March 27), dismisses Irish out of hand and, by inference Irish speakers, as dodos.

He says: “It’s (Irish) dodo status quickly becomes obvious when those conversing in the language invariably have to revert to English — either because they don’t know the Irish or the word does not exist in Irish.” and “It is sad that the DUP doesn’t seem to pay any heed to the feelings of the unionist community -”.

Choosing the word dodo to describe Irish is more telling about the correspondent’s outlook than it is about Irish speakers. It also shows an insensitive disregard for the feelings of speakers of the language. Setting aside some of the more ugly pejorative meanings attached to dodo, for example, it can mean excrement, it is an interesting comparison.

The poor old dodo was a harmless creature that inhabited Mauritius. Because of hunting by English and other sailors, and the depredations of invasive species, such as rats, that were carried on their ships, the defenceless dodo population was wiped out: sadly, it became extinct. Is this what the letter correspondent, and others of that outlook, hope will be the fate of Irish: a language that has been part and parcel of this island’s cultural inheritance for over 2000 years.

The word dodo, like many words in English, is borrowed from a non English language: it is taken from the Portugese word duodo which means stupid.

I suppose the respondent is aware the English is originally, and basically, a Germanic language and gets its name from the Angels who, along with other German and Nordic peoples, invaded Britain after the Romans left in the 5th century.

Modern English is greatly Indebted to Geoffrey Chaucer (he had a close connection with Gaelic Ireland, especially Ulster) who in the 14th century decided to write in the unfashionable lower class London Germanic/English dialect, in addition to writing in the more cultured higher class French (and Latin), by using French and Latin loan words to augment its Germanic/English vocabulary.

I did a quick check on the word origins of the correspondent’s letter and a great many are derived from Latin: for example, editorial, silence etc. My point is that many languages, in varying degrees, have loan words, especially English.

However, I am in agreement with the correspondent that Irish, as presently spoken, may be over reliant on borrowings: in my opinion, if not checked, this trend could be detrimental.

Micheal O’Cathail, Fermanagh

• Ben Lowry: There should not be an Irish language act, but the DUP has agreed one

• Letter: DUP have committed unionists to growing exposure to Irish language

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