The Languages of Ireland

For over a thousand years Ireland has been a host to a surprising variety of languages and cultures. Every area of Irish life and cultural expression has been informed by this contact with diverse language groups. This book is an innovative collection of essays that for the first time assess the multilingual and, by extension, multicultural inheritance of Ireland over two millennia. Leading scholars in language and translation studies from all over Ireland offer a comprehensive overview and accessible insight into the origins, development and intercultural fortunes of different languages on the island of Ireland from the early medieval period onwards. Among the languages and cultures presented in the volume are Irish, English, French, German, Ulster Scots, Ancient Greek and Latin. Contributors will also be situating the multilingual history of Ireland in terms of larger debates on globalization, the future of language diversity and the nature of diasporic cultures. The publication of this book is most timely as Ireland is faced with the challenges of a multicultural and multilingual society and the volume will be an important contribution to national self-understanding and cultural debate.