ABSTRACT

This paper examines language policies in Northern Ireland vis-à-vis the Irish language. Whilst the devolution of powers has benefitted Welsh and Scottish Gaelic through the creation of separate language acts dedicated to them, there is no such act for Irish. Taking this policy discrepancy as its point of departure, this paper investigates how the peace process brought about through the Good Friday Agreement (1998 Good Friday Agreement . (1998). https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-belfast-agreement  [Google Scholar]. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-belfast-agreement) and the St Andrews Agreement (2006 St Andrews Agreement . (2006). https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/136651/st_andrews_agreement-2.pdf  [Google Scholar]. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/136651/st_andrews_agreement-2.pdf) has impacted Irish in Northern Ireland. The investigation rests upon an analysis of the language policy legislation using critical theory. The paper takes a domain-based approach and examines statutes pertaining to different policy domains including administration, media, law, and healthcare to assess how the status of Irish has changed in different policy domains as a result of the peace process in Northern Ireland. In terms of methodology, this paper adheres to historical-structural analysis (HSA) which views language policies as a mechanism of maintaining power and inequality in society to explore the historical and structural factors that underpin language policies related to Irish in Northern Ireland.

摘要

本文研究了北爱尔兰相对于爱尔兰语言的语言政策。尽管权力下放通过创建专门针对威尔士和苏格兰盖尔语的独立语言法案而受益，但爱尔兰却没有这样的法案。本文以政策差异为出发点，研究了《耶稣受难日协定》（1998年）如何促成和平进程。耶稣受难日协议。（1998）。https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-belfast-agreement [Google Scholar]。https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-belfast-agreement）和《圣安德鲁斯协定》（2006圣安德鲁斯协议。（2006）。https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/136651/st_andrews_agreement-2.pdf [谷歌学术]。https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/136651/st_andrews_agreement-2.pdf）影响了北爱尔兰的爱尔兰人。该调查基于使用批判理论对语言政策立法进行的分析。本文采用基于领域的方法，研究了与不同政策领域（包括行政，媒体，法律和医疗保健）相关的法规，以评估北爱尔兰和平进程在不同政策领域中爱尔兰的地位如何变化。在方法论上，本文坚持历史结构分析（HSA），该分析将语言政策视为维持社会权力和不平等的一种机制，以探讨支撑北爱尔兰爱尔兰语言政策的历史和结构因素。