But I still want to post an Asterix picture, so here goes (LOL).
"Gaul, Gael, Keltoi, Celt, Galatian this Obelix!"
Posted on 06/15/2005 8:26:05 AM PDT by Brujo
Gaelic language gets official EU status
DUBLIN, Ireland (AP) — The European Union is saying "Failte!" — Welcome! — to Gaelic, Ireland's little-used native tongue.
But while official status is a boost to those campaigning to save the language from extinction, the move comes with a price: It will require the hiring of an estimated 30 Gaelic speakers at a cost to EU taxpayers of about $4.15 million annually.
Translation costs for the EU's 20 official languages had already been spiraling out of control. In January, officials said the amount was set to pass $1 billion following the entry in 2004 of 10 new EU members chiefly from Eastern Europe.
Critics also say the EU bureaucracy in Brussels, has become a Tower of Babel that bogs down decision-making, leading to calls for a drastic reduction in the number of languages used officially.
(snip)
The promotion of Gaelic is widely viewed as a political sacred cow in Ireland, even though elected representatives and officials — like the population at large — almost exclusively use English. In Ireland's own parliament, less than 2% of business is conducted in Gaelic.
(snip)
But Ahern said gaining EU recognition of Gaelic, besides creating jobs for Gaelic speakers, would boost pride and interest in what remains the Irish state's official language.
(snip)
The European Union also granted semiofficial status Monday to three other regional languages: Basque, Catalan and Galician.
(snip)
Last year's expansion created some unexpected bureaucratic hiccups.
Malta, the smallest member with a population of 400,000, held a competition for Maltese interpreters, but none was found up to EU standards. The EU sufficed with freelancers while it set up training courses on Malta.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
Hey Frogs: POGUE MAHONE!!
Hye Frogs: POGUE MAHONE!!!
"Failte" . . . the typical Irish greeting which is typically replied to with "Do you have any Guiness?"
Works out to $138,333/head.
Well, that's a start. But what about Scottish, Cornish, Welsh, Manx, Faroese-- all distinct Gaelic tongues? What about their rights? :)
I'm guessing the "critics" are mainly French. Standardized currency, standardized government.... Next: standardized language, i.e. French.
And then when they give you your Guinness, don't forget to say: "Slainte!" ("Cheers!").
:)
It used to be the language of diplomacy. Of course, that might be before the French's version of diplomacy was reduced to two words . . . "We surrender!"
That's so Gae.
Asterix and Obelix would be proud (10 points to anyone who knows what I am talking about).
Language - a major strength of the US and the major weakness of the EU.
My wife is from Kilkenny, she yells that at me all the time.
Faroese is based on Norse. The rest are Celtic Scot Gaelic, Irish, and Manx are one family the Goidelic and Breton, Welsh, and Cornish are the Brythonic family. Just for your information. Even though it is probably a waste of money and inconsistent with a conservative outlook, I admit a strong bias in preserving these minority languages. Cornish has died out and so has Manx except among those who have resurrected an intellectual interested in them. Scots gallic and Irish and most definitely Welsh and Breton are living languages which shouldn't suffer discrimination and need all the bolstering they can get. But face it, we all eventually will be speaking English due to the internet and the telecommunication industry.
Probably justified........Fine little Irish girls are always correct. But you already know that......remember my friend......"Is minic a gheibhean beal oscailt diog dunta"
Stay safe .....:o)
Asterix and Obelix.
They are Galls, not Gaels. 'taint the same. btw, I get the points.
Suas Leis a' Ghàidhlig!
I was in Spain three years ago, and I could see why EU would argue that Catalan or even Basque should be an offical language.
I do not see the case with Gaelic, after all it's an ancient language.
Is Latin an official language? I don't think so.
But I still want to post an Asterix picture, so here goes (LOL).
"Gaul, Gael, Keltoi, Celt, Galatian this Obelix!"
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