Hiberno-English

I attended a fascinating talk last night as part of my job.

At a reception for some postgraduates in DIT, Professor T.P. Dolan gave a talk on Hiberno-English, which is the version of the English language we use here in Ireland.

Until last night, I did not realise we have a very different syntax for words over here. One excellent example is the sentence "She was in bed all week with the doctor." While this would provoke feelings of sympathy to most of the Irish, to almost everyone else it takes on a more lascivious meaning.

The main strength of the English language is twofold, according to the Professor: Firstly, it was the language of success. In colonial times, it was the rulers who spoke English, and even today, the language of the US is English.

Secondly, English is promiscuous. It will mate with anything, and lacking any sort of Institution to ensure the language remained pure. Larceny and promiscuity has been the vices of the English tongue since its early days, and its million words are result.

I have always been interested in etymology, and, according to the Professor, there is a strong body of evidence that the word 'phoney' comes from the Irish word for 'ring:' fainne, and the fact that Irish fraudsters sold fake rings in New York in the 1850s.

It is also interesting that, despite its proximity to Britain, very few words have been stolen into English, whiskey being one of the few notable exceptions.

And to think that I considered the whole thing a big hassle as I walked up to DIT...