I often share examples of how the Irish language is structured differently, often more poetically than English.
For example, when discussing emotions, we say that they are on us. We don’t say I am sad. We say tá brón orm - there is sadness on me.
We don’t say I miss you. We say braithim uaim thú - I feel you away from me.
And occasionally, I get comments from people saying that this doesn’t matter. It means the same thing, so it doesn’t make any difference. A few times I’ve even had people point out that you can phrase Irish in the same way you speak English. For example, tá mé brónach. And yes, in theory… that makes sense, but it sounds about as natural in Irish as saying ‘I have sadness on me’ does in English.
Every time I get comments like this, it makes me think about why.
First of all, are these people right? Does it all boil down to the same thing so it doesn’t really matter how it’s expressed?
I don’t think it’s that simple. It has been proven that the language we use matters. In fact, there was a UCLA study about how attaching words to emotions impacts the way we experience them. And the structure of saying ‘there is sadness on me’ is also similar to the therapeutic technique Cognitive Defusion in which patients are encouraged to reframe their emotions, thinking instead ‘I feel sadness’ rather than ‘I am sad.’
Of course, the reason the phrase ‘tá brón orm’ even exists in Irish is because sadness still does. We don’t cease being human simply because language offers us a different way to connect with our emotions. But I do believe its impact is real.
If you use Irish as your daily language, you may become so accustomed to saying a certain phrase or using a certain sentence structure that it does become reduced to communication. You’re saying it without contemplating the true depth of your words.
But I think it’s a lot like having a garden in front of your house.
Every day you walk past the beauty to the point where it becomes mundane, normal, expected. That doesn’t mean the flowers stop being beautiful. Nor does it mean you lose the ability to stop and appreciate their beauty.
In a world where the majority of society is focused on ‘the point’ the thought of stopping to see the beauty can feel like a threat. And maybe that’s why some people are quick to question ‘why speak Irish if everyone knows English?’
If you’re rushing through the world and more and more people decide to stop and stand still for a while, you might find yourself worrying you’ll reach your destination alone.
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If you enjoy my writing, I recommend the book Gaeilge i Mo Chroí - Irish In My Heart by Molly Nic Céile as well as her second book Gaeilge inár Saol - Irish in Our Lives which is coming out this September!
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