Moladh i bParlaimint na hEorpa go mbunófaí Coimisiún Éigeandála do theangacha atá i mbaol

Ba chóir Coimisiún Éigeandála a bhunú san Aontas Eorpach chun plé le teangacha atá i mbaol agus cearta teanga, dar leis an teangeolaí Conchúr Ó Giollagáin.

Ag labhairt dó ar maidin ag an gcomhdháil faoi chearta teanga atá ar siúl inniu i bParlaimint na hEorpa, dúirt an tOllamh Ó Giollagáin go raibh géarghá le straitéis éigeandála chun teacht i gcabhair ar mhionlaigh a bhfuil a dteangacha i mbaol, pobal na Gaeilge agus pobal na Gáidhlig ina measc.

Dúirt Ó Giollagáin go raibh ag teip ar an gcur chuige atá faoi láthair ann maidir le caomhnú teangacha mionlaigh agus mhaígh sé go bhfuil an ghéarchéim á séanadh ag na húdaráis fad is atá tús áite á thabhairt do riachtanais an fhoghlaimeora seachas do riachtanais na bpobal teanga féin.

“The current approach is in denial of the crisis which will see the extirpation by neglect of the minority groups holding these cultures as primary identities.

“The failure to address the issue while opting for a learner utopianism merely adds insult to injury and compounds the inability of existing structures to approach both community and learner needs from a social perspective,” a dúirt Ó Giollagáin.

Mhol an teangeolaí go mbunófaí ar dtús Coimisiún Éigeandála a d’aithneodh na pobail teanga a bhfuil gá acu le tacaíocht ar bhonn éigeandála agus a chinnteodh ina dhiaidh sin go gcuirfí beartais tarrthála i bhfeidhm chun na pobail sin a thabhairt slán.

Dúirt Ó Giollagáin go bhfuil cur i gcéill i gceist leis an díospóireacht faoi chearta teanga agus na húdaráis gan aon bheann acu ar chás na bpobal teanga féin.

“Without reference to the social crisis of the remaining speaker group, the language rights debate is descending into a sociolinguistic illusion that assumes that what is good for the official agencies of state is good for the speakers.

“For the living Gaelic languages, this is clearly not the case. It is extremely difficult to demonstrate the relevance of policy provision if there is limited or no engagement with actual communities. The irony of State bodies promoting minority language rights, while considering the decline of the existing speaker group a non-issue, is not lost on the minorities,” a dúirt Ó Giollagáin i bParlaimint na hEorpa ar maidin.

Dúirt Stiúrthóir an aonaid taighde Soillse, atá lonnaithe i Sabhal Mór Ostaig, go gcaithfí cur chuige nua a chur i bhfeidhm maidir le cearta teanga.

“We should now develop a new dynamic in the rights-based approach which addresses the minority concerns in individual jurisdictions – a form of co-ordinated sociolinguistic federalism.”

Chaithfí dul i ngleic le comhthéacs sóisialta na bpobal a bhfuil a dteangacha i mbaol nó threiseofaí ar an mbraistint “that minority speakers are abandoned to their own individual struggles”.