Green English : Ireland's influence on the English language [printed text] / Loreto Todd, Author . - Dublin : The O'Brien Press Ltd, 2000 . - 176 p. ; 15mm.
ISBN : 978-0-86278-677-9 : €19.00
The English language is now the most widely spoken language on the planet. More than 350 million of us speak it as a mother toungue; a further 650 million make use of it daily, for business, education and pleasure. English has been spoken in Ireland for eight centuries and used creatively, in literature, for over six of these. But Irish speakers did not simply adopt the English language. They grafted it into a Gaelic stem, making it capable of expressing an Irish culture and an Irish world view.

Green English explores the origins and development of English in Ireland. It shows how Ireland has moulded English; how it has produced the second oldest world literature in the language; and how Irish emigrants, missionaries, teachers and writers have influenced English worldwide.

And finally, the book considers how the loss of the mother tongue can affect a nation's psyche and asks if the 'loss' has been balanced by 'abundant recompense'.

Class number:

427.9415