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In:Handbook of Terminology: Volume 4. Terminology planning in Europe
Edited by Rossella Resi and Frieda Steurs
[Handbook of Terminology 4] 2025
► pp. 481–496

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Term planning in a lesser-used EU language

The Irish case

 | Dublin City University
Published online: 26 September 2025
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https://doi.org/10.1075/hot.4.ter18
Abstract
This chapter considers the current state of terminology planning for Irish. In it the unusual and paradoxical sociolinguistic situation of Irish — a symbolically important and often learned language in a bilingual country, where community language transmission is in decline — is summarised, and the consequent implications for corpus development and terminology domains are examined. The thorny questions of term acceptance, term implantation, and in vivo term creation are discussed and the main structures for terminology planning — Foras na Gaeilge, An Coiste Téarmaíochta, Gaois, and Rannóg an Aistriúcháin — presented. A section is devoted to the transformative effect of official language status in the EU since 2007, and the terminology structures created to support that status.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.The linguistic environment
    • 2.1The decline and revival of the Irish language
    • 2.2Domains of language use
    • 2.3Language resources
    • 2.4The relationship with English and implications for in vivo term creation
    • 2.5Implications for terminology demand and use
  • 3.Foras na Gaeilge and An Coiste Téarmaíochta
  • 4.The role of Gaois as a university terminology contractor
    • 4.1Development of the National Terminology Database for Irish
    • 4.2Terminology creation and management work
    • 4.3The network of experts
    • 4.4Terminology research
  • 5.Legal terminology for Irish: Roles and responsibilities
  • 6.EU terminology and its transformative role for Irish
    • 6.1The GA IATE project 2008–24
  • 7.Concluding remarks: Outlook for terminology planning for Irish
  • References
References (29)
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