Relationships between identity and attitudes to the achievement of native speaker norms in adult L2 learners of Irish

Abstract

This study examines how attitude, motivation and identity in adult learners of Irish are related to awareness of and commitment to different dialects and varieties of the language as learning targets. Specifically, it is concerned with learners’ attitudes towards acquiring various traditional (Gaeltacht) and non-traditional (second language) varieties of the language. It proceeds to explore whether relationships exist between these attitudes towards varieties and learners’ motivation and self-concept as second language speakers. Since there is a paucity of research on these issues in the context of adult learners of Irish, and indeed in relation to minority languages more generally, this study aims to contribute to existing research on both second language acquisition as well as the specific case of Irish.