Béarlachas

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Béarlachas is an Irish word used to describe a variety of Irish language perceived by users of the term to be excessively influenced by English. This influence may vary between simple anglicisms to a process of pidginization. It is a result of language contact.

A common form of Béarlachas is the creation of an Irish verb by a process of borrowing an English verb and adding the Irish suffix 'áil'. ^[1]^[2]

Example: "Táim ag runáil go dtí an siopa" (I'm running towards the shop) - "runáil" is not an Irish word, and should instead be "rith".

Calquing also occurs: an English phrase is literally translated into Irish, even though an equivalent Irish phrase already exists. ^[3]

Example: "Moilligh Síos" (Slow down - calque from English), instead of the more correct "Maolaigh ar do luas" (reduce your velocity).

Many Béarlachas words have become common in the Irish language, for example:

mar shampla: for a sample
liosta: list
aidhm: aim (where cuspóir already exists)
praghas: price
carr: car (where gluaisteán already exists)
fón: phone (where guthán already exists)
dabht: doubt (where amhras and gó already exist)
halla: hall (where áras already exists. Also H does not occur at the beginning of a word in Irish unless of a mutation).
ceint [sˠɛnʲtʲ]: cent, even though the soft "C" does not exist in Irish. "Soint" would be an acceptable spelling.

Letters that are not traditionally used in Irish orthography occur (such as J K Q V W X Y Z and H at the beginning of words):

Véarsa: Verse (where rann already exists)
Jab: Job (where post already exists)
Zú: Zoo (where gairrín ainmhithe already exists)

Between the 1970s and 1990s Republican prisoners in Long Kesh prison spoke in Irish. They nicknamed the place "An Jailtacht", a portmanteau combining the Irish "Gaeltacht" (Irish speaking region), and the English "jail".^[4]

The republican slogan "Tiocfaidh ár lá" (Our day will come) is a form of Béarlachas, more idiomatic equivalents being "Beidh ár lá linn" or "Beidh ár lá againn".