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Rewind, Play and Fast Forward
Tracing the Evolution of Irish-English from Sound Archive to Web
Language is a vital part of cultural identity and living heritage, reflecting the ways communities express themselves and connect across generations. Yet language is constantly evolving, shaped by education, migration, social change and shifting cultural attitudes.
This research project brings together National Museums NI, Queen’s University Belfast and Newcastle University to undertake the first longitudinal study of Irish-English. At the centre of the research is the Tape-Recorded Survey of Hiberno-English Speech (TRSHES), one of National Museums NI’s most significant sound archive collections. Originally recorded in the 1970s, the survey captured the speech of children from communities across Ireland.
The project will locate and re-record a sample of the original participants decades later, creating a unique record of how language evolves over a lifetime. The research will also explore how museum sound archives can be transformed into dynamic digital resources that connect voices, identities and heritage across generations.
For more information and link to application form: Funding/Scholarships | School of Arts, English and Languages | Queen's University Belfast
