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Fiontar project receives European Language Label
04 October 2010
To celebrate the European Day of Languages, eleven Irish projects were awarded the European Language Label for innovative ways of teaching and learning languages at an awards’ ceremony in NUI Maynooth on Monday 27 September. Among the eleven Irish projects was the 'Placenames Database of Ireland', a research project of Fiontar, DCU.
The European Language Label, which is simultaneously run in over 20 European countries, has been a major event in the languages’ calendar since 1998. The Award recognises creative and innovative ways to improve the quality of language teaching and learning. This year’s winners were selected on the basis of excellence, innovation, creativity and their ability to serve as a model for others. The projects this year were exceptionally innovative, with learners ranging from primary school through to adults. The projects highlighted the importance of language learning in the creation of an inclusive multicultural society and the significance of real life situations in providing motivation for learners to develop and enhance their linguistic competence.
Fiontar, DCU is conducting cutting edge research in the area of electronic resources for the Irish language, especially in terminology and placenames. These research projects are rooted in the use of digital resources such as databases, Internet tools and corpora, to provide teminological and placename material to researchers and to the global Irish speaking community.
Fiontar and The Placenames Branch (Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs) have developed the 'Placenames Database of Ireland' at www.logainm.ie. Work commenced on the project in April 2007 and the database was launched at the beginning of October 2008.
This is a valuable resource for journalists and translators, students and teachers, historians and researchers in genealogy. It is a public resource for Irish people at home and abroad, and for all those who appreciate the rich heritage of Irish placenames. To date the following additional features has been developed:
1. A system to enable simultaneous Irish-English and English-Irish translation of lists of placenames.
2. Sound recordings of some placenames. Sound files have been included in the entries of some of the placenames of Co. Waterford, Co. Galway, Co. Donegal, Co. Kerry, Co. Tipperary, Co. Louth, Co. Dublin, Co. Mayo, Co. Limerick and Co. Leitrim. Sound files will be added to other counties on a phased basis.
3. Background information notes pertaining to certain placenames. Scanned images of some of the historical source material have been included on the site under ‘Archival records’. Some of these records will be input gradually in a searchable form on the public interface.
4. Mapping tools for the logainm.ie site. A mapping interface was created for logainm.ie with a facility to display search results on maps.
5. Educational resources for primary and third level students are available here.
6. Supplementary aids for the public including explanatory notes on certain features in placenames.
Dr Muiris Ó Laoire, Chair of the Irish National Jury, commented that, as in previous years, innovation and excellence are clearly recognizable in the eleven projects awarded this year, which cover a wide range of successful ideas and effectively attested approaches and methods in language learning. Award-winning projects like these provide a potential source of inspiration for others working with different languages and in different contexts. Dr Ó Laoire observed, “As we continue to confront economic obstacles, we need more than ever to identify and award the innovators in our field and to learn from those who create flexible responses and encourage initiative.”