"Examine the resurgence of endangered languages in Ireland and New Zealand. In these instances how could language be considered a tool for resistance?"

Percentage of people who said they could speak Irish (Gaelic or Irish Gaelic), in 2011

            As you many know, Ireland was under the rule of Britain for centuries, only gaining independence in the early 20^th century. However, by then Irish (also known as Gaelic, or Irish Gaelic) had declined in usage, with only 15% percent speaking it by the time they gained their independence. Even today, Irish as a language is still less commonly used than English, despite the Irish government making large efforts to promote its usage, such as, historically, requiring those who worked in the civil service, such as postal workers, tax collectors, and more (this was later changed). The history between Ireland and the UK has been quite tense, with the centuries of English and British rule, with them discouraging the usage of Irish, and the whole situation with independence and the status of Northern Ireland.

           

            Nowadays, there seems to be much more reduced animosity between Ireland and Northern Ireland and the UK, especially with the end of the Troubles. Irish as a language, according to the image included, is known more commonly in the Republic, rather than Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK. This fits into the idea that the Irish language had a ‘rebirth’ of sorts, spurned by the desire to assert their independence. By distinguishing themselves from English/British culture, it makes them a lot more of a separate and more distinct entity. Since British rule caused the Irish language to lose its prevalence/majority in favour of English, by encouraging people to speak Irish more, it’s like the country is trying to shake of their history of British rule. However, English remains the more dominant language in Ireland, despite the effort by the government. It seems to me that the effort to bring the language back is based on the need to preserve their culture and to distinguish themselves from the British.

            Moving on to Maori, it faces a similar issue in regards to language usage. Only 24% of Maoris can hold a conversation in Maori. However, unlike Ireland, it seems that there has been less conflict between the Maori and the settlers. Until World War 2, most Maoris spoke the language as there first one, but it seems, possibly due to the higher prevalence of learning English and studying at English-speaking institutions, the use of Maori has declined. In the 1980s, Maori leaders began making efforts to revive the language. It seems to me that in this case, it is less about resistance and more about preserving one’s culture. Compared to other native cultures, such as the Aboriginal cultures in Australia and the Native American cultures, I feel that the Maori have been able to retain more of their culture/power, especially since they are around 15% of the population of New Zealand. If it were to be used as a tool of resistance, I would say that by preserving ones culture and not merging in to the English/settler majority culture, they are emphasising that they are different to them, and are a separate people, with their own culture and language, similarly to the Irish, but with a bit of a different historical context. 

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C4%81ori_language

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_language