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Nestor, Niamh
Preferred name
Nestor, Niamh
Official Name
Nestor, Niamh
Research Output
Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
Publication
Discourse ‘like’ and social identity – a case study of Poles in Ireland
2012-11-15, Nestor, Niamh, Ni Chasaide, Caitriona, Regan, Vera
Ireland experienced momentous change in the last decade and a half. Migrants now make up a significant percentage of the population and the question of integration continues to be pertinent. One indicator of integration is language, and the fluency with which an L2 speaker uses L1 discourse markers indicates how integrated he/she is in the local community (Sankoff et al. 1997). This paper analyses discourse like and its use by Polish speakers of L2 Irish English. Our research shows that speakers follow Irish English patterns, but there is a high degree of interspeaker variation. By drawing on qualitative data, we attempt to illustrate some possible reasons for this, including the potential of this feature as a tool in identity construction.
Publication
The New Kid on the Block: A Case Study of Young Poles, Language and Identity
2011-10-22, Nestor, Niamh, Regan, Vera
Ireland has experienced momentous change over the last 15 years, with a sharp reversal in its traditionally outward-migration patterns to a very rapid increase in inward-migration. Mac Éinrí and White have characterised Ireland’s experiences of migration as ‘unique, at least in European terms’ (2008: 153). This came to the fore towards the mid 1990s onwards when increased economic prosperity led to a skills shortage on the labour market and the concomitant inward migration led to rapid population diversification. This was particularly noticeable after the accession of ten new EU Member States, including Poland, on May 1st 2004.
Publication
The InBetweeners: Queer and Allied Insider/Outsider Experiences and Perspectives from Higher Education in an Evolving Ireland
2022-11-18, Doyle, Colleen, Blanckensee, Sam, Nestor, Niamh, Buggy, Conor J.
The Marriage Equality Act and Gender Recognition Acts of 2015, along with other legal frameworks, have irrevocably changed the landscape for LGBTQI+ people in Ireland. Since 2000, social acceptance of LGBTQI+ people in Ireland has risen dramatically. This chapter explores the experiences of four authors working in student-centered roles in Irish higher education, their identities as LGBTQI+, and their allyship. They contemplate how their identities as LGBTQI+ enhance and influence their ability to work openly in the Irish higher education system. The four authors considered how their innate “outsiderness” has evolved into a form of “insiderness” through their time working in Irish higher education and how they and their actions are perceived within their scholarly communities. The authors also consider how their own communities have viewed them through the activities they undertake to make more inclusive, diverse, and accepting campuses for all students. The chapter was developed using auto-ethnography and a compassionate critical friends process so that all four authors could share their journeys, address commonalities and differences, and challenge their own preconceptions. Though this chapter focuses on Irish higher education, the experiences, perceptions, and realizations can be applied to a wider range of educational settings globally.
Publication
Out of the communist frying pan and into the EU fire? Exploring the case of Kashubian
2009-07, Nestor, Niamh, Hickey, Tina
A language currently at the nexus of change is Kashubian (in Polish: kaszubski),
a West Slavic language spoken in northern Poland in the province of
Pomerania. Termed a 'regional language' by the Polish government in
preparation for the ratification of the European Charter for Regional or
Minority Languages (signed in 2003 and ratified in 2008), it presents
interesting parallels with other minority languages at different phases,
in terms of its weak economic status and a history of repression. The
impact of Poland's accession to the EU in 2004 and the Polish
government's recent revitalisation initiatives will be explored. The
views of three prominent Kashubian activists are considered as they
reflect on the past, present and future of Kashubian. Issues considered
include the changing status of Kashubian and the impact of such change
on identity, the role of Catholicism in supporting Kashubian and the
need for development in the spheres of literature and education. Of
particular interest is a consideration of the effect on the language's
visibility and status as a result of having a Kashub, Donald Tusk,
become Prime Minister in October 2007, following decades of neglect and
denial of Kashubian's status as a language under Communism, and he is
one of those interviewed here.
Publication
The significance of age and place of residence in the positional distribution of discourse like in L2 speech
2015-07-15, Regan, Vera, Nestor, Niamh
This chapter investigates the use of discourse markers in L2 Irish English, specifically like by Polish people, assuming that the use of discourse markers is an indicator of integration. Quantitative and qualitative approaches are used to analyse the corpus of speech, focusing in particular on the positional distribution of like and the impact of age and place of residence. Results show that the L2 speakers use discourse like in patterns which correspond to those attested for L1 Irish English. Place of residence was a significant factor, with rural and urban speakers following rural and urban L1 patterns respectively. However, the younger speakers tended to favour urban (and global) clause-medial like over clause-marginal like, the more traditional pattern for Irish English. The young L2 speakers appear to be participating in the global change in like patterns.