Madam - I refer to the letters from Séamas Céitinn (April 25th) and Derek Fanning (April 29th). If there's a mission to cleanse Irish of "stupid" features, why not extend the remit to English and remove all the irregular verbs from that particular language? And why not require all English-speakers and learners across the world to speak with the same accent: I suggest the middle-class Dublin accent, as I find this "clearest and easiest" to understand. In fact, why stop at just these two languages?
Alteration in the initial letters of some words in Irish is a grammatical feature. Dialectal variation and grammatical inflection are an inherent part of the system of any language. No language in the world is harder or easier for any person to learn, if they begin in childhood. To suggest we should casually "get rid" of some elements of a language because some learners find them difficult or "stupid" is an astounding example of linguistic ignorance. - Yours, etc,
CAOILEANN APPLEBY, Hermitage Drive, Rathfarnham, Dublin 16.