Grammatical idiosyncracies of the Irish language combined with socio-political influences are demonstrated in a novel by Flann O'Brien.|IS HERSELF IN THE HOUSE? / Robert Tracy and Joan Trodden Keeffe| produced by Padraigin McGuillicuddy. SERIES: Irish Contributions to English Literature| no. 2. Much of the humor and "quaintness" of Irish writing and languange originates in the grammatical structure of the irish language when transfered to English usage. That and the lack of the words "yes" and "no" which leads often to the accusations that the Irish can never give a strainght answer! Some of this evasion may have socio-political origins, but certainly much is linguistic. Flan O'Brien moved with confidence between the two languages and the two literary traditions. Excerpts from his great comic novel "At Swim Two Birds" display his agility with words - satires, puns, and liguistic jokes. Excerpts from "At Swim Two Birds" read by Robert Mooney. BROADCAST: KPFA, 1982
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