Would you ever say someone was actin’ the maggot? Have you ever been pure ragin’? When you were a child, were you told you were being bold or naughty? Do you pronounce Wales and Whales the same or differently?

When you listen to other speakers, can you tell if someone is from Limerick or Laois? Does someone from Kerry sound friendlier than someone from Kildare?

Speak for Yersel asks these questions in order to capture the different words, sounds and sentences used in Irish English across Ireland and people’s reactions to these. But to do this, we need YOU!

In the survey you’ll be asked questions about your own voice, and what you think about the voices of others. Your answers will be recorded in real time on a map, providing a snapshot of voices from Donegal in the north west to Wexford in the south east, and everything in between. Maps let you further explore the Irish English used in Ireland today.

A few notes before you start:

1. Many of us speak differently, depending on who we’re talking to and where we are. In the following activities, we’re interested in finding out about how you speak with friends and family, rather than with teachers and at work.
2. The activities focus on the voices of those who live, or have lived, in Ireland. You might not be from Ireland, but we still think you’ll find Speak for Yersel fun to try out, so wherever you’re from, jump right in!
3. If you’re from Northern Ireland, then complete the Speak for Yersel NI surveys instead of these ones. Of course, we know that people in Donegal might speak more like people from Strabane than Cork. There are separate surveys for boring, technical reasons – not for linguistic ones!

Take survey