Anailís Dhiacronach Chorpasbhunaithe ar Cheantair Theangeolaíocha na hÉireann

In this paper, we use corpus-based methods to undertake diachronic analysis of two Irish-language terms, ‘Gaeltacht’ and ‘Galltacht’, which refer to specific linguistic regions in Ireland, at the beginning of the 20 ^th century and again at the beginning of the 21 ^st century. Two specific-purpose corpora of periodicals from these periods were created for the purposes of this research. The various meanings associated with both terms are examined and the major changes in meaning during the intervening period are mapped and discussed. An in-depth analysis of the corpus search results and contextual usages is carried out. This research builds on prior research undertaken in other fields on the development and construction of these two concepts, ‘Gaeltacht’ and ‘Galltacht’ through the application of new corpus-based methodologies.