<Li> the spread of bilingualism from the 1750s, resulting in language shift </Li> <P> It was a change characterised by diglossia (two languages being used by the same community in different social and economic situations) and transitional bilingualism (monoglot Irish - speaking grandparents with bilingual children and monoglot English - speaking grandchildren). By the mid-18th century, English was becoming a language of the Catholic middle class, the Catholic Church and public intellectuals, especially in the east of the country . Increasingly, as the value of English became apparent, the prohibition on Irish in schools had the sanction of parents . Once it became apparent that immigration to the United States and Canada was likely for a large portion of the population, the importance of learning English became relevant . This allowed the new immigrants to get jobs in areas other than farming . It has been estimated that, due to the immigration to the United States because of the Famine, anywhere from a quarter to a third of the immigrants were Irish speakers . </P> <P> Irish was not marginal to Ireland's modernisation in the 19th century, as often assumed . In the first half of the century there were still around three million people for whom Irish was the primary language, and their numbers alone made them a cultural and social force . Irish speakers often insisted on using the language in the law courts (even when they knew English), and Irish was also common in commercial transactions . The language was heavily implicated in the "devotional revolution" which marked the standardisation of Catholic religious practice and was also widely used in a political context . Down to the time of the Great Famine and even afterwards, the language was in use by all classes, Irish being an urban as well as a rural language . </P> <P> This linguistic dynamism was reflected in the efforts of certain public intellectuals to counter the decline of the language . At the end of the 19th century, they launched the Gaelic revival in an attempt to encourage the learning and use of Irish, although few adult learners mastered the language . The vehicle of the revival was the Gaelic League (Conradh na Gaeilge), and particular emphasis was placed on the folk tradition, which in Irish is particularly rich . Efforts were also made to develop journalism and a modern literature . </P>

How many dialects does the irish language have