Tag Archives: mblagálaí
Deir seachtar (7) i nGaeilge gur “Gael-Mheiriceánaigh” iad ach deir 2805, “I’m (an) Irish-American,” de réir cuardach Google Posted by róislín on May 28, 2009
(le Róislín) “Deir seachtar (7) i nGaeilge gur ‘Gael-Mheiriceánaigh’ iad ach deir 2805, ‘I’m (an) Irish-American,’ de réir cuardach Google.” Well, that blog title should be an attention-getter! Not that Google searches are “bun agus barr an scéil” (the be-all and end-all) of information gathering, but this search result does provide food for thought. This article…
An Bliosán Gréine (Jerusalem Artichoke): Ainm Contráilte i mBéarla ach “Neamhchontráilte” i nGaeilge (An English Misnomer but Irish “Non-Misnomer”) Posted by róislín on May 25, 2009
Tamaillín ó shin (a little while ago, May 6 to be specific), I hinted at a discussion of the term “Jerusalem artichoke” in Irish. And why not? It’s suimiúil (interesting) on several counts: “luibheolaíocht” (botany), “logainmníocht” (toponymy), “sanasaíocht” and “bréagshanasaíocht” (etymology and pseudo-etymology), “cócaireacht” (cooking), and “eolas contráilte”(misinformation), to name just a few. You…
Logainmneacha Ceilteacha agus Náisiúntachtaí a Sé: Celtic Place Names and Nationalities 6 – Cornwall and the Cornish Posted by róislín on May 22, 2009
We’ve recently discussed the place names Albain, Éire, An Bhreatain Bheag, Oileán Mhanann, and An Bhriotáin. Today we’ll turn to Cornwall. Below you’ll find some examples of how to use the place name and how to indicate that a person or thing is Cornish. Cornwall is called “Corn na Breataine” (horn of Britain) or sometimes…
Mór? Críonna? or Sean? — Grandparents By Any Other Name! Posted by róislín on Apr 9, 2009
(le Róislín) I frequently get asked about the Irish word for “grandmother” or “grandma,” so children in Irish-American families can start using it as a pet name. Sometimes the basic term “Grandma” has already been taken by one side of the family, so the other side may look for a different name, like “Nana” in…
A Lán Lann – A Lot of Places (with the Suffix “–lann”) Posted by róislín on Mar 15, 2009
(le Róislín) You may have noticed Transparent Language’s recent WOTD, an bhialann, the restaurant, and you may recognize a keyword in this expression, “bia” (food). It’s helpful to know the suffix “–lann” also, since it is used to make dozens of words. The suffix comes from the word “lann,” which has many meanings, including “land,” “ground,”…
Lá Fhéile Pádraig! Posted by róislín on Mar 12, 2009
(le Róislín) As you might have guessed, the title phrase above means “St. Patrick’s Day,” a good time for launching this “blag nua” (new blog). Remember that in pronunciation, the “fh” of the word “Fhéile” is completely silent. For that reason, you sometimes see the phrase written as “Lá ‘Éile Pádraig,” dropping the “fh” entirely. …