Archive for April, 2012
Time Is of the Essence, except for “Eadra” and its Cohorts Posted by róislín on Apr 30, 2012
(le Róislín) Thinking further about all the “time” words we’ve recently discussed, another thought struck me, with interesting vocabulary implications. The following terms use the “-time” suffix in English, but not in Irish. Daytime: there are several ways to express this, none using “-time” as such: an lá (as a noun) and, for “in the…
Taking “uain” by the “urla” (agus focail eile ar “time”) Posted by róislín on Apr 27, 2012
(le Róislín) OK, so what’s that hybrid title all about? The last blog discussed how the word “aimsir,” usually meaning “weather,” can also mean “time” in certain phrases like “aimsir na Cásca” and “in aimsir na bhFiann.” That got me thinking, how many other ways are there to say “time” in Irish? So I figured…
An Focal “aimsir” Posted by róislín on Apr 23, 2012
(le Róislín) A little while ago, there was a query in our Facebook site about the word “aimsir” (http://www.facebook.com/learn.irish, on 8 Aibreán). And truly, I think it is surprising when one finds out that “aimsir” not only means “weather,” but also “time” (including “tide” for holiday times) and, regarding verbs, “tense.” Actually, it’s less surprising…
An Focal “ann” (agus beagáinín faoi “ionam,” “ionat,” srl.) Posted by róislín on Apr 19, 2012
(le Róislín) Some of you might be wondering about the word “ann” in the question “An ann di?” from the recent blog entitled “Cén Ghaeilge atá ar ‘rusticle’? An Ann Di (Dó)?” It is a short but multi-purpose, multi-faceted, and very important word in Irish. The very literal translation of “An ann di?” is, perhaps…
Cén Ghaeilge atá ar “rusticle”? An Ann Di (Dó)? Posted by róislín on Apr 15, 2012
(le Róislín) Amongst the many interesting topics raised by the Titanic centennial, at least one language query emerges. Cén Ghaeilge atá ar “rusticle?” First, let’s define “rusticle,” since it’s a fairly new word in the English language. It was coined by Robert D. Ballard after he discovered the Titanic, draped with strands of rust on…
Comóradh 100 Bliain an Titanic Posted by róislín on Apr 12, 2012
(le Róislín) Much has been written about the Titanic in advance of the centennial of its loss but, at least as far as I can tell, relatively little in Irish. Of course, it’s a somewhat difficult topic to search for online, since the keyword “Titanic” stays the same in Irish and in English. Putting “an”…
That’s The Way The Easter Bilby Goes – Cluas i ndiaidh Cluaise (using the Irish verb “to eat”)! Posted by róislín on Apr 10, 2012
(le Róislín) Some of you might remember our brief discussion of “An Bilbí Cásca” last year when we were talking about Máirt Chásca as a lá saoire bainc? Where is that extra bank holiday, which none of the rest of us get, observed? “Bilbí” is a bit of a clue — sa Tasmáin! I say…