Irish Language Blog
Menu
Search

Archive for December, 2013

How to Say ‘2014’ in Irish Posted by on Dec 31, 2013

(le Róislín) Dhá mhíle is a ceathair déag.  Piece o’ cake, right?  Well, maybe, but for anyone new to the language, here is a rough pronunciation guide: [γaw VEEL-yuh iss uh KYA-hirzh djayg].  [Pointe léirithe, 4 Eanáir 2014: ní an litir “y” atá i gceist i “γaw” ach an tsiombail teangeolaíochta “γ” .i. an tsiombail…

Continue Reading

Cóisir Chinn Bhliana — Cad a Bheadh Ann? (re: New Year’s Eve parties) Posted by on Dec 29, 2013

(le Róislín) Seo séasúr na gcóisirí agus ‘chuile sheans go mbeidh tú ag freastal ar Chóisir Chinn Bhliana. So first let’s take a look at the Irish for some of the typical trappings of  New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day party.  Hitch is, we’ve got eleven items in the list below, but only ten…

Continue Reading

Dreoilíní, Boscaí, agus Dea-thoil (26 Mí na Nollag 2013) Posted by on Dec 26, 2013

(le Róislín) So what do “wrens,” “boxes,” and “goodwill” have in common?  All pertain in one way or another to a day celebrated as a holiday under various names in Ireland, Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and some Commonwealth countries.  An 26ú lá de mhí na Nollag atá i gceist. For the benefit…

Continue Reading

Nollaig nó Nollag (How To Say ‘Christmas’ or ‘of Christmas’ in Irish) Posted by on Dec 24, 2013

(le Róislín) As Christmas approaches, you might be wondering why there’s such a constant variation of whether to say “Nollaig” or “Nollag,” and in a similar vein, “An Nollaig” or “na Nollag.” First, the basic answer, and then some examples. And before that, a pronunciation pointer. What is the difference in sound between “Nollaig” and…

Continue Reading

Cé Mhéad Patraisc? Cé Mhéad Drumadóir? (or ’12 Lá na Nollag’ Redux and an Irish Counting Lesson to boot) Posted by on Dec 18, 2013

(le Róislín) In the last blog, we discussed “fearáin” (aka “fearáin bhreaca“) amongst other members of the order Columbiformes (coilm agus colúir, doves and pigeons, etc.).  And we briefly alluded to the fact that the Irish for “turtledove” doesn’t have the element “turtle” (turtar) or “dove” (colm, or sometimes “colúir”  — for more on the…

Continue Reading

Speaking of Pigeons (Colúir) Posted by on Dec 14, 2013

(le Róislín) I’ll leave journalists Sean Dunne (IrishCentral) and Liz Alderman (New York Times) to “squabble” over the accuracy of the recent reference in the New York Times to “pigeon-eating” in Ireland.  But it does seem to me like a good opportunity to explore the related Irish vocabulary (naisc do na hailt thíos).  So we’ll…

Continue Reading

Cait: Cúpla Téarma Eile (Mothchat, Baldúin, Crúbálaí) Posted by on Dec 9, 2013

(le Róislín) A few more cat terms have recently come to my attention.  Let’s start with the rather eye-catching: mothchat [muh-khaht] tomcat Ar dtús báire, ní peata “Leamhanfhir” é.  Nó “peata Fhear an Leamhain,” más fearr leat mar sin é.  So, no, the Mothman of West Virginia (and of “Prophecies” fame) didn’t suddenly become a…

Continue Reading

Older posts