Archive for January, 2014
Apostles, Mill-Clappers, and Zodiac Signs (And The Common Thread Is … the Number 12) Posted by róislín on Jan 29, 2014
(le Róislín) You may have noticed that both “dhéag” and “déag” were used in the last blog title (nasc thíos). For “twelve animals,” we said “dhá ainmhí dhéag” with the lenited form “dhéag” [yayg]. For “twelve years,” we said “dhá bhliain déag,” with the basic form of “déag” ([djayg] not lenited). So what’s going on…
Dhá Ainmhí Dhéag, Dhá Bhliain Déag, agus Cén Fhoirm den Alt? Posted by róislín on Jan 27, 2014
(le Róislín) Seo (2014) Bliain an Chapaill de réir fhéilire na Síneach. Agus cad faoi na blianta eile? Agus na hainmhithe a bhaineanns leo? So we’ve all heard that this (2014) is the Year of the Horse (Bliain an Chapaill) in the Chinese calendar. But how would we say the other eleven Chinese years in…
Years, Ears, and Donkeys in Irish (Bhuel, Not Really Donkeys!) Posted by róislín on Jan 25, 2014
(le Róislín) This time in January, in between the western New Year (1 Eanáir) and Chinese New Year (31 Eanáir i 2014) seems like a good time to look again at the word “bliain” (year) in Irish (nasc thíos do bhlag eile faoi seo). In this blog, we’ll look at the basic forms of the…
Ghost Ship or Not, How to Say ‘Rats’ in Irish Posted by róislín on Jan 23, 2014
(le Róislín) Cannibal rats? A ghost ship? An Irish island? How dramatic is that? You’ve probably read the basic news scoop by now. The cruise ship Lyubov Orlova, built in 1976 in the former Yugoslavia, is allegedly adrift in the North Atlantic, with no crew. The only living (if that) inhabitants on board are believed…
Keep Calm and … Fan Socair agus … (in Irish) Posted by róislín on Jan 18, 2014
(le Róislín) How many activities should we do while we keep calm? Currently there are about 538,000,000 Google hits for the English phrase “Keep calm and …” (not limited to the “carry on” ending). In Irish, I’ve seen various translations for the “keep calm” part, but I think “fan socair” is best. Cé mhéad amas Google…
How To Say ‘Bridge’ and ‘Gate’ in Irish Posted by róislín on Jan 14, 2014
(le Róislín) Whatever you might think of the latest “-gate,” this time “Bridgegate,” it never hurts to look at the Irish vocabulary surrounding an issue. So in this blog, we’ll look at the Irish words for “bridge” and “gate.” Not that Irish actually uses “-gate” (geata) to indicate a controversy or scandal. For about 40…
Oh, Man! ‘Fear,’ ‘Fir,’ ‘Fhir,’ and ‘bhFear,’ (How to say ‘man’ and ‘men’ in Irish) Posted by róislín on Jan 9, 2014
(le Róislín) Since Nollaig na mBan on January 6th gave us the opportunity to discuss the Irish word for ‘woman,’ we might as well follow up with the word for ‘man.’ First, let me clarify that this blog will discuss ‘man’ (fear) as opposed to woman (bean), not “man” as opposed to the following: plants…