Archive for September, 2014
‘Míor” + “cat” agus “suri” + “cata” = gleoiteacht! Posted by róislín on Sep 30, 2014
(le Róislín) I see that my previous cat blog (4 Mí na Nollag 2013) has been reposted (Cats Galore in Irish (Cait, Caitíní, Piscíní, Pisíní, srl.), so I thought this might be a good time to look at another “cat” word, “meerkat,” in Irish. And also to look into where the Latin taxonomical name, Suricata…
From ‘Stáit’ to ‘Stát’ and Back Again: Various Ways to Say ‘The United States of America’ in Irish Posted by róislín on Sep 26, 2014
(le Róislín) In the last blog, about the word “aontaithe,” (nasc thíos), we referred briefly to the various ways to say “the United States of America” in Irish. There are some subtle differences, depending on how the phrase is used. And of course, there are different phrases for specifically saying “the United States of America,”…
Looking at the ‘aon’ in ‘aontaithe’ (united) Posted by róislín on Sep 23, 2014
(le Róislín) Well, the Scottish Referendum has come and gone and I find myself wondering what will happen sa todhchaí (in the future). But meanwhile, it might be useful to look at the Irish word for “united,” since it shows up in many other phrases and terms, aside from “An Ríocht Aontaithe.” “Aontaithe” is based…
Spleáchas vs. Neamhspleáchas Hotting Up in Scotland Posted by róislín on Sep 18, 2014
(le Róislín) A timely time to look at the Irish word for ‘independence’ as the “vótáil” for the Scottish Referendum comes down the home stretch. Much like the English word “independence,” the Irish equivalent, “neamhspleáchas,” is also a compound word. Knowing that probably makes it a lot easier to pronounce, and, as it were, digest…
How To Say ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ in Irish – Let Me Count The Ways Posted by róislín on Sep 15, 2014
(le Róislín) Actually I can’t really count the number of ways. As I mentioned in a recent blog, there are thousands of ways to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ in Irish. Remember, almost every verb in Irish can be used to formulate a yes- or no-answer. And the good news is … some of them are…
How to say ‘Scottish,’ ‘Scotland,’ and ‘Scot’ in Irish (and how about ‘scot-free’?) Posted by róislín on Sep 12, 2014
(le Róislín) As the Scottish Referendum vote comes ever closer, let’s look at some of the basic terms for Scotland itself, the Scottish people, and some specifically Scottish things. For the latter, I mean things actually labeled Scottish, or as it sometimes occurs, “Scotch.” I don’t mean things we simply associate with Scotland, like “haggis.”…
How to say “Yes Vote” and “No Vote” in Irish (with a nod to the Gàidhlig) Posted by róislín on Sep 8, 2014
(le Róislín) So I’ve been listening and listening to the coverage of the Scottish independence vote. While this blog is not really a platform for polaitíocht, it does give us an opportunity to look at the words “yes” and “no” in Irish, with a brief comparison to Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig). With most languages I’ve studied…