Archive for February, 2015
Orlaí agus Troithe (Measurements in Irish in the ‘inches/feet’ system) Posted by róislín on Feb 28, 2015
(le Róislín) Even though the world has become increasingly méadrach over the last half-century, there are still many reasons to use the words “inch” and “feet” in measuring, or at least to recognize them in older texts. One main reason is that a few countries still use inches (orlaí), feet (troithe), and yards (slata), as…
Irish Pronunciation Round-up for “Ó ‘Uncail Oscar’ go garmhac Fhionn Mhic Cumhaill: The Irish Roots of the Name ‘Oscar’ Posted by róislín on Feb 27, 2015
(le Róislín) How do you pronounce “garmhac,” “gheimhriúil,” “othar,” “Cumhall” and “Cumhaill“? Does “uncail” in Irish sound any different from “uncle” in English? And can we depend on “Oscar” in Irish sounding like “Oscar” in English? What about when it’s “Oscair“? This blog will look at a few pronunciation issues for some of the Irish…
Ó ‘Uncail Oscar’ go garmhac Fhionn Mhic Cumhaill: The Irish Roots of the Name ‘Oscar’ Posted by róislín on Feb 25, 2015
(le Róislín) Hmm, I was going to continue writing about “bombogenesis” and the guairneáin associated with aimsir gheimhriúil, but the timely topic of the Oscars was too tempting! The last blog (nasc thíos) addressed that subject, and we’ll return to it in another blog or two. So, “Oscar” was the grandson of Fionn Mac Cumhaill and…
An bhfuil Gaeilge ar an bhfocal ‘bombogenesis’? (Is there an Irish word for ‘bombogenesis’?) Posted by róislín on Feb 21, 2015
(le Róislín) As we read about the unusually cold winter weather this year (le deich n-orlaí sneachta in Iarúsailéim, fiú), one word that really caught my attention was “bombogenesis.” And any time a relatively new English word catches my eye, I always wonder about the Irish equivalent. So I’ve checked the usual channels for ‘bombogenesis”…
Chinese New Year in Irish: Cén tAinmhí (which animal) do 2015? Posted by róislín on Feb 18, 2015
(le Róislín) Bliain Nua na Síneach agus Parthas na nGramadóirí. Chinese New Year and this year, 2015, a grammarian’s paradise. Cén fáth? Why? Because unlike previous years, 2015 offers us two, perhaps even three, animals as the symbol for the year. But choosing between animals would mostly be vocabulary, not grammar, right? Like “sheep” vs…
Love (Grá) and the Art of Applying Initial Consonant Mutations in Irish Posted by róislín on Feb 14, 2015
(le Róislín) In recent blogs and a few others from previous years, we’ve looked at ways to say “I love you,” in Irish. Often these phrases include initial consonant mutation, so what better way to practice the mutations than with variations on a theme of “grá“? In this blog, I’ll use some of the phrases…
Abair ‘I Love You’ i nDeich dTeanga (and Irish as the 11th) Posted by róislín on Feb 11, 2015
(le Róislín) ‘Tis the season to speak of “amour,” and the more ways, plus on rit, n’est-ce pas? So let’s briefly review the most traditional Irish phrase for “I love you,” and then we’ll look at the same phrase in 10 other languages. So how much more Irish will you learn from that? Well, the matching…