(le Róislín)

Cé chomh leathan is atá do chraobh ghinealaigh féin? An bhfuil (agus an mbeidh) eolas ag do shliocht agus ar shliocht do shleachta ar a sinsear agus ar shinsir a sinsear? (grafaic: By Nachfahre (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ahnenblatt_FamilyTree.jpg)

The previous three blogs have dealt with fifteen different ways to say “family” in Irish (naisc thíos), starting with “teaghlach” and “clann.”  Today we’ll look at some aspects of the extended family, referring to “descendants”, starting our list with no. 16.  Remember, “gs” for “genitive singular and “gpl” for “genitive plural”

D. Descendants

16. sliocht, descendants (collectively), offspring, family, as in “Sliocht na Faolchon” (the Family of the Female Wolf) an sliocht (gs: éifeachtaí díobhálacha ar fhorbairt an tsleachta), pl: na sleachta (gpl: na sleachta, same as the common plural form)

“Sliocht” can also mean “passage” or “extract” (of writing).  With many phrases, like “tús an tsleachta” or “teideal an tsleachta,” the reference in the genitive case is much more likely to have this meaning (“the beginning of the extract,” “the title of the passage,” etc.).

17. síol, family, offspring, progeny, etc., lit. seed (as in “síolta a chur,” to plant seeds), also semen (aka “seamhain,” the term most typical in medical usage) and sperm (aka “speirm,” not surprisingly; an síol (gs: an tsíl), pl: na síolta (gpl: na síolta, same as the common plural)

This word can be used in tribal names, as in “Síol Uidhir” (Cé hiad?  Freagra thíos) and “Síol gCeallaigh”  (Cé hiadsan? Freagra thíos freisin).

As we’ve seen with some of the other words, once we get into the genitive case or plural forms, the meaning is less likely “family” and more likely the most fundamental definition, as in “aimsir an tsíl” (seed-time, the time of the seed, and N.B. to new learners, “aimsir” can mean time as well as “weather … of course, seed-time really depends on the weather, ach sin ábhar blag eile …).  Similarly, we have “am curtha an tsíl” (seed-planting time, lit. time of the planting of the seed, with “seed” singular here but presumably referring to way more than one!).

Before we conclude this blog post, here’s a (theoretically) brief note about a related word that should have its own blog post someday — “sinsear.”  “Sinsear” most basically means “an ancestor” or “a head of a family,” but it can also mean “ancestors” (even when the word is singular!) and “ancestry.”  The Biblical Adam can be referred to as “”sinsear an chine dhaonna” (the ancestor of the human race), giving us an example in the singular.  Here’s a sample use of “sinsear” (singular) as plural:

“Nuair a chonaic me an tUasal David Trimble ina sheasamh ar Chnoc an Choiligh afach, an reilig inar chuireadh m’athair agus mo shinsear, chonaic me solas an dochais agus mhothaigh me feothan na siochana.” [sic] (litir ar an leathanach “Opinion” san Irish Times le Micheal O Dochartaigh, (nasc thíos).

I put [sic] after the quote because there are no síntí fada in the text as reproduced online).  It seems unlikely that someone would use “sinsear” in the singular to refer to just one ancestor in a case like this.

But we can also use the plural form of “sinsear,” which is “sinsir,” for the plural, needless to say:

” Is iad mo shinsir iad, mo chomharsana ó thaobh na tíreolaíochta de dá scoiteacht ó thaobh ama is atá muid.”(Cogadh na mBandéithe, le Robert McMillen, Iúil 2012, Eagrán 135)

One phrase I’ll have to look into later is “ord mór na sinsear” — the ancestral sledge-hammer.  Ermm, well , later …!

Bhuel, there we are, progressing by leaps and bounds, mar dhea, through the list.  The last blog covered ocht bhfocal but this one covered just dhá fhocal.  “Ocht bhfocal”? “Dhá fhocal”? Ermm, wtf, standing innocently here for “Where’s the “f”?  Once we eclipse and lenite it, and otherwise dice and splice it, that is.  Á, bhuel, tá a fhios agat, scéal na litreach sin, sin scéal eile!  “Na hAthraithe Abú!” ach is ábhar blag eile iad!  SGF (agus na hacrainmneacha abú freisin! – Róislín

Freagraí: “Síol Uidhir,” the Maguires; “Síol gCeallaigh,” the O’Kellys

Naisc:

Iarbhlaganna:
https://blogs.transparent.com/irish/25-ways-to-say-f…cuid-a-haon-pt-1/, 25 Ways to Say ‘Family’ in Irish, Cuid a hAon (Pt. 1) Posted on 25. Feb, 2016 by róislín

https://blogs.transparent.com/irish/25-ways-to-say-f…h-cuid-a-do-pt-2/ , 25 Ways to Say ‘Family’ in Irish, Cuid a Dó (Pt. 2), Posted on 27. Feb, 2016 by róislín

https://blogs.transparent.com/irish/25-ways-to-say-f…-cuid-a-tri-pt-3/ ‎, 25 Ways to Say ‘Family’ in Irish, Cuid a Trí (Pt. 3), Posted on 29. Feb, 2016 by róislín

Samplaí na bhFocal “an tsleachta” agus “sinsear” agus “sinsir”
an tsleachta (of the offspring, etc.): éifeachtaí díobhálacha ar fhorbairt an tsleachta (adverse effects on development of the offspring).   Rialachán (CE) Uimh. 1272/2008 ó Pharlaimint na hEorpa agus ón gComhairle an 16 Nollaig 2008 maidir le haicmiú, lipéadú agus pacáistiú substaintí agus meascán, agus lena leasaítear agus lena n-aisghairtear Treoir 67/548/CEE agus Treoir 1999/45/CE, agus lena leasaítear Rialachán (CE) Uimh. 1907/2006, cited at http://www.gaois.ie/crp/ga/?txt=offspring&lang=en

sinsear as singular: http://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/letters/massacre-in-omagh-1.187006, litir ar an leathanach “Opinion” san Irish Times le Micheal O Dochartaigh, Thu, Aug 27, 1998, 01:00

sinsear as plural: http://www.beo.ie/alt-cogadh-na-mbandeithe.aspx, Cogadh na mBandéithe, le Robert McMillen, Beo.ie, Iúil 2012, Eagrán 135