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The Parameters of ‘Pudding’ (Putóg et al.) Posted by róislín on Aug 21, 2014
(le Róislín) So I thought I had the parameters of pudding pretty well parsed (putóg, maróg, milseog, all potentially in contrast to “custard,” a word borrowed as is from English), when I chanced upon yet another bit of “pudding” vocabulary. I’ll leave it for a bit of cliff-hanger at the end of this blog. Where…
Cá mbíonn tú ag obair? Where do you work? (Workplace names in Irish) Posted by róislín on Aug 18, 2014
(le Róislín) So the doctor works “san ospidéal” and sometimes “i gclinic.” Let’s look at some more workplaces. We’ll take some occupations from the previous blog (nasc thíos) and add a few new ones, some modern and a couple with a nod to “an t-am fadó.” One, at least, is probably practiced more i gceantar…
Cén post atá agat? (How to say what your job is in Irish) Posted by róislín on Aug 14, 2014
(le Róislín) From “agraimeitéareolaí” to “zó-eolaí” (míoleolaí), we recently looked at a lot of “-ologist” occupations (Naisc thíos). But there are many other occupational terms in Irish that don’t have the “-eolaí” ending, which, after all, implies some kind of a scientist. Some of the other typical endings include: “-óir” and its slender variant “-eoir,”…
Whose Hot Dog? Whose Soda Bread? Whose Tea Scone? (Súil Siar ar an Tuiseal Ginideach i nGaeilge) Posted by róislín on Aug 10, 2014
(le Róislín) Our last blog took advantage of the “uaschamóg earráideach” in the now famous café sign from Waterville, Co. Kerry, to work on “an tuiseal ginideach,” the form of the noun used to show possession in Irish. Remember the distinction in English between “loud Americans” and “loud American’s”? For some more entertaining “example’s along…
‘Being Loud’ Not Allowed? (i gcaife sa Choireán, Co. Chiarraí) Posted by róislín on Aug 6, 2014
(le Róislín) By now you might have seen the article about the café sign in Waterville, Co. Kerry (An Coireán, Co. Chiarraí), which appeared to ban bus and coach passengers and loud Americans. Why do I say “appeared”? The punctuation on the sign is such that it defeats its own purpose. The phrase “loud American’s”…
Eolaithe Eile (agus Eolaíochtaí Eile) Posted by róislín on Aug 5, 2014
(le Róislín) While we’re on a roll with occupations, especially “-ologists,” I thought we could add a few more. This time, they’ll be a mix and match, just to add a little more … what’s that great compound word again … “dúshlán.” Understanding “dúshlán” as a compound word (originally “dubh” + “slán,” becoming “shlán” [hlawn]…
Cineálacha eolaithe (síceolaí agus bitheolaí, mar shampla … agus mar nuafhocal–*Pottereolaí) Posted by róislín on Jul 31, 2014
(le Róislín) Ó “agraimeitéareolaí” go “zó-eolaíocht” tá a lán téarmaí leis na foircinn “-eolaí” agus “-eolaíocht” sa Ghaeilge. To back up, just as English has many “-ologists” and “-ologies,” Irish has many words based on “eolaí” (scientist) and “eolaíocht” (science), all related to an even more basic word, “eolas.” You might recognize “eolas” from phrases…

