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Ten St. Patrick’s Day Items and How to Lenite and Eclipse Them Posted by róislín on Mar 19, 2014
(le Róislín) Before we completely leave Lá Fhéile Pádraig (aka Lá ‘le Pádraig) behind us and turn to “céad lá an Earraigh” (20 mí an Mhárta 2014), let’s practice lenition and eclipsis of some Irish nouns pertaining to “an Naomh é féin” and the celebrations of the day. The concepts of lenition and eclipsis have been discussed many times…
Seamra vs. Seamróga: Which Plant Goes with St. Patrick’s Day? Posted by róislín on Mar 17, 2014
(le Róislín) An tseamair nó an tseamróg? There’s lots of discussion online and in print about what plant is actually meant by the term “shamrock.” This blog isn’t going to attempt to solve that riddle, but we will look at the related vocabulary for “clover” in general and for “shamrock” in particular. “Seamróg” is the…
When to Say ‘Pádraig,’ When to Say ‘Phádraig,’ and When to say ‘Saxifraga spathularis’ Posted by róislín on Mar 11, 2014
(le Róislín) With Lá Fhéile Pádraig just around the corner, let’s take a closer look at the name “Pádraig” itself. It has two main forms, “Pádraig” being the basic form, and “Phádraig,” used in certain types of phrases. Less frequently, we may also encounter “bPádraig.” Of course, there are also nicknames, like Páidín, Páid, Padhra…
10 Ways to Describe “Seamróga” (Shamrocks) in Irish Posted by róislín on Mar 8, 2014
(le Róislín) As we approach Lá Fhéile Pádraig (aka “Lá ‘le Pádraig” and “St. Patrick’s Day”), our thoughts naturally turn to “seamróga” (shamrocks). How many ways can we think of to describe them? We’ll try for at least ten in this blog. Maybe some readers will have some more suggestions. A key thing to remember…
Ag Cur Cat ar Fhuinneoga (or at least ‘á n-oscailt,’ the windows, that is) Posted by róislín on Mar 4, 2014
(le Róislín) Recently we’ve gone from discussing bridges, like Droichead na Leathphingine (Baile Átha Cliath) and Droichead na Cónaidhme (Ceanada) to discussing windows (fuinneoga). Well, one window (fuinneog amháin) anyway, the well-known “Carpenter Gothic” one in Grant Wood’s American Gothic. So let’s look a little closer at the word “window” itself in its various forms…
Cén stíl agus cén chuma? (What style and what appearance?) Posted by róislín on Feb 28, 2014
(le Róislín) B’fhéidir gurb í seo ceann de na fuinneoga is clúití i stair ealaíne. An aithníonn tú í? Bhí sí sa phictiúr a bhí sa bhlag is déanaí (https://blogs.transparent.com/irish/cad-a-dheanfaidh-tu-ar-an-deireadh-seachtaine-seo-what-are-you-doing-this-wee/). Cén stíl í? Perhaps this is one of the most famous windows in the history of art. Do you recognize it? It was in the…
Cad a dhéanfaidh tú ar an deireadh seachtaine seo? (What are you doing this weekend?) Posted by róislín on Feb 25, 2014
(le Róislín) A couple of months ago we posed this question on the Transparent Language Irish Blog: Cad a dhéanfaidh tú ar an deireadh seachtaine seo? (What are you doing this weekend?) https://www.facebook.com/learn.irish/posts/10152034063644295?stream_ref=10 Let’s look at some possible answers. How many can you translate? 1. Rachaidh mé ag siopadóireacht. [… egg SHOP-uh-dohrzh-ukht] 2. Rachaidh mé…