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Droichead na Cónaidhme nó ‘Réise na mBeann Glas’ (Mar a Dúradh) Posted by róislín on Feb 22, 2014
(le Róislín) I couldn’t resist spending a little more time with bridges (droichid) since Canada’s Confederation Bridge has such a clever nickname, as bestowed by …, hmm, which Irish person? (freagra thíos). Just a quick review of the phrase “Droichead na Cónaidhme,” before we get to the nickname: droichead [DRIH-hud], bridge na [nuh], here it…
Speaking of ‘Droichid’ (From Ha’penny to $45) Posted by róislín on Feb 18, 2014
(le Róislín) Ó Dhroichead na Leathphingine i mBaile Átha Cliath go ceann de na droichid is daoire ar domhan sa lá atá inniu ann! Is iad “droichid” ábhar ár mblag inniu. An bhfuil a fhios agat cad é an droichead dola daor atá i gceist agam? But before we get down to brass tacks and…
An bhfuil do ghlas crochta crochta agat fós? Posted by róislín on Feb 14, 2014
(le Róislín) No, that’s not an overlooked duplication of words. “Glas crochta” is a padlock (hmm, guess why that topic came up in today’s blog!) and “crochta” means “hung” or “hanging,” from the verb “croch” (hang). First let’s discuss the word “glas,” since it’s a triple homonym in Irish. One “glas” means “green.” A second…
An Tuiseal Gairmeach sa Ghaeilge: Dealing with Nouns of Direct Address in Irish Posted by róislín on Feb 11, 2014
(le Róislín) “A Shéamais!” “A Shinéad!” “A chuisle!” “A stór!” “A óinseach!” “A amadáin!” What do all these Irish phrases have in common? The vocative particle “a,” which has no exact equivalent in English. In addition to being used with terms of endearment, as discussed in the most recent blog (nasc thíos), this particle is…
Let Me Call You … Stóirín (Storeen) (Irish Terms of Endearment) Posted by róislín on Feb 7, 2014
(le Róislín) Irish has many many terms of endearment. It actually also has many pejorative terms for people, ach sin ábhar blag eile. In this blog, given the season, we’ll look at various ways to say “darling,” “sweetheart,” and “love” in Irish. Some of these have been covered in previous blogs around this time of…
Beirt Naomh Mhí na Feabhra: Naomh Bríd agus San Vailintín Posted by róislín on Feb 3, 2014
(le Róislín) Irish has two words for “saint.” I wonder if any other language is similar in this regard, but for now, we’ll just look at the two Irish words, “naomh” and “san.” For most purposes, they are not interchangeable. February celebrates both “Naomh Bríd” and “San Vailintín,” so let’s look at why they have…
Apostles, Mill-Clappers, and Zodiac Signs (And The Common Thread Is … the Number 12) Posted by róislín on Jan 29, 2014
(le Róislín) You may have noticed that both “dhéag” and “déag” were used in the last blog title (nasc thíos). For “twelve animals,” we said “dhá ainmhí dhéag” with the lenited form “dhéag” [yayg]. For “twelve years,” we said “dhá bhliain déag,” with the basic form of “déag” ([djayg] not lenited). So what’s going on…