Archive for 'Irish Language'
An Dara Díochlaonadh: Eggs and Legs, Clutches and Hutches Posted by róislín on Apr 11, 2011
(le Róislín) Continuing along with our “declension” series, here are roinnt samplaí of the second declension. That’s the second out of four or five declensions (opinions vary). Almost all 2nd-declension nouns are feminine, the two main exceptions being “im” and “sliabh,” which will be dealt with in a later blog. Go comhthitimeach (coincidentally) agus go…
An Chéad Díochlaonadh: Newts, Frogs, and, for Easter, Baskets Posted by róislín on Apr 8, 2011
(le Róislín) We’ve recently seen a number of first-declension nouns in Irish, with their various forms. You might have noticed how when we say “hats of men” or “eyes of newts,” the plural form appears to look singular. In other words, “fear” normally means “a man” but can mean “of men” in the right grammatical…
What’s the “Tuiseal” of “an Tuiseal Ginideach” Anyway? Posted by róislín on Apr 5, 2011
(le Róislín) By now, you’ve probably heard the term “tuiseal” quite a bit in discussing Irish nouns. It’s generally translated as “case” as in “an tuiseal gairmeach” (“a Shinéad” for “Sinéad” in the “vocative” case) or as in “an tuiseal ginideach” (“cóta Sheáin” for “John’s coat” in the “genitive” case), etc. Of course, this isn’t…
Of Mice, Of Men, Of Newt, Of Frog (A Prose Ode to “An Tuiseal Ginideach”) Posted by róislín on Apr 2, 2011
(le Róislín) Now that we’ve started this mionsraith on an tuiseal ginideach, we may as well dul go bun an angair. That latter phrase is an Irish idiom that literally means “to go to the end (top) of the want,” and is roughly equivalent to “to go whole hog” or “to the bitter end.” Why…
Speaking “of blue mice” and “of pink elephants” Posted by róislín on Mar 30, 2011
(le Róislín) A recent blog hinted at some upcoming entries on possessive forms, so here they are. We start with a few more luchóg ghorm / eilifint bhándearg examples and then transition to some more practical phrases that indicate possession, and maybe even point towards some Easter expressions, for the upcoming holiday. Some of you…
Bándeirge/Eilifintí agus Goirme/Luchóga Posted by róislín on Mar 26, 2011
(le Róislín) Since we’ve started talking about eilifintí bándearga, we might as well continue with the rest of Jack London’s expression, namely, the luchóga gorma (blue mice). According to London, both of these animals are seen frequently seen in alcoholic hallucinations. Of course, our real purpose here isn’t to analyze bándeirge na n-eilifintí or goirme…
Luchóga Gorma, Eilifintí Bándearga, agus Jack London! A Thiarcais! Posted by róislín on Mar 23, 2011
(le Róislín) The last blog alluded to Jack London as originating the concept of seeing eilifintí bándearga as part of a siabhránacht radhairc. Out of curiosity, I checked online to see where a search for eilifintí bándearga would take me, in Irish and in English. In the exact phrase “eilifintí bándearga,” which is plural, there…