Archive for 'Irish Language'
An Briathar “Gráigh!” (Love!) i nGaeilge Posted by róislín on Feb 14, 2011
(le Róislín) The more I look into it, the more unusual features this verb seems to have. Interesting, and a bit complex, especially because of overlapping forms and near homonyms that are actually antonyms. Good news? It’s not used nearly as much as the forms we’ve recently gone over, especially “Mo ghrá thú.” So if you…
Dóigheanna le “I Love You!” a Rá i nGaeilge: Let Me Count the Ways! Posted by róislín on Feb 12, 2011
(le Róislín) Many languages, perhaps most, have numerous ways to say “I love you!” and Irish is no exception. But, compared to other languages, Irish may be somewhat unusual in not really using the verb “to love,” as such, as much as it uses noun phrases. Examples would include calling the object of your affection…
Téarmaí Muirnéise (Terms of Endearment) do Lá Vailintín Posted by róislín on Feb 9, 2011
(le Róislín) As Lá Vailintín approaches, it seems appropriate to go over some useful phrases for the holiday. First, let’s look at the term “endearment” itself, “muirnéis.” In the title of this blog, the phrase is “of endearment.” We don’t actually use a word for “of” in a case like this but instead we add…
Ag Comhaireamh Daoine ar an Liosta Seo: Cé Mhéad Éireannach, srl.? Posted by róislín on Jan 26, 2011
(le Róislín) Recently we’ve been counting a lot of people in this blog, ranging from cailíní bleánaí to clamhsánaithe. We’ve also had “Svahaíleach amháin, beirt Svahaíleach, triúr Svahaíleach, srl.” as an example of a term for which there is no lenition, due the initial consonant cluster (sv-). So I was thinking we could get into…
Na hUimhreacha Pearsanta (ar leanúint) Posted by róislín on Jan 10, 2011
(le Róislín) Cailín? Chailín? Cailíní? Chailíní? Mac? Mhac? Mic? Mhic? So what’s all that about, and what does it have to do with the “personal numbers” in Irish? What you just read is a sequence of four different forms of the word for “girl” (cailín) and the word for “son” (mac). In each case, the…
Na hUimhreacha Pearsanta i nGaeilge (Irish Personal Numbers and Cuid a Cúig or the Last Installment of Dhá Lá Dhéag na Nollag) Posted by róislín on Jan 6, 2011
(le Róislín) Fotheideal (perhaps too long for the subject line): Ag comhaireamh na ndaoine san amhrán “Dhá Lá Dhéag na Nollag” Learning to use the numbers in Irish is often considered one of the more challenging aspects of the language. Often you start out with the “maoluimhreacha” (independent numbers) such as “a haon, a dó…
Géanna agus Ealaí (Cuid a Ceathair: Dhá Lá Dhéag na Nollag) Posted by róislín on Jan 4, 2011
(le Róislín) Time to give “faoistin ghearr” to “Dhá Lá Dhéag na Nollag,” at least, perhaps, until next year when we can resume looking at some of the féidearthachtaí eile. Before we start, you might like to know a more folksy way to refer to “short shrift:” Níor thug sé saol práta i mbéal muice…