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Cén Sórt Ceoil Is Fearr Leat? What Kind of Music Do You Like Best? Posted by on Jun 14, 2009

Cén Sórt Ceoil Is Fearr Leat?  What Kind of Music Do You Like Best?   First let’s try some even more basic phrases:   Is maith liom rac-cheol.  I like rock music. [for “maith,” say: mah, the “t” is silent]   Ní maith liom rac-cheol.  I don’t like rock music.   (Remember that breathy “ch”…

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Rac-cheol, Punc-cheol, Popcheol, Snagcheol, and My Favorite Standby, Ceol Traidisiúnta! (not to mention Rac-cheol Sícideileach, Rac-cheol an Deiscirt, Ceol Gangsta, Ceol Gaspal, Ceol Rithim agus Gormacha) Posted by on Jun 11, 2009

You may have figured out the Irish word “ceol,” or its variant, “cheol,” from the title.    Of course, you may have already seen it, perhaps in pubs signs advertising “ceol agus craic.”     You might have wondered why, knowing my addiction to fleiscíní (hyphens), in their proper place, I carefully put in the…

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Dogs and Daideonna (Grandads) in Direct Address “i nGaeilge” – agus Mamónna Freisin (and Grandmoms too) Posted by on Jun 8, 2009

(le Róislín) This is mostly for active Irish-speakers and learners, but might be of interest more broadly, given how many people write on the Internet about how kids can say “grandmother” and “grandfather” in a less formal way (pop-pop, meemaw, etc.).  Also, more than a few people talk to their dogs! If you’re talking directly…

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Pronunciation tips for Mamó, Móraí, and Daideo (Grandma/Granny and Grandpa) Posted by on Jun 5, 2009

 (le Róislín) There have been numerous inquiries on how to pronounce these words, since the previous blogpost on this topic came out (nasc thíos), so here are some tips: To pronounce Mamó: the final vowel is long, so it gets extra emphasis: mam-OH To pronounce Móraí: the emphasis is on the first syllable, which sounds like…

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Saying Where You’re From “i nGaeilge” Posted by on Jun 2, 2009

The terms “Gael-Mheiriceánaigh,” “Gael-Cheanadaigh,” and “Gael-Astrálach,” discussed on May 28 and earlier, account for a large percentage of the Irish diaspora, outside the U.S.  Now to get more specific.   Two North American groups who could have many members wishing to identify themselves in Irish are the Nova Scotians and the Newfoundlanders. In each case…

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Being a Gael-Mheiriceánach, Gael-Cheanadach, or Gael-Astrálach, or Any Other Nationality “as Gaeilge” Posted by on May 31, 2009

We recently discussed the various ways to use the word “Gael-Mheiriceánach” to say something is “Irish-American” or “I am an Irish-American.” Let’s go global and discuss some more possibilities.   If you’re one of about 4.5 million Canadians with Irish ancestry, you could say, “Is Gael-Cheanadach mé.”  If you’re one of almost 2 million Irish-Australians…

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Deir seachtar (7) i nGaeilge gur “Gael-Mheiriceánaigh” iad ach deir 2805, “I’m (an) Irish-American,” de réir cuardach Google Posted by on May 28, 2009

(le Róislín) “Deir seachtar (7) i nGaeilge gur ‘Gael-Mheiriceánaigh’ iad ach deir 2805, ‘I’m (an) Irish-American,’ de réir cuardach Google.”  Well, that blog title should be an attention-getter!  Not that Google searches are “bun agus barr an scéil” (the be-all and end-all) of information gathering, but this search result does provide food for thought.  This article…

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