Archive for 'Irish Language'
Ascaill, Axilla, Armpit — Who Says Irish Doesn’t Have Many Cognates with English? (Cuid a hAon/Pt. 1) Posted by róislín on Apr 24, 2013
(le Róislín) Often students in my ranganna Gaeilge will say that one of the reasons that Irish seems hard is that words seem very unfamiliar, unrelated to other languages they know, and there’s very little to jog one’s memory. A basic example would be “madra” for “dog.” It’s short and straightforward enough in and of…
Cé Mhéad Tuíodóir? (How many thatchers?) Posted by róislín on Apr 21, 2013
(le Róislín) In the last blog, I raised the question of how many professional thatchers are out there, curious as to whether the trade growing or declining. Trying to search for numbers of thatchers in the US, Canada, and Australia proved a bit time-consuming. Computer searches mostly ended up giving me results for “dethatching” services…
If You’re Not a ‘Tuíodóir’ (Thatcher) by Trade, How About …? Posted by róislín on Apr 17, 2013
(le Róislín) In the last few blogs, we’ve been looking at tuí, tuíodóirí, and tuíodóireacht (thatch, thatcher, thatching). It’s an interesting topic in this day and age, both as an occupation and as a springboard for further discussion of Irish vocabulary (like “cíor thuí” and “sáiteoir,” or their intriguing English equivalents, “leggatt” and “spurtle”). But…
Ag Caint faoi Thuí agus faoi Thuíodóireacht (Speaking of Thatching) Posted by róislín on Apr 14, 2013
(le Róislín) Before moving away from tuíodóireacht to other topics, I thought it would be interesting to look at the tools used by a tuíodóir, and also to look briefly at the use of díonta tuí outside of Ireland and Britain. You might have just noticed the phrase “díonta tuí” (thatched roofs). And you might…
Bean an Tuíodóra (The Wife of the Thatcher) Posted by róislín on Apr 11, 2013
(le Róislín) Well, no, this blog is not going to be about the late Margaret Hilda Thatcher, An Banbharún Thatcher (13 Deireadh Fómhair 1925-8 Aibreán 2013). She actually only acquired the name “Thatcher” through marriage, having been born a “Roberts.” While it’s interesting to ponder the origin of the surname “Thatcher” in England, and the…
An Pápa Proinsias agus an tAinm Proinsias/Proinséas Posted by róislín on Apr 8, 2013
(le Róislín) “Jeanne d’Arc” ach “An Mháthair Treasa“? It’s interesting to note whether the names of internationally recognized figures have Irish versions, or if they are left in the original. “Joan of Arc” and “Mother “Teresa” provide insightful examples. “Joan of Arc,” as she is known in English, retains her French name, “Jeanne d’Arc,” in…
More Green Ideas, Mostly _Not_ Colorless (Sorry, Chomsky!) Posted by róislín on Mar 31, 2013
(le Róislín) The color “green” is such an interesting topic, I’m reluctant to stop quite yet, even after having written several blogs on it. Today we’ll start out with some common and some not-so-common examples of “green” in Irish, and end up, out on a limb (verdant, no doubt) discussing “colorless green.” If that last…