Not Quite Done with Hairicíní Posted by róislín on Sep 19, 2010
I happened to realize that the 62nd anniversary of the Great Hurricane of 1938 (GH38) is approaching and have been listening to a closleabhar on the subject. Is scéal fíorspéisiúl é agus an-bhrónach. Here are some of the príomhphointí: Dátaí (i Meiriceá): 20 Meán Fómhair go 22 Meán Fómhair, 1938 Catagóir: ar dtús, catagóir a…
Cool, Cold, Freezing, Frigorific (i nGaeilge) Posted by róislín on Sep 15, 2010
Recently, we’ve talked a lot about an aimsir, hairicíní, cineálacha eile stoirmeacha, and céimeanna teasa, from warm to hot to sweltering. This time, we’ll reverse the theme of the last blog, and discuss degrees of fuacht ([FOO-ukht] coldness). First, probably the most basic construction: Tá sé fuar inniu. It’s cold today. Tá mé fuar. I’m…
Warm, Hot, Sweltering, Sudorific (i nGaeilge) Posted by róislín on Sep 10, 2010
While one may not think of the Irish climate as overwhelmingly hot, it never hurts to have the vocabulary to describe it as such. Especially given téamh domhanda. Or for Irish speakers vacationing i bhFlorida nó sa Spáinn. I was about to casually say “laethe madrúla an tsamhraidh” (the dog days of summer), but I…
Dea-aimsir! Posted by róislín on Sep 6, 2010
The title sounds short and sweet, but to some extent this blog is actually disguised coverage of prefixes, lenition, and hyphenation. Good ole “baoite agus aistriú”! We’ve talked a lot lately about drochaimsir [DROKH-AM-shirzh], ranging from hairicín to saighneán gaoithe. How about some more upbeat terms, even if sometimes they’re just smaoineamh in aice le…
Cineálacha Stoirmeacha (Kinds of Storms) Posted by róislín on Sep 3, 2010
Last blog we discussed hairicíní, for which the Irish word is an adaptation of either the Carib for “God of Evil” or the name of a Mayan storm god, Hurakan – the sources for this don’t agree on which. Either way, the word went through a couple of filters before reaching Irish, namely Spanish “huracán”…
Ainmneacha Ceilteacha ar Hairicíní (Fiona en route) Posted by róislín on Aug 31, 2010
As a dedicated ainmeolaí, I recently found myself wondering why I couldn’t think of any hurricanes that had Celtic names, even in their anglicized forms. So I decided to look into it. Reviewing the situation, I see that traditionally hurricanes were named after the saint’s day on which they occurred (which could reopen the door…
Drochaimsir: Ó Hairicín Katrina (2005) Siar go hOíche na Gaoithe Móire (1839) Posted by róislín on Aug 29, 2010
As we remember Hairicín Katrina, today’s blog will outline a few major weather events in Irish and American history. Where available, I’ve also included references to literary interpretations of the events, since I, at least, find that reading about history through fiction is often an appealing window into times past, even when the events themselves…