Chinese New Year in Irish: Cén tAinmhí (which animal) do 2015? Posted by róislín on Feb 18, 2015
(le Róislín) Bliain Nua na Síneach agus Parthas na nGramadóirí. Chinese New Year and this year, 2015, a grammarian’s paradise. Cén fáth? Why? Because unlike previous years, 2015 offers us two, perhaps even three, animals as the symbol for the year. But choosing between animals would mostly be vocabulary, not grammar, right? Like “sheep” vs…
Love (Grá) and the Art of Applying Initial Consonant Mutations in Irish Posted by róislín on Feb 14, 2015
(le Róislín) In recent blogs and a few others from previous years, we’ve looked at ways to say “I love you,” in Irish. Often these phrases include initial consonant mutation, so what better way to practice the mutations than with variations on a theme of “grá“? In this blog, I’ll use some of the phrases…
Abair ‘I Love You’ i nDeich dTeanga (and Irish as the 11th) Posted by róislín on Feb 11, 2015
(le Róislín) ‘Tis the season to speak of “amour,” and the more ways, plus on rit, n’est-ce pas? So let’s briefly review the most traditional Irish phrase for “I love you,” and then we’ll look at the same phrase in 10 other languages. So how much more Irish will you learn from that? Well, the matching…
You’ve Gotta Have ‘Croí’ (Heart): Irish Terms and Expressions from ‘heart-ache’ to ‘heart-whole’ Posted by róislín on Feb 5, 2015
(le Róislín) Feabhra … mí leannán … mí Lá Vailintín … agus a lán mothúchán eile bunaithe ar ár gcroí. So let’s take a closer look at this word “heart,” in its basic Irish form and in some loving or love-lorn expressions. First the basics: an croí [un krrree, with a nice flapped Irish “r,”…
St. Bridget and St. Valentine in Irish (1 Feabhra agus 14 Feabhra) Posted by róislín on Jan 31, 2015
(le Róislín) While, yes, there is at least one saint for every day of the year, February is remarkable in celebrating two saints quite prominently. This is especially true in Ireland. February 1st is celebrated as “Lá Fhéile Bríde” in Ireland, and to some extent, in other Celtic areas or diasporas. Anciently, it was…
Cé Hé Uimhir a Sé? — Practicing Some Numbers in Irish Posted by róislín on Jan 28, 2015
(le Róislín) ‘Cé hé Uimhir a Sé?’ That might seem like an odd question at first, but, remember the number that was in the graphic for the last blog (nasc thíos)? There was a reason for picking that number to illustrate the theme from The Prisoner. In this blog, we’ll look a little closer at uimhreacha and…
‘I am not an ‘uimhir’ ‘ and Other Indefinite Predicate Nominatives — Let’s Say Them in Irish Posted by róislín on Jan 23, 2015
(le Róislín) Whenever I see or hear the phrase “Doctor Who,” I always end up thinking of the typical Irish question, “An dochtúir thú?” (Are you a doctor?). Remember, the “t” of “thú” is silent, so “thú” sounds like “who.” I’ve actually tried putting together questions in Irish that would have the phrase “Doctor Who…