How to Say ‘Multilingual Madness’ in Irish (Cuid 2/2) Posted by róislín on Apr 6, 2014
(le Róislín) In the last blog, we looked at the word “multilingual” in Irish and discussed “ilteangach” and “ilbhéarlach” as the choices. Both use the prefix “il-” (“many;” also found in words like “ilghuthach” and “ilstórach“). “Teangach,” as the core of the word “ilteangach,” is, of course, from “teanga” (tongue), and “-bhéarlach” (lenited after…
How to Say ‘Multilingual Madness’ in Irish (Cuid 1/2) Posted by róislín on Apr 2, 2014
(le Róislín) Lately we’ve seen a lot of posts about “Multilingual Madness” on Transparent Language websites (nasc thíos). So let’s take a look at the phrase in Irish. How do we say “multilingual”? With some trepidation, we’ll also discuss how to say “madness” (there’ll be a lot of choices — at least 9, depending on…
Uair ar son an Domhain (Earth Hour): 29 Márta 2014 ó 8:30 i.n. go 9:30 i.n. Posted by róislín on Mar 28, 2014
(le Róislín) One of the newer phrases to be “i mbéal an phobail” is “Uair ar son an Domhain” (Earth Hour). Tosaíodh é san Astráil sa bhliain 2007 le hocáid “lights-out” (“soilse múchta,” is dócha) i Sydney. Anois ceiliúrtar “Uair ar son an Domhain” i thart fá 7000 áit ar fud an domhain. I mbliana…
Cén Séasúr? (Which Season?): Geimhreadh, Earrach, Samhradh, Fómhar Posted by róislín on Mar 26, 2014
(le Róislín) Since we’ve just finished going over the Irish word for “spring” (as a season), I thought it would be fun practice to try some fill-in-the-blanks with the different seasons. Here’s a quick review before we start. geimhreadh [GyEV-ruh, OR, GEE-ruh, OR, GyEV-roo, with the “mh” pronounced like a “v” and the “d” silent]…
An tEarrach (The Spring): 20 Márta 2014 Posted by róislín on Mar 22, 2014
(le Róislín) By all accounts now, Spring has finally sprung, on March 20th for this year. At least astronomically. Maybe in the next blog we’ll look at two other traditional dates for “Spring”– February 1st and March 1st. All three calendar systems have their validity. Meanwhile, how do we say “Spring” in Irish? And just…
Ten St. Patrick’s Day Items and How to Lenite and Eclipse Them Posted by róislín on Mar 19, 2014
(le Róislín) Before we completely leave Lá Fhéile Pádraig (aka Lá ‘le Pádraig) behind us and turn to “céad lá an Earraigh” (20 mí an Mhárta 2014), let’s practice lenition and eclipsis of some Irish nouns pertaining to “an Naomh é féin” and the celebrations of the day. The concepts of lenition and eclipsis have been discussed many times…
Seamra vs. Seamróga: Which Plant Goes with St. Patrick’s Day? Posted by róislín on Mar 17, 2014
(le Róislín) An tseamair nó an tseamróg? There’s lots of discussion online and in print about what plant is actually meant by the term “shamrock.” This blog isn’t going to attempt to solve that riddle, but we will look at the related vocabulary for “clover” in general and for “shamrock” in particular. “Seamróg” is the…