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Tag Archives: cathair

“Comharsa,” “Monarcha,” “Pearsa”: An Cúigiú Díochlaonadh Arís Posted by on Jun 10, 2011

(le Róislín) We’ve recently seen several patterns for 5th-declension nouns in Irish. One small group, which contains some very important kinship terms, looks like this: athair (father), athar, aithreacha máthair (mother), máthar, máithreacha Another group sometimes also has the “-air” ending but works slightly differently when you create the possessive form (adding “-ach”) and includes…

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Whither “Nathair”? Mar “Athair” nó Mar “Chathair”? Posted by on Jun 6, 2011

(le Róislín) So, you’re staring at the Irish word “nathair” and wondering which way to go for its tuiseal ginideach and its foirmeacha iolra.   Is it going to be like “cathair” or is it going to be like “athair”? Before we actually answer that (why cut to the chase when we can prevaricate and still…

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An Iarmhír “-ach” sa Chúigiú Díochlaonadh: Beoir (Beer) vs. Beorach (of Beer), srl. Posted by on Jun 3, 2011

(le Róislín) We’ve recently seen one pattern for the 5th category of Irish nouns (an cúigiú díochlaonadh), which involved dropping the “i” of words like máthair, athair, deartháir, and bráthair. As you may recall, that change results in phrases like the following (aistriúcháin thíos): a) gach mac máthar b) in ainm an Athar c) carr…

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Gaolta and the Fifth Posted by on May 27, 2011

(le Róislín) Fifth declension, that is.  So, no, the fifth here is not a cúigiú as in 4/5 of a galún, traditionally filled with uisce beatha, vodca, rum, or other hard liquor, ar ndóigh. And it’s not the “Fifth” that Americans, at least, might take, demand, or plead, to protect against féin-ionchoiriú, etc.  That’s “an…

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Díochlaontaí Arís! Posted by on Apr 24, 2011

(le Róislín) Two words that pertain to Easter conveniently fit our next category of nouns, an tríú díochlaonadh (the third declension).  One is the word “Cáisc” itself, and the other is “uaineoil.” As you may recall, before we took our “Sos Pónairí Glóthaí” and “Sos Cásca,” we had gotten through the first two declensions of…

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