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Tag Archives: compound word

Cait: Cúpla Téarma Eile (Mothchat, Baldúin, Crúbálaí) Posted by on Dec 9, 2013

(le Róislín) A few more cat terms have recently come to my attention.  Let’s start with the rather eye-catching: mothchat [muh-khaht] tomcat Ar dtús báire, ní peata “Leamhanfhir” é.  Nó “peata Fhear an Leamhain,” más fearr leat mar sin é.  So, no, the Mothman of West Virginia (and of “Prophecies” fame) didn’t suddenly become a…

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Cúig Ghuta Dhifriúla (a, e, i, o, u) i bhFocal Amháin–faoi dheireadh! Posted by on Aug 8, 2013

(le Róislín) For the same reason that people compile lists of English words that have all five vowels, write novellas with just one vowel  in them, and seek desperately for the rhyme to “porringer,” I’ve always been on the lookout for an Irish word that has all five vowels.  Agus faoi dheireadh thiar thall, tháinig…

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Tuilleadh Téarmaí Oíche Shamhna (More Halloween Terms) Posted by on Oct 31, 2009

(le Róislín) An bhfuil culaith Oíche Shamhna agat?  Do you have a Halloween costume? Má tá, cén sórt culaithe atá ann? An mbeidh tú i do vaimpír?  [un may too ih duh VAM-peerzh?]      Beidh [bay] / Ní bheidh [nee vay] For these questions, note that you’re literally saying something like, “Will you be in your vampire?”…

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“Ga-sheol go Filideilfia nó go Detroit mé, a Scotty! Tá mé ag iarraidh an Taispeántas (Exhibition) ‘RéaltAistear’ a fheiceáil.” Posted by on Aug 4, 2009

Tá a fhios agam go bhfuil daoine (agus b’fhéidir neacha eile!) amuigh ansin a bhfuil suim acu sa Ghaeilge agus sna cláracha agus sna scannáin RéaltAistear (Star Trek).  Faoi láthair tá an taispeántas i bhFilideilfia ag an Institiúid Franklin (www.fl.edu) agus i nDetroit ag an Detroit Science Center (www.detroitsciencecenter.org).   Seo cúpla frása ón seó…

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Deir seachtar (7) i nGaeilge gur “Gael-Mheiriceánaigh” iad ach deir 2805, “I’m (an) Irish-American,” de réir cuardach Google Posted by on May 28, 2009

(le Róislín) “Deir seachtar (7) i nGaeilge gur ‘Gael-Mheiriceánaigh’ iad ach deir 2805, ‘I’m (an) Irish-American,’ de réir cuardach Google.”  Well, that blog title should be an attention-getter!  Not that Google searches are “bun agus barr an scéil” (the be-all and end-all) of information gathering, but this search result does provide food for thought.  This article…

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An Bliosán Gréine (Jerusalem Artichoke): Ainm Contráilte i mBéarla ach “Neamhchontráilte” i nGaeilge (An English Misnomer but Irish “Non-Misnomer”) Posted by on May 25, 2009

Tamaillín ó shin (a little while ago, May 6 to be specific), I hinted at a discussion of the term “Jerusalem artichoke” in Irish.  And why not?  It’s suimiúil (interesting) on several counts: “luibheolaíocht” (botany), “logainmníocht” (toponymy), “sanasaíocht” and “bréagshanasaíocht” (etymology and pseudo-etymology), “cócaireacht” (cooking), and “eolas contráilte”(misinformation), to name just a few.   You…

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Terms for Grandchildren “as Gaeilge” (in Irish): Garmhac, Gariníon and Other Compounds with “Gar” Posted by on Apr 21, 2009

(le Róislín)   Unlike English, where the prefix “grand-“ is used with “mother,” “father,” “parent,” “son,” “daughter,” and “child,” in Irish, there is a major shift in the qualifier used for “grandchildren.”  As you may recall from the previous blog on grandparents, there are three widely used options: seanathair / seanmháthair, athair mór / máthair…

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