Irish Language Blog
Menu
Search

Tag Archives: mother

How to Pronounce Irish Words with the ‘Leas-‘ Prefix (Cuid/Part 1) Posted by on Nov 12, 2016

(le Róislín) Leasainm … Leas-rí … Leas-ardeaglais … all fairly straight-forward in pronunci-ation, all things consider-ed.  But what hap-pens to the “m” in “leas-mhamó” or “leas-mháthair” or the “c” in “leas-chodán” or “leaschon-sal“?  Why don’t the “s’s” of “leas-seanathair” and “leas-seanmháthair” and “leas-seansailéir” change at all?  And what about “leis-chliamhain” and the presumably possible “leasbhanchliamhain”…

Continue Reading

Oh, Man! ‘Fear,’ ‘Fir,’ ‘Fhir,’ and ‘bhFear,’ (How to say ‘man’ and ‘men’ in Irish) Posted by on Jan 9, 2014

(le Róislín) Since Nollaig na mBan on January 6th gave us the opportunity to discuss the Irish word for ‘woman,’ we might as well follow up with the word for ‘man.’ First, let me clarify that this blog will discuss ‘man’ (fear) as opposed to woman (bean), not “man” as opposed to the following: plants…

Continue Reading

When Is A ‘Máthair” Not A ‘Mother’ (literally, that is) Posted by on May 7, 2013

 (le Róislín) No, this blog isn’t going to be about toircheas fireann (à la Trip Tucker and the Xyrillians in Star Trek: Enterprise, The Unexpected).  Nor will it be about capaill mhara or snáthaidí mara or the possibilities of toirchis eachtópacha i bhfir as postulated in our homeworld or as speculated about i bhficsean eolaíoch…

Continue Reading

Who Says Irish Doesn’t Have Many Cognates with English? (Cuid a Dó/Pt. 2: Téarmaí Gaoil, Focail Ghaolmhara) Posted by on Apr 27, 2013

(le Róislín) Ascaill, axilla … in the last blog* we talked about how Irish may, in fact, have many focail ghaolmhara with other languages.  The words are just not always cognates with English, at least not basic everyday  English.  Most of us are more likely to say that “ascaill” means “armpit” than to say that…

Continue Reading

Lá Fhéile Bríde (Lá ‘le Bríde): 1 Feabhra Posted by on Feb 1, 2010

Inniu (an chéad lá de mhí na Feabhra) Lá Fhéile Bríde.  Today (the first day of the month of February) is St. Bridget’s day.   Tá mé faoi dhubh-iontas ag breathnú ar an uimhir de shuímh Idirlín atá ag cur síos ar Naomh Bríd agus a féile.   I’m amazed looking at the number of websites…

Continue Reading

Saol Aeronwy Bryn Thomas-Ellis (1943-2009): Mionchroineolaíocht Posted by on Aug 1, 2009

(le Róislín) Barely recovered from the news of básanna Frank McCourt and Michael Jackson, there is now another sad tale to tell, the death of Dylan Thomas’s daughter, Aeronwy. She might not have been as well known in the U.S. as McCourt or Jackson, but leaves a strong legacy and an Irish connection on her…

Continue Reading