Tag Archives: nature
Nature Words in Irish, pt. 7: Holly (following ‘acorn’ to ‘herring’) Posted by róislín on Nov 18, 2019
(le Róislín) Which words should be in a dictionary and which ones should be removed after a certain period of time? We can all probably agree that for modern English pocket dictionaries, we probably don’t need to take up space with words like “apricity” or “yelm,” although I’m delighted to find them in Landmarks, Robert…
Nature Words in Irish, pt. 6: Ferret to Herring (following ‘acorn’ to ‘crocus’) Posted by róislín on Oct 31, 2019
(le Róislín) If you’ve been following this blog series, you probably know the drill by now. The last few blog posts in this series have featured Irish words for nature terms, ranging so far from “acorn” to “crocus.” What’s special about these particular words? They are the Irish equivalents of the 50 or so nature…
Nature Words in Irish, pt. 5: Catkin to Crocus (following up on acorn to buttercup) Posted by róislín on Oct 17, 2019
(le Róislín) “Catkin” — now there’s a word I don’t use very often in English and I’m tickled pink to be writing about it here, in a blog for Irish language learners. The other “c-anna” words for today’s post are a little more basic: cauliflower, chestnut, clover, conker (not “conquer” as such!), and crocus. Anybody…
Nature Words in Irish, pt. 4: blackberry, budgerigar/parakeet, buttercup (and bluebell in review) Posted by róislín on Sep 30, 2019
(le Róislín) Continuing our list of nature words in Irish, today’s blog will cover the following: blackberry, budgie/budgerigar/parakeet, and buttercup, with a nod back to “bluebell,” which was the first subject treated in this series. Is é sin le rá, déanfaidh muid na “b-anna.” Tá “acorn” (dearcán) agus “almond” (almóinn) déanta againn cheana féin. BTW…
Nature Words: the Irish for ‘almond’ and a baker’s dozen of related terms Posted by róislín on Sep 18, 2019
(le Róislín) Recently, we’ve been looking at the nature words stricken from the Oxford Junior Dictionary [English] about 10 years ago. As you may recall, words like “acorn” and “almond” were removed from the dictionary and replaced by tech terms like “analog” and “MP3 player.” I’ve posed the question several times now in this…
‘Bluebell’ or ‘Broadbrand’: Which Word Should Be in a Children’s Dictionary? — A British Example and Irish Question Posted by róislín on Aug 20, 2019
(le Róislín) As far back as 2009, many people noticed that the Oxford Junior Dictionary, a monolingual English dictionary for children seven years old or thereabouts, dropped approximately 50 words about nature so they would have room for more 21st-century tech-oriented words. While I can sort of understand the logic, I wonder if perhaps hundreds…
Beoir: Uaine nó Glas nó Ceachtar? (Beer: Green/Uaine or Green/Glas or Neither?) Posted by róislín on Mar 22, 2013
(le Róislín) Our last blog primarily covered the actual history of St. Patrick and his name. This blog will take a lighter-hearted look at some St. Patrick’s Day imagery, namely the much-maligned-but-nevertheless-consumed green beer. I’m refraining from value judgments on the topic (unlike many of the online commentators!), but am primarily interested in whether people…