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Tag Archives: pronunciation

Cé mhéad “Shades of Gray” (Grey … Liath … Léith … de Grae, srl.)? Posted by on Jul 22, 2014

(le Róislín) I was recently reminded of a rather infamous episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, entitled “Shades of Gray.”  B’fhéidir gur cuimhin leat é. That got me thinking of other uses of the phrase, “Shades of Gray (Grey),” even aside from the current tie-in by E. L. James.  I’ve been pondering how to…

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Sacar / Peil (Soccer / Football) : A “Matching” Game of Terminology in Irish Posted by on Jul 9, 2014

(le Róislín) This blog will present 10 soccer (football) terms in English and Irish.  Can you match them up?  Note also that there is one extra Irish term, just for the challenge (“dúshlán” [doo-hlawn] note the silent “s”). Some of the Irish terms can also be used outside of soccer/football discussions, as can some of…

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Four Ways to Say ‘Star-Spangled’ in Irish (plus ‘star’ in general — réalta) Posted by on Jul 4, 2014

(le Róislín) It seems like such a specific term, but there at least four ways to say “star-spangled” in Irish.  A timely phrase for this time of year (Lá na Saoirse) in the United States. Let’s start with the ‘star” part, since that’s the basis of all of the terms that follow, and also probably…

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Ón Teanga Taíno go Gaeilge (‘barabicu’ go ‘beárbaiciú’) Posted by on May 22, 2014

(le Róislín) In the last blog, we referred to “séasúr na mbeárbaiciúnna” (barbecue season) while discussing the Irish word “citseap” (from the Chinese ‘kôe-chiap’ or its Malay variation).  This blog will look more closely at the word “beárbaiciú” itself, which, clearly enough, means “barbecue.”  Or should that be “barbeque”?  Or “bar-b-q”?   Or BBQ?  Or, “the…

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Pronunciation Tips for ”Six Ways to Say ‘I Want Some More’ in Irish” Posted by on May 14, 2014

(le Róislín) From time to time (ó am go ham), I like to go back to a previous blog and provide more pronunciation notes.  Here are a few more tips for ” Six Ways to Say, ‘I Want Some More’ in Irish (ag cur Gaeilge ar athfhriotal clúiteach Oilibhéir)” (10 Bealtaine 2014; nasc thíos). As…

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Beirt Naomh Mhí na Feabhra: Naomh Bríd agus San Vailintín Posted by on Feb 3, 2014

(le Róislín) Irish has two words for “saint.”  I wonder if any other language is similar in this regard, but for now, we’ll just look at the two Irish words, “naomh” and “san.”  For most purposes, they are not interchangeable.  February celebrates both “Naomh Bríd” and “San Vailintín,” so let’s look at why they have…

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How to Say ‘2014’ in Irish Posted by on Dec 31, 2013

(le Róislín) Dhá mhíle is a ceathair déag.  Piece o’ cake, right?  Well, maybe, but for anyone new to the language, here is a rough pronunciation guide: [γaw VEEL-yuh iss uh KYA-hirzh djayg].  [Pointe léirithe, 4 Eanáir 2014: ní an litir “y” atá i gceist i “γaw” ach an tsiombail teangeolaíochta “γ” .i. an tsiombail…

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