(le Róislín)

Since we had a nice flurry of responses to the question about “Where do you live?  In American Flag, Arizona?” (iarbhlag: nasc thíos) I figured we’d try a few more locations where readers of this blog might live, i.e. bailte, srl., nach scáilbhailte íad (towns, etc., that aren’t ghost towns).  Of course, the possibilities are nearly endless, so if you don’t see your locale here, please feel free to write in, either in Irish, or as a query about the “leagan Gaeilge” for your location, if one exists.  Outside of Ireland, most country names have a distinctly Irish version (Ceanada, Buircíne Fasó, srl.).  Most major cities and some geographical areas have Irish versions of their names as well (Tóiceo; Gaineamhlach Ghóibí).  But even if the place name doesn’t exist in Irish, one can still always practice the phrasing for saying where one lives: Tá mé i mo chónaí i … OR, if the place name begins with a vowel, Tá mé i mo chónaí in … (in Éirinn, mar shampla).

For any newcomers to Irish pronunciation, remember that the “ch” here is like the “ch” of German “Buch,” Welsh “fach,” and the non-Bachmannesque “Chutzpah.”  I guess I’ll always have to make that qualification now, since Bachmann’s “choo-choo” pronunciation of “Chutzpah” hit the airwaves (nasc thíos).  Pé scéal é, it’s the “ch” sound often described as “throaty” or “guttural,” technically, the “voiceless velar fricative.”

And, yes, we’ll return to the “ainmfhocail sa chúigiú díochlaonadh,” the series we were working on before all the discussion about flags started for July, roimh i bhfad.

A brief note on the verb “to live” in Irish.  For our purposes today, we’ll be using “cónaí” (living, residing, dwelling).  “To live” in the sense of “to be alive” is expressed quite differently in Irish, with verbs like “maireachtáil” or “a bheith beo.”  I suppose there could be occasional circumstances where these might overlap, for example, if Dracula had to account for his whereabouts and for his degree of animation , he could say, “Tá mé i mo chónaí i gcaisleán sa Trasalváin,” and likewise, “Tá mé ag maireachtáil i gcaisleán sa Trasalváin.”  The latter would be in contrast to when Dracula is in the state of “sos beochta,” as for example when in transit, in which case I wouldn’t expect he’d be talking at all.

If we have a true vaimpíreolaí ar an liosta seo, they might have some specifications about ever using the verb “maireachtáil” regarding vaimpírí, but until I hear otherwise, I guess I’ll just go with the flow, and give the vampires the benefit of the doubt.

But meanwhile, the rest of us can practice some logainmneacha that are somewhat níos praiticiúla.  I’ll start with a recap of the place names that readers wrote in.  English versions are provided at the end of the blog.

Tá mé i mo chónaí i Luimneach. 

Tá mé i mo chónaí i gCora Droma Ruisc.

Tá mé i mo chónaí i Londain.

Tá mé i mo chónaí i Loch Garman.

As you may have noticed, the place name “Cora Droma Ruisc” undergoes a slight change, when you say “in” Cora Droma Ruisc.  This change is called “eclipsis” (or “urú) and results in a “covering over” of the original first letter of the name, just like an eclipse of the sun or the moon..  Here are some more samples of this process, taken from around the world.  Do any of them match your own “áit chónaithe” (dwelling-place)? A rough pronunciation guide is also given; note that the original first consonant is no longer pronounced.

i mBostún [im-OST-oon]

i gCeanada [ig-YAN-uh-duh]

i nDeilí [in-EL-ee]

i bhFilideilfia [iv-IL-ih-del-fee-uh]

i nGuatamala [ing-WAH-tuh-mah-luh]

i bPáras [ib-AWR-uss]

i dTóiceo [id-OHK-yoh]

Tá súil agam gur thaitin an blag seo leat — Róislín

Gluais: caisleán, castle; logainm, place name; sos beochta, suspended animation; vaimpíreolaí, vampirologist;

Logainmneacha in Éirinn: Cora Droma Ruisc, Carrick-on-Shannon;Loch Garman, Wexford; Luimneach, Limerick

Logainmneacha eile: Londain, London; Gaineamhlach Ghóibí, Gobi Desert

Nasc do bhlag eile: https://blogs.transparent.com/irish/ca-bhfuil-tu-i-do-chonai-i-%E2%80%9Cmbratach-mheiricea%E2%80%9D-az/ (4 Iúil 2011)

Nasc d’alt faoi fhuaimniú “chutzpah”: https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/07/14/talk-about-chutzpah-michele-bachmann-tries-yiddish-fails/

Nóta ó bhflag eile: re: Londain (an duine seo as Port Láirge ó dhúchas má thuigim i gceart í)