{"id":10966,"date":"2019-01-20T10:22:44","date_gmt":"2019-01-20T10:22:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/?p=10966"},"modified":"2019-02-08T19:59:22","modified_gmt":"2019-02-08T19:59:22","slug":"unicorn-or-rhinoceros-compound-words-with-bheannach-in-irish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/unicorn-or-rhinoceros-compound-words-with-bheannach-in-irish\/","title":{"rendered":"Unicorn or rhinoceros? Compound words with ‘-bheannach’ in Irish"},"content":{"rendered":"

(le\u00a0R\u00f3isl\u00edn)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

By Unknown – 6QHwPO4q4grNtA at Google Cultural Institute, zoom level maximum, Public Domain, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=13486672, The Unicorn is in Captivity and No Longer Dead; ca. 1500; T\u00e9acs Gaeilge le R\u00f3isl\u00edn, 2019<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

By now, you may have guessed — the Irish for unicorn is “aonbheannach<\/strong>,” (lit. one-horned”).\u00a0 Or you may have picked up the word from reading _Harry Potter agus an \u00d3rchloch<\/em>_ (Harry Potter and the Philosopher\u2019s Stone<\/em>, aka Harry Potter and the Sorcerer\u2019s Stone<\/em>) by J. K. Rowling and translated into Irish by M\u00e1ire Nic Mhaol\u00e1in.<\/p>\n

But the \u201caonbheannach<\/strong>\u201d isn\u2019t the only animal whose name is a compound word ending in \u201c-bheannach<\/strong>.\u201d\u00a0 What are the other two \u2013 and yes, there\u2019s at least one more besides the \u201csr\u00f3nbheannach<\/strong>\u201d mentioned in the graphic above.<\/p>\n

So let\u2019s look a little closer at the following words: beann<\/strong> (the core word for all of these), aonbheannach, sr\u00f3nbheannach<\/strong>, and our third quadruped player, the \u201cbiorbheannach<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

1)) Beann<\/strong>: antler, prong, tine.\u00a0 It can mean \u201chorn\u201d but doesn\u2019t usually since there are at least two other words for horn, such as \u201cadharc\u201d for an animal or \u201ccorn\u201d for a musical instrument or cornucopia.\u00a0 \u00a0Not to be mistaken for two other words with the same spelling: beann (regard, dependence) and beann (the plural possessive form of \u201cbinn\u201d, a mountain peak, gable, cliff, corner, flange, side, etc.).\u00a0 The latter is perhaps more recognizable in its other plural form, beanna, as in the Scottish song \u201cCh\u00ec mi na m\u00f3rbheanna<\/em>\u201d, which under its English name, \u201cMist-Covered Mountains\u201d was among the musical pieces played at President John F. Kennedy\u2019s funeral.<\/p>\n

Here are some other forms of the word \u201cbeann<\/strong>\u201d with the meaning \u201cantler,\u201d \u201cprong,\u201d or \u201ctine”:<\/p>\n

an bheann<\/strong>, the antler, etc.<\/p>\n

na binne, of the antler, etc.<\/p>\n

na beanna, the antlers, etc.<\/p>\n

na mbeann, of the antlers, etc.<\/p>\n

And now, the subject of \u201cTaip\u00e9is\u00ed an Aonbheannaigh<\/strong>\u201d:<\/p>\n

2)) an t-aonbheannach<\/strong>, the unicorn (lit. \u201cthe one-horned one\u201d)<\/p>\n

an aonbheannaigh, of the unicorn<\/p>\n

na haonbheannaigh, the unicorns<\/p>\n

na n-aonbheannach, of the unicorns<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re wondering why the phrase \u201cthe unicorn\u201d has an inserted \u201ct\u201d (an t-aonbheannach<\/strong>), it\u2019s because it\u2019s a masculine singular noun and so gets the \u201ct\u201d just like \u201can t-uisce<\/strong>\u201d and \u201can t-\u00fall<\/strong>.\u201d\u00a0 So why is there no \u201ct\u201d in the question used as a caption for the graphic above (\u201cAn aonbheannach n\u00f3 sr\u00f3nbheannach \u00e9 seo?<\/strong>\u201d), it\u2019s because there are two different words spelled \u201ca-n\u201d in Irish. One means \u201cthe\u201d (as in \u201can bhean<\/strong>\u201d, the woman) and may cause the \u201ct\u201d insertion (an t-uisce<\/strong>, the water)\u2026\u00a0 The other indicates that a question is coming up (technically, the \u201cinterrogative particle\u201d).\u00a0 You\u2019ve probably seen it in front of verbs (\u201cAn bhfuil t\u00fa go maith?<\/strong>“)\u00a0 but it may be less familiar before nouns.\u00a0 It is used before nouns and pronouns fairly frequently, however, in questions like \u201cAn m\u00f3id\u00edn Doctor Who th\u00fa?<\/strong>\u201d (Are you a Doctor Who fan?) and \u201cAn tusa Se\u00e1n?<\/strong>\u201d Are you \u201cSe\u00e1n\u201d? or \u201cSa chistin, an ea?<\/strong>\u201d (In the kitchen, is it?).<\/p>\n

Our next \u201c-bheannach<\/strong>\u201d word is \u201csr\u00f3nbheannach<\/strong>\u201d (lit. nose-horned)<\/p>\n

3) an sr\u00f3nbheannach<\/strong>, the rhinoceros<\/p>\n

an tsr\u00f3nbheannaigh, of the rhinoceros<\/p>\n

na sr\u00f3nbheannaigh, the rhinoceroses<\/p>\n

na sr\u00f3nbheannach, of the rhinoceroses<\/p>\n

The genitive singular form (an tsr\u00f3nbheannaigh<\/strong>) was pleasantly immortalized in Gabriel Rosenstock’s \u201ccnuasach<\/strong>\u201d of poetry, _Sp\u00e9acla\u00ed an tSr\u00f3nbheannaigh<\/em> \/ The Rhino\u2019s Specs_ (Mercier Pres, 2002).\u00a0 Perhaps you have already read it?\u00a0 It\u2019s great for learners, since it\u2019s bilingual.<\/p>\n

Finally, one more animal that is \u201cbeannach<\/strong>\u201d (no lenition there because I\u2019m using the word on its own, not part of compound word.\u00a0 \u201cBeannach<\/strong>\u201d by itself can mean \u201cantlered,\u201d \u201cpronged,\u201d etc.<\/p>\n

4) biorbheannach<\/strong>, pronghorn, sometimes translated as \u201cantelope\u201d but it\u2019s not technically an antelope. \u201cBior<\/strong>\u201d on its own means \u201cpointed rod,\u201d “pointed shaft,\u201d \u201ca spit,\u201d \u201ca spike\u201d or \u201ca point.” In combination with other words it can mean a nail, a bit, a stick, a pick, a spindle, a file, etc.<\/p>\n

Here are its forms:<\/p>\n

an biorbheannach<\/strong>, the pronghorn<\/p>\n

an bhiorbheannaigh, of the pronghorn<\/p>\n

na biorbheannaigh, the pronghorns<\/p>\n

na mbiorbheannach, of the pronghorns<\/p>\n

There are at least two types of biorbheannach: Meicsiceach<\/strong> and Tuaidh-Mheirice\u00e1nach<\/strong>.\u00a0 Can you figure out where they\u2019re from?\u00a0 N\u00ed as \u00c9irinn iad, ar aon chaoi.<\/strong><\/p>\n

So there we have three animals described as \u201cbeannach<\/strong>,\u201d with the \u201cbeannach<\/strong>\u201d element built in as part of a compound word.\u00a0 There are a few more \u201cbeannach<\/strong>\u201d types of animals, and some plants, but their names are not constructed as \u201ccomhfhocail<\/strong>.\u201d\u00a0 These include the following animals: scuilpin bheannach an Aig\u00e9in Chi\u00fain<\/strong> (Pacific staghorn sculpin) and coir\u00e9alach beannach<\/strong> (stag\u2019s horn coral, yes, it is animal even though it\u2019s sometimes confused with being a plant or even a rock) and the following plant: glasair bheannach<\/strong> (pyramidal bugle \u2013 a leith\u00e9id d\u2019ainm<\/strong>!).\u00a0 And then there\u2019s one whose kingdom (or whatever) I\u2019m not really sure of because I think all its member have been reclassified: gl\u00f3thfhungas beannach<\/strong> (the charmingly named \u201cjelly antler fungus,\u201d LA Calocera viscose<\/em>).\u00a0 So what\u2019s the latest, an bhfuil a fhios agat<\/strong> \u2013 are fungi actually plants or their own category?\u00a0 But anything further about the \u201cbeanna<\/strong>\u201d involved\u00a0\u00a0 with these will have to wait for \u201cblag \u00e9igin eile<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

SGF — R\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/strong><\/p>\n

Naisc:<\/strong><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.jfklibrary.org\/learn\/about-jfk\/life-of-john-f-kennedy\/fast-facts-john-f-kennedy\/president-kennedys-funeral-music<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

(le\u00a0R\u00f3isl\u00edn) By now, you may have guessed — the Irish for unicorn is “aonbheannach,” (lit. one-horned”).\u00a0 Or you may have picked up the word from reading _Harry Potter agus an \u00d3rchloch_ (Harry Potter and the Philosopher\u2019s Stone, aka Harry Potter and the Sorcerer\u2019s Stone) by J. K. Rowling and translated into Irish by M\u00e1ire Nic…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":10967,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3898],"tags":[513783,513778,207350,376618,513780,513779,513168,513782,390648,513781],"class_list":["post-10966","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-irish-language","tag-antelope","tag-aonbheannach","tag-beann","tag-beannach","tag-bheann","tag-bheannach","tag-binne","tag-pronghorn","tag-rhinoceros","tag-unicorn"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/36"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10966"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10966\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10982,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10966\/revisions\/10982"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10967"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}