![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/17\/2019\/12\/0966-holly.jpg\")
<\/a>https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Holly#\/media\/File:Contorted_Hedgehog_Holly.JPG<\/a> Which words should be in a dictionary and which ones should be removed after a certain period of time?\u00a0 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<\/em>, Robert MacFarlane’s treasure trove of nature words from all over Britain and Ireland (nasc th\u00edos<\/strong>).\u00a0 Hopefully such words find homes in voluminous works like the Oxford English Dictionary<\/em> (2o volumes in print) or in local glossaries and dialect studies.\u00a0 And, of course, we hope they still live on in the spoken languages of the areas Macfarlane investigates, ranging from Connemara to the Channel Islands.<\/p>\n As some readers here may recall, I’ve been working on the Irish equivalents for some 50 nature words that were removed from the Oxford Junior Dictionary (OJD)<\/em> about 11 years ago.\u00a0 The issue has attracted a lot of attention since the deletions first came to light with articles like Henry Porter’s “The pity of a child’s dictionary that junks words of imagination” in 2008 (nasc th\u00edos<\/strong>).\u00a0 Once the Irish list is complete, I think we’ll have some food for thought as to how this issue would play out in Irish dictionaries, be they children’s dictionaries, pocket dictionaries, standard desktop size, or the latest online enterprises.\u00a0 My sense, so far, is that the removal of the equivalent nature terms from Irish dictionaries would be considered an even greater cultural evisceration than it was in the English context.\u00a0 An Irish dictionary without “lark” or “clover”, both gone now from the OJD<\/em>?\u00a0 “Lark” symbolizing hope, welcoming the day, and immortalized in 1879 in Belfast-born Sir Samuel Ferguson’s “The Lark in the Clear Air” (nasc th\u00edos<\/strong>).\u00a0 Clover, which in Irish is “seamair<\/strong>,” which gives us that iconic Irish symbol, the “seamr\u00f3g<\/strong>” (shamrock)?\u00a0 How could we do without these?<\/p>\n As stated in previous blogposts, of course it’s true that the OJD<\/em> has a fixed word limit (10,000) and its target audience is 7-year-olds.\u00a0 And it has a mission to include words considered more relevant to modern society, which apparently include “celebrity” and “compulsory.”\u00a0 But one wonders which word the seven-year-old appreciates more, “compulsory” or the also-stricken “buttercup.”\u00a0 Be all that as it may, today’s blog post covers another of the deleted words, “holly,” including holly in general, the specific type of holly shown in the graphic above,\u00a0 the different forms of the words in Irish, and its connection to Christmas, and will also give an overview of the other plant names mentioned in the graphic.\u00a0 The next installment in this series will pick up with “kingfisher” and\u00a0 “lark.”<\/p>\n holly, cuileann: an cuileann, an chuilinn<\/strong>.\u00a0 Usually no plural.\u00a0 As for its removal from the OJD<\/em>, hmm, imagining no “holly” in England.\u00a0 I guess Ralph McTell’s ode to prickliness, “Holly the Hedgehog,” would lose some of its resonance and so would \u00a0the Christmas carol “The Holly and the Ivy.” \u00a0And what we “deck our halls” with, if not “boughs of holly” — plastic “greenery,” I suppose. \u00a0And “Holly Hedgehog,” the character from Marvel UK’s 1980s environmentally-conscious comic book, Acorn Green<\/em>, would have had no raison d’\u00eatre.\u00a0 In Ireland, where would “B\u00f3thar Mhaigh Cuilinn<\/strong>” lead, without “holly” to complete the place name?\u00a0 “Maigh Cuilinn<\/strong>” (aka Moycullen) literally means “plain of holly.”<\/p>\n Notice how often one of the classic name for hedgehog characters in children’s literature is “Holly”?\u00a0 Lo and behold, there is a specific type of holly called “hedgehog holly.”\u00a0 So that explains the popularity of that combination!\u00a0\u00a0And how do you say “hedgehog holly” in Irish?\u00a0 Quite straightforward, “cuileann gr\u00e1inneoige<\/strong>” (Ilex aquifolium<\/em>) from “gr\u00e1inneog<\/strong>” (hedgehog).\u00a0 That’s the plant depicted above.\u00a0 The connection may be obvious, prickly leaves. prickly quills.\u00a0 So how do we say that<\/em> in Irish?\u00a0 “Prickly” in Irish is either “deilgneach<\/strong>” or “colgach<\/strong>” and the noun form (prickliness), from “colgach<\/strong>,” is “colga\u00ed<\/strong>.” \u00a0I can’t find an abstract noun based on “deilgneach<\/strong>” in any of several dictionaries I checked, although I feel it must exist. \u00a0“Deilgneach<\/strong>” can also mean spiky or thorny, and is typically used to describe plants (piorra, aiteal, tom, srl.<\/strong>). \u00a0It’s based on “dealg<\/strong>” (thorn), which shows up in the phrase “dealg gr\u00e1inneoige<\/strong>” (hedgehog quill).\u00a0 \u00a0“Colgach<\/strong>” is based on “colg<\/strong>” (prickle, bristle, hackle, fractiousness, bad temper).\u00a0 Both adjectives can be used in traditional similes about hedgehogs: chomh deilgneach le gr\u00e1inneog, chomh colgach le gr\u00e1inneog<\/strong>.\u00a0 So it’s kind of interesting that while “deilgneach<\/strong>” and “colgach<\/strong>” both mean “prickly,” they tend to be used in different contexts.\u00a0 But the quill itself is usually a “dealg<\/strong>” (not a “colg<\/strong>“) even though both concepts can be used in the traditional comparisons.<\/p>\n Why is holly associated with Christmas?\u00a0 On two levels.\u00a0 Because of its prickly leaves, it’s associated with the crown of thorns Jesus wore at the Crucifixion.\u00a0 The red berries represent Christ’s blood.\u00a0 Also, in the carol, “The Holly and the Ivy,” the holly bears a berry, “as red as any blood,” and the next line refers to the birth of Mary’s son.\u00a0 Also, on a more basic level, holly with its glossy leaves and shiny berries is, frankly beautiful.\u00a0 But it’s also a reminder that some things are “beautiful but don’t touch.”\u00a0 The leaves must be handled with care and the berries themselves are toxic.\u00a0 So, it’s a good reminder to us that some things must be enjoyed from a distance.<\/p>\n Finally, before we wrap up, what are the other plants referred to in the graphic above?\u00a0 Each one is blog-worthy in and of itself, but they aren’t part of our main theme here.\u00a0 They were just used as false answers to increase the d\u00fashl\u00e1n<\/strong> (challenge).<\/p>\n i\u00far<\/strong>, yew<\/p>\n drualus<\/strong>, mistletoe — also highly seasonal!<\/p>\n lead\u00e1n \u00facaire<\/strong>,\u00a0 fuller’s teasel<\/p>\n cuird\u00edn b\u00e1n<\/strong>, wild parsnip<\/p>\n yerba mate<\/em>, well, there’s no Irish for that one, it’s the South American mate plant, thrown in there just to keep everyone on their barraic\u00edn\u00ed<\/strong>.<\/p>\n So getting back to the absence of “holly” from the OJD<\/em>, of course, it’s not as though removing a word from a dictionary means it’s completely gone from society.\u00a0 But given the disappearing habitats for many plants and animals, it seems that nature is under attack both physically and now, linguistically.\u00a0 First, it may be the hedgerow (interfering with the construction of parking lots and housing developments), then the “smeuse” (a small gap at the bottom of a hedge where small animals pass through — hmm, an bhfuil focal Gaeilge air sin<\/strong>?), then perhaps the small animals themselves.\u00a0 \u00a0And now I must double-check, are the words “hedge” and “hedgerow” still included in the OJD<\/em>?\u00a0 And if we have to find modern-day relevance, how many of us really stop to think about the meaning of “Heathrow,” one of the largest and busiest airports in the world?\u00a0 “Heathrow” was originally a wayside hamlet, whose name referred to a row of houses along a heath.\u00a0 Is “heath” still included in the dictionary, I wonder?\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Hope you found this to be \u00e1bhar smaoinimh<\/strong> (food for thought). – SGF – R\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/strong><\/p>\n Naisc:<\/strong><\/p>\n 1) Macfarlane, Robert, 2015, Landmarks (Penguin Books) https:\/\/www.penguin.co.uk\/books\/213416\/landmarks\/9780241967874.html<\/a><\/p>\n 2) https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/commentisfree\/2008\/dec\/14\/books-dictionary-culture#maincontent<\/a> 3) https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=TQJ0pCKGsBM<\/a>\u00a0 The Lark in the Clear Air. The story behind the song.<\/p>\n iarbhlaganna sa tsraith seo (nature words)<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2018Bluebell\u2019 or \u2018Broadbrand\u2019: Which Word Should Be in a Children\u2019s Dictionary? \u2014 A British Example and Irish Question<\/a> Posted by\u00a0r\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/a>\u00a0on Aug 20, 2019 in\u00a0Irish Language<\/a><\/p>\n Nature Words: Should They Be in a Children\u2019s Dictionary or Not? Let\u2019s Consider the Irish Word \u201cdearc\u00e1n\u201d (acorn)<\/a> Posted by\u00a0r\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/a>\u00a0on Aug 31, 2019 in\u00a0Irish Language<\/a><\/p>\n Nature Words: the Irish for \u2018almond\u2019 and a baker\u2019s dozen of related terms<\/a> Posted by\u00a0r\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/a>\u00a0on Sep 18, 2019 in\u00a0Irish Language<\/a><\/p>\n Nature Words in Irish, pt. 4: blackberry, budgerigar\/parakeet, buttercup (and bluebell in review)<\/a> Posted by\u00a0r\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/a>\u00a0on Sep 30, 2019 in\u00a0Irish Language<\/a><\/p>\n Nature Words in Irish, pt. 5: Catkin to Crocus (following up on acorn to buttercup)<\/a> Posted by\u00a0r\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/a>\u00a0on Oct 17, 2019 in\u00a0Irish Language<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Nature Words in Irish, pt. 6: Ferret to Herring (following \u2018acorn\u2019 to \u2018crocus\u2019)<\/a>Posted by\u00a0r\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/a>\u00a0on Oct 31, 2019 in\u00a0Irish Language<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" (le R\u00f3isl\u00edn) Which words should be in a dictionary and which ones should be removed after a certain period of time?\u00a0 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…<\/p>\n
By Rosser1954 – self-made – Roger Griffith, Public Domain, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=4073263<\/a>; t\u00e9acs Gaeilge le R\u00f3isl\u00edn, 2019<\/p><\/div>\n
\nBooks<\/a> The pity of a child’s dictionary that junks words of imagination\u00a0 \u00a0Henry Porter<\/a><\/p>\n
![https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Holly#\/media\/File:Contorted_Hedgehog_Holly.JPG<\/a>By Rosser1954 – self-made – Roger Griffith, Public Domain,](\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Holly#\/media\/File:Contorted_Hedgehog_Holly.JPG\"){kind=link}