{"id":1145,"date":"2011-08-05T10:30:47","date_gmt":"2011-08-05T10:30:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/?p=1145"},"modified":"2011-08-20T17:14:08","modified_gmt":"2011-08-20T17:14:08","slug":"blag-na-bhfrancach-%e2%80%9cthe-blog-of-the-french%e2%80%9d-go-teamach-ar-a-laghad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/blag-na-bhfrancach-%e2%80%9cthe-blog-of-the-french%e2%80%9d-go-teamach-ar-a-laghad\/","title":{"rendered":"Blag na bhFrancach (\u201cThe Blog of the French,\u201d Go T\u00e9amach Ar A Laghad)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

As alluded to in a recent blog, today\u2019s vocabulary theme is \u201cna Francaigh<\/strong>\u201d (the French), with the terminology for the country, the people, etc.\u00a0 We\u2019ll also touch on \u201cthe Franks,\u201d in the historical sense, but I can already foresee that thoroughly covering terminology derived from or at least connected to \u201cna Frainc<\/strong>\u201d (the Franks) will take at least one additional blog.\u00a0 There\u2019s such an abundance of related vocabulary, including frankincense, franklins, and franchises, especially if we include the extended sense of the Latin \u201cfrancus<\/em>\u201d as meaning \u201cfree\u201d as well as \u201ca Frankish person\u201d!\u00a0<\/p>\n

Allegedly, all of this stems from the legendary ruler, Francio, presumably fictitious, in the Chronicle of Fredegar<\/em> (ca. 584 to ca. 641\/768, sources vary).\u00a0 Francio\u2019s name got immortalized in the name both of the Franks (who spoke a Germanic language) and the French, whose language, of course, is one of the teangacha R\u00f3m\u00e1nsacha<\/strong> (Romance languages, akin to Iod\u00e1ilis, Laidin<\/strong>, etc.). \u00a0\u00a0And now, na t\u00e9arma\u00ed:<\/strong><\/p>\n

the country:<\/em> An Fhrainc<\/strong> [un rank, \u201cfh\u201d completely silent]<\/p>\n

To say \u201cof France,\u201d we change \u201can<\/strong>\u201d to \u201cna<\/strong>,\u201d drop the lenition (typical \u201cgsf rule\u201d; \u201cgsf rule\u201d? \u2013 see below), and add the \u201c-e\u201d to show an tuiseal ginideach: <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201ccuisine na Fraince<\/strong>\u201d [nuh \u00a0FRANK-yuh, restoring the original initial \u201cf\u201d that we\u2019d expect for any word connected to France, French, etc.].\u00a0 \u201cCuisine\u201d usually stays the same in Irish, as in English, where it is also a \u201cfocal iasachta<\/strong>.\u201d\u00a0 We could, of course say, \u201cc\u00f3caireacht na Fraince<\/strong>\u201d (the cooking \/ cookery, or France) but it wouldn\u2019t have quite the same implication.<\/p>\n

in France: sa Fhrainc<\/strong> [suh rank] (standard usage), sa bhFrainc<\/strong> [suh vrank] (in some dialects)<\/p>\n

the language<\/em>: Fraincis<\/strong><\/p>\n

To say, \u201cI\u2019m learning French,\u201d use \u201can tuiseal ginideach<\/strong>\u201d (add the final \u201c-e\u201d):<\/p>\n

T\u00e1 m\u00e9 ag foghlaim Fraincise<\/strong> [FRANK-ish-uh]<\/p>\n

But to ask \u201cDo you know French?\u201d or to say \u201cI speak French,\u201d we don\u2019t need an tuiseal ginideach <\/strong>since the word \u201cFrench\u201d is either the subject or direct object of the sentence, as in:<\/p>\n

An bhfuil Fraincis agat<\/strong>? (lit. Is French at you?)<\/p>\n

Labhra\u00edm Fraincis<\/strong>. I speak French.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

the nationality: <\/em>\u00a0Francach<\/strong>, a French person, a Frenchman; Francach mn\u00e1<\/strong> could be used for \u201cFrenchwoman,\u201d but as discussed in previous blogs, \u201cmn\u00e1<\/strong>\u201d isn\u2019t actually added that frequently, especially in casual use.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Additional forms of the word: an Francach<\/strong>, the Frenchman (etc.), na Francaigh<\/strong>, the Frenchmen, the French<\/p>\n

an Fhrancaigh<\/strong> [un RANK-ee], of the Frenchman, as in \u201cblas an Fhrancaigh<\/strong>,\u201d the Frenchman\u2019s accent<\/p>\n

na bhFrancach<\/strong> [nuh VRANK-ukh], of the Frenchmen, of the French, as in \u201cBliain na bhFrancach<\/strong>,\u201d which we can discuss in more detail in a future blog.\u00a0 It\u2019s already drafted, but even my micro-est nutshell version of \u201cBliain na bhFrancach<\/strong>\u201d is about as long as this whole blog.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For the Frankish people, we have: an Franc<\/strong>, the Frankish man, the Frank; na Frainc<\/strong>, the Franks<\/p>\n

an Fhrainc<\/strong>, of the Frank, as in \u201cbonsach an Fhrainc<\/strong>,\u201d the Frankish man\u2019s javelin<\/p>\n

na bhFranc<\/strong>, of the Franks, as in Impireacht na bhFranc<\/strong>, the Frankish Empire<\/p>\n

the adjective<\/em>: Francach<\/strong> (same ending as the ethnonym \u201cFrancach<\/strong>\u201d).\u00a0 This follows the usual rules for adjectives, lenition after a feminine noun, \u201c-a\u201d ending for nominative plural:<\/p>\n

fuinneog fhrancach<\/strong>, french window (window being a feminine noun)<\/p>\n

When capitalized, it refers to things very specifically French, with geographic emphasis, such as bullad\u00f3ir Francach<\/strong> (French bulldog) or cr\u00edocha Francacha thar lear<\/strong> (French overseas territories, like St. Pierre-et-Miquelon, which, believe it or not, was one of the stops on my \u201cm\u00ed na meala\u201d<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

For more generalized phrases, we may see upper or lower case, such as snas\u00e1n francach<\/strong> (French polish, for furniture) or uaim Fhrancach<\/strong> (French seam, for tailoring).<\/p>\n

Lower case is typically used in certain phrases where the implication is \u201cforeign\u201d or \u201clarge,\u201d not \u201cFrench\u201d as such, as in \u201caiteann francach<\/strong>\u201d (tall furze, as opposed to the \u201cdwarf\u201d variety),<\/strong> or \u201ccn\u00f3 francach<\/strong>\u201d (walnut, aka \u201cgallchn\u00f3<\/strong>\u201d).\u00a0 Both \u201caiteann\u201d <\/strong>and \u201ccn\u00f3\u201d<\/strong> can also be paired with the adjective \u201cgallda<\/strong>\u201d to get the same meanings (tall<\/em> furze, wal<\/em>nut), just to add to the mix!\u00a0 \u201cGallda\u201d<\/strong> can mean \u201cforeign\u201d or \u201canglicized,\u201d or less typically today, \u201csurly\u201d (!) or \u201ctony\u201d (!!).\u00a0<\/p>\n

As a prefix, \u201cfranc<\/strong>-\u201ccan be used in the adjectival sense, as in \u201cfranclus\u201d<\/strong> (franc<\/strong> + lus<\/strong>), tansy (the plant, aka Tanacetum vulgare<\/em>).\u00a0 Why \u201ctansy\u201d is considered \u201cthe French plant\u201d in Irish is beyond my ken.\u00a0 Eolas ag luibheola\u00ed ar bith ar an liosta<\/strong>?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sometimes a concept will appear in English as an adjective (the French Alps) but in Irish as a noun sa tuiseal ginideach<\/strong> (Alpa na Fraince, <\/strong>lit. the Alps of France).\u00a0 If the adjective form were to be used here (which it isn\u2019t), it would be \u201cFrancacha<\/strong>.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

And, for French, unlike my coverage of the Netherlands in the previous blog, I\u2019ll add a final category, for \u201cismness\u201d (for want of a better word).\u00a0<\/p>\n

the \u201c-ism\u201d:<\/em> Francachas<\/strong>, Gallicism, literally more like saying \u201cFrenchism,\u201d so not evoking the Gaulish-to-Gallic transition as the word \u201cGallicism\u201d does.\u00a0 C\u2019est la vie!\u00a0<\/p>\n

So why this new category for French, when we didn\u2019t discuss \u201cismness\u201d for the \u201c\u00cdsilt\u00edreach-D\u00faitseach-Ollannach<\/strong>\u201d triptych?\u00a0 Bhuel, ceist shuimi\u00fail!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Last blog, we discussed \u201cNetherlandish,\u201d \u201cDutch,\u201d and \u201cHolland,\u201d but in my experience there isn\u2019t much of a precedent for discussing linguistics features, gestures, and cultural nuances as \u201cNetherlandisms,\u201d which, when used in English, mostly has a political connotation.\u00a0 Theoretically, we should have the word \u201c*\u00cdsilt\u00edreachas<\/strong>\u201d for \u201cNetherlandism\u201d in Irish, but I find no evidence of it in actual usage.\u00a0 As for \u201cDutchism,\u201d I see it used a bit in English online to refer to Dutch patterns of speech, which, for example might carry over when a Netherlander is speaking English as a second language.\u00a0 But I can\u2019t say I\u2019ve heard it much in everyday use, and for a possible Irish equivalent, \u201c*D\u00faitseachas<\/strong>,\u201d (which should mean \u201cDutchism\u201d) I find no samples of usage, either online or in hard-copy dictionaries.\u00a0 Another unattested word (per my searching) would be \u201c*Ollannachas<\/strong>\u201d for \u201cHollandism\u201d (amas ar bith faighte agam; *Ollainneachas ach oiread<\/strong>).\u00a0 In English, I find fewer than 100 hits online for \u201cHollandism,\u201d not many in this cyberday and concordanceable age.\u00a0 Some are simply part of lists of words starting with \u201cHolla-\u201c, not very useful for our consideration.\u00a0 Others mostly deal either with politics or religion, and a few, closer to our interests here, concern language.\u00a0 As for a \u201cHollandism\u201d in speech vs. a \u201cDutchism\u201d \u2013 well, that\u2019s beyond my ken, anyway, unless the \u201cHollandism\u201d is really specific to an Ollainn Thuaidh<\/strong> or an Ollainn Theas<\/strong>, and the \u201cDutchism\u201d is more general.\u00a0<\/p>\n

None of the above commentary specifically says these terms don\u2019t exist in Irish, but it does provide a stark contrast, say, to \u201cGaelachas<\/strong>\u201d (with 30,100 hits) and \u201cB\u00e9arlachas<\/strong>\u201d (with a reasonably healthy 3,880 hits and its own article sa Vicip\u00e9id)<\/strong>.\u00a0 The words \u201cGaelachas<\/strong>,\u201d \u201cB\u00e9arlachas<\/strong>\u201d (Anglicism), and \u201cFrancachas<\/strong>\u201d appear routinely in Irish-English and English-Irish dictionaries, since they are such critical cultural terms.\u00a0 As for their English counterparts, amais go leor<\/strong>, with 24,200 for \u201cGaelicism,\u201d 63,500 for \u201cGallicism,\u201d 69,200 for \u201cIrishism,\u201d and a whopping 184,000 for \u201cAnglicism.\u201d\u00a0 There are also 210,000 hits for \u201canglicismos,\u201d showing the interest level of Spanish speakers, so I think we can safely say \u201cAnglicism\u201d is a very widely discussed topic!<\/p>\n

In theory, I\u2019m sure every language, culture, and cultural concept should have an attached \u201c-ism,\u201d or, in Irish, an \u201c-(e)achas<\/strong>,\u201d but it seems that the concept tends to get localized to the languages and cultures most closely contrasted to one\u2019s own.\u00a0 So, in English, we can readily talk about a \u201cBritishism \/ Briticism,\u201d an \u201cAmericanism,\u201d an \u201cIrishism,\u201d a \u201cCanadianism,\u201d or an \u201cAustralianism.\u201d\u00a0 But, perhaps just due to my largely English- or Irish-speaking personal geolinguistic bubble, coinages like \u201cFinnishism\u201d or \u201cFinnicism\u201d or \u201cPapuanism\u201d (12 hits) or \u201cPapuaism\u201d (9 hits) just don\u2019t come up that often, even in a widely-spoken language like English, let alone in Irish.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hunting for the Irish equivalents for these words seems to be something in between a wild goose chase and \u00a0hunting for a needle in a haystack, the haystack being every bit of Irish discourse every spoken or written.\u00a0 Obviously not all of that haystack is searchable online, but a typical search is, at least, representative.\u00a0 Perhaps I should just despair and say it\u2019s like chasing a needle (or how about a tailor\u2019s goose, to keep up both the sartorial and anserine imagery), in a wild haystack.\u00a0 Now there\u2019s a thought, wild haystacks!\u00a0 I can just see them now, rumpusing around like Maurice Sendak\u2019s \u201cWild Things,\u201d perhaps with fangs (ag baint d\u00edosc\u00e1in as a bhfiacla uaf\u00e1sacha?<\/strong>) and claws (ag taispe\u00e1int a gcr\u00fab uaf\u00e1sach?<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

Well, on that note, sgf<\/strong> (not to be mistaken for \u201cgsf,\u201d an fr\u00e1sa B\u00e9arla<\/strong>, as in the n\u00f3ta th\u00edos), \u00f3 R\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/strong><\/p>\n

gluais: amas, <\/strong>hit (in computer searching); ar a laghad<\/strong>, at least; cr\u00fab<\/strong>, claw; d\u00edosc\u00e1n<\/strong>, gnashing; focal iasachta<\/strong>, loan word; go t\u00e9amach<\/strong>, thematically; m\u00ed na meala<\/strong>, honeymoon; uaf\u00e1sach<\/strong>, terrible<\/p>\n

N\u00f3ta<\/strong>: gsf, genitive singular feminine.\u00a0 Blame it on years of studying Laidin<\/strong>, if you will, but I tend to categorize words or forms of words as \u201cgsf,\u201d \u201cgsm,\u201d \u201cgpl,\u201d etc.\u00a0 In our Latin class, back in the day, nouns were immediately assessed as being \u201cgenitive\u201d and \u201csingular\u201d and \u201cmasculine,\u201d for example, if you were talking about the \u201cpueri<\/em>\u201d in \u201cliber pueri<\/em>\u201d (the book of the boy).\u00a0 Of course, if the Latin class had been conducted \u201ctr\u00ed mhe\u00e1n na Gaeilge<\/strong>\u201d (I wish!), we would have been using terms like \u201cginideach<\/strong>,\u201d \u201cuatha<\/strong>\u201d (singular), \u201cbaininscneach<\/strong>\u201d (feminine), \u201cfirinscneach<\/strong>\u201d (masculine), \u201ciolra<\/strong>\u201d (plural).\u00a0 I mo bhriongl\u00f3id\u00ed!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(le R\u00f3isl\u00edn) As alluded to in a recent blog, today\u2019s vocabulary theme is \u201cna Francaigh\u201d (the French), with the terminology for the country, the people, etc.\u00a0 We\u2019ll also touch on \u201cthe Franks,\u201d in the historical sense, but I can already foresee that thoroughly covering terminology derived from or at least connected to \u201cna Frainc\u201d (the…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3898],"tags":[96555,13612,4115,96553,5237,96557,5240,96558,96556,96559,96551,5924,96550,96552,96549,96554],"class_list":["post-1145","post","type-post","status-publish","hentry","category-irish-language","tag-96555","tag-an-fhrainc","tag-an-fhraincis","tag-bliain-na-bhfrancach","tag-fraincis","tag-fraincise","tag-francach","tag-francio","tag-frankish","tag-fredegar","tag-impireacht-na-bhfranc","tag-logainmneacha","tag-na-frainc","tag-na-francaigh","tag-the-franks","tag-the-year-of-the-french"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1145","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=1145"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1145\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1151,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1145\/revisions\/1151"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1145"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1145"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1145"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}