{"id":1171,"date":"2011-08-20T13:52:08","date_gmt":"2011-08-20T13:52:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/?p=1171"},"modified":"2011-09-19T02:04:08","modified_gmt":"2011-09-19T02:04:08","slug":"cupla-caife-gaelach-dha-chaife-ghaelacha-a-couple-of-irish-coffees-vs-two-irish-coffees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/cupla-caife-gaelach-dha-chaife-ghaelacha-a-couple-of-irish-coffees-vs-two-irish-coffees\/","title":{"rendered":"C\u00fapla Caife Gaelach, Dh\u00e1 Chaife Ghaelacha (A Couple of Irish Coffees vs. Two Irish Coffees)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

Lenition, another lenition, and a plural ending.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the difference that happens when we say \u201ctwo Irish coffees\u201d as opposed to \u201ca couple of Irish coffees.\u201d<\/p>\n

So how does that work?<\/p>\n

As we discussed in the last blog, the Irish word \u201cc\u00fapla<\/strong>\u201d is followed by the singular form of the noun (unlike English, where we\u2019d say, a couple of coffees<\/em>, plural).\u00a0 Any adjective that might follow the Irish noun is also singular, with possible lenition if the noun is feminine.\u00a0 We looked at these examples: c\u00fapla bosca m\u00f3r, c\u00fapla cearc bh\u00e1n\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

So now what happens if we want to say \u201ctwo big boxes\u201d or \u201ctwo white hens\u201d?<\/p>\n

Well, it\u2019s a fairly different set of rules!<\/p>\n

After the number \u201ctwo\u201d in Irish (dh\u00e1), <\/strong>almost all nouns in Irish are lenited.\u00a0 That is, of course, if they begin with a lenitable consonant (b, c, d, f, g, m, p, s, t).\u00a0 Lenition is marked by adding the letter \u201ch\u201d after the original first letter and adjusting the pronunciation; it has been discussed extensively elsewhere in this blog.\u00a0 For \u201cbosca,\u201d <\/strong>the lenited version is \u201cbhosca<\/strong>\u201d [WOSS-kuh, or depending on dialect, VOSS-kuh, but no longer an actual \u201cb\u201d sound].\u00a0 For \u201ccearc,\u201d <\/strong>the lenited version is \u201cchearc\u201d <\/strong>[hyark, with the \u201chy\u201d indicating a sound like the initial \u201ch\u201d in \u201chumid\u201d or \u201cHuw\u201d or \u201chew\u201d (as opposed to \u201cwho\u201d or \u201chooley\u201d or the \u201choo\u201d that Horton heard; no \u201cguttural\u201d\/throaty \u201cch\u201d sound here as we have in \u201cbuach<\/em>aill<\/strong>\u201d or German \u201cBuch<\/em>\u201d or Yiddish, and now English \u201cchutzpah\u201d)].\u00a0<\/p>\n

Are there exceptions to this?\u00a0 Well, there are exceptions to almost every rule, but only one springs to mind for this situation: \u201cdh\u00e1 dtrian,\u201d <\/strong>which means \u201ctwo-thirds.\u201d\u00a0 We can just consider it the \u201ceisceacht<\/strong>\u201d that makes the \u201criail.\u201d\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

So first lenition \u201csorted,\u201d as we might say.<\/p>\n

Next, remember, no plural ending for the noun after a number, so \u201cbhosca,\u201d <\/strong>which still just means \u201cbox,\u201d stays as \u201cbhosca\u201d <\/strong>(not \u201cbhosca\u00ed\u201d <\/strong>which is<\/em> plural as well as being lenited).<\/p>\n

The second lenition occurs at the beginning of the adjective, so \u201cm\u00f3r\u201d <\/strong>changes to \u201cmh\u00f3r,\u201d <\/strong>and we still have to add the plural ending (-a).\u00a0 So we end up with \u201cmh\u00f3ra.\u201d\u00a0 <\/strong>Here it doesn\u2019t matter what inscne <\/strong>(gender) the noun is, unlike non-counting situations (for example, plain old \u201cbosca m\u00f3r,\u201d <\/strong>no lenition, but \u201ccearc mh\u00f3r,\u201d <\/strong>with lenition, because \u201ccearc\u201d <\/strong>is feminine).\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

And now you\u2019ve seen the plural ending, so we\u2019re all set!<\/p>\n

dh\u00e1 bhosca mh\u00f3ra<\/strong>, two big boxes<\/p>\n

And as for those \u201ccearca,\u201d <\/strong>remember, the noun still keeps its singular form, even after the number:<\/p>\n

dh\u00e1 chearc bh\u00e1na, <\/strong>two white hens<\/strong><\/p>\n

And for the \u201ccaif\u00ed Gaelacha\u201d <\/strong>(Irish coffees), when we\u2019re specifying two of them: <\/strong><\/p>\n

dh\u00e1 chaife Ghaelacha, <\/strong>as we saw i dteideal an bhlag seo.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In these examples, counting objects, things, and animals, gender, for once, doesn\u2019t matter.\u00a0 So we could also say:<\/p>\n

dh\u00e1 chearc mh\u00f3ra, <\/strong>two big hens (exact same adjective form as with the masculine noun \u201cbosca<\/strong>\u201d) and<\/p>\n

dh\u00e1 bhosca bh\u00e1na, <\/strong>two white boxes (exact same adjective form as with the feminine noun \u201ccearc\u201d)<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m sure it seems strange for the noun to be singular, grammatically, when we actually have two of them, but sin mar at\u00e1.\u00a0 <\/strong>And even stranger, perhaps, that the adjective modifying that singular noun has a plural ending.\u00a0 Ach ar\u00eds, sin mar at\u00e1.\u00a0 <\/strong>Or maybe for emphasis, I could echo the Irish penchant for saying \u201cat all, at all,\u201d and say \u201cAch ar\u00eds, sin mar at\u00e1 at\u00e1.\u201d <<\/strong>ba-dum ching<\/em>, which is the onomatopeia, if not the Gaeilge<\/strong>, for “What a bad joke!>\u00a0 \u2018Sea, <\/strong>I know that\u2019s not even really de r\u00e9ir na gramada\u00ed, <\/strong>but I\u2019ve always loved those \u201cat all at all\u201d sayings.\u00a0 Maith dom \u00e9, mura mhiste leat<\/strong>.\u00a0 Couldn’t resist!\u00a0 Never heard that “at all at all” Irishism at all?\u00a0 Sampla th\u00edos.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

btw, these rules change if you\u2019re counting people as opposed to things, ach sin \u00e1bhar blag eile.\u00a0 \u00a0Sin \u00e9 don bhlag seo.\u00a0 SGF \u00f3 R\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/strong><\/p>\n

N\u00f3ta faoi <\/strong>\u201cat all, at all\u201d:\u00a0 If I recall the sc\u00e9il\u00edn grinn <\/strong>correctly, the tourist asked what the single white line painted down the road meant.\u00a0 The Irishman replied, \u201cYou can\u2019t park there at all.\u201d\u00a0 Then the tourist asked what the double white line painted in the road meant.\u00a0 The Irishman replied, \u201cYou can\u2019t park there at all, at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gluais: maith dom,<\/strong> forgive me<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(le R\u00f3isl\u00edn) Lenition, another lenition, and a plural ending.\u00a0 That\u2019s the difference that happens when we say \u201ctwo Irish coffees\u201d as opposed to \u201ca couple of Irish coffees.\u201d So how does that work? As we discussed in the last blog, the Irish word \u201cc\u00fapla\u201d is followed by the singular form of the noun (unlike English…<\/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":[1875,96588,96584,96585,5300,74,96587,96586,96589,5878,3349],"class_list":["post-1171","post","type-post","status-publish","hentry","category-irish-language","tag-adjective","tag-at-all-at-all","tag-caife-gaelach","tag-dha","tag-gaelacha","tag-gender","tag-ghaelacha","tag-inscne","tag-irishism","tag-lenition","tag-plural"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1171","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=1171"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1171\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1176,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1171\/revisions\/1176"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1171"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1171"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1171"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}