{"id":1191,"date":"2011-08-28T06:44:47","date_gmt":"2011-08-28T06:44:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/?p=1191"},"modified":"2015-01-30T12:09:25","modified_gmt":"2015-01-30T12:09:25","slug":"an-uimhir-is-uaigni-a-dheanfaidh-tu-choiche","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/an-uimhir-is-uaigni-a-dheanfaidh-tu-choiche\/","title":{"rendered":"An Uimhir Is Uaign\u00ed a Dh\u00e9anfaidh T\u00fa Cho\u00edche (… the Loneliest Number …)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

“a haon”<\/p><\/div>\n

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

“An uimhir is uaign\u00ed a ‘dh\u00e9anfaidh’ t\u00fa cho\u00edche.” \u00a0C\u00e9n uimhir \u00ed sin?\u00a0 Uimhir a haon, ar nd\u00f3igh, de r\u00e9ir <\/strong>Harry Nilsson, ar a laghad.\u00a0 <\/strong>Speaking of the number \u201cone,\u201d this might be a good time to discuss the two forms of the number \u201cone\u201d in Irish: a haon<\/strong> and amh\u00e1in<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Of all the numbers, the number one shows the greatest difference between the form used when actually counting an object (b\u00f3 amh\u00e1in<\/strong>) and when listing numbers in a series (a haon, a d\u00f3, a tr\u00ed, srl.<\/strong>), the so-called \u201cindependent\u201d usage.\u00a0 The latter usage also applies to situations where one item out of a series is being specified (Bus a hAon, su\u00edoch\u00e1n a haon<\/strong>) or when doing arithmetic (a haon agus a haon, sin a d\u00f3; a haon faoi a ceathair, sin a ceathair<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

The word \u201camh\u00e1in<\/strong>\u201d works differently from most other numbers in that it follows the noun being counted:<\/p>\n

b\u00f3 amh\u00e1in,<\/strong> but dh\u00e1 bh\u00f3, tr\u00ed bh\u00f3, srl. <\/strong><\/p>\n

pr\u00e9ach\u00e1n amh\u00e1in,<\/strong> but dh\u00e1 phr\u00e9ach\u00e1n, tr\u00ed phr\u00e9ach\u00e1n, srl. <\/strong>(counting crows, why not?)<\/p>\n

That makes reasonable grammatical sense when we consider that \u201camh\u00e1in<\/strong>\u201d is considered an adjective in Irish.\u00a0 In Irish, as you may recall, adjectives usually follow their noun (as is typical in Spanish, French, and occasional borrowings in English, like \u201cattorneys general,\u201d \u201cknights errant,\u201d and \u201ccourts martial\u201d).<\/p>\n

So we can have b\u00f3 mh\u00f3r, b\u00f3 bheag<\/strong>, and b\u00f3 mhaol<\/strong> ([boh weel] known as a \u201cmuley cow\u201d in colloquial American English), and b\u00f3 amh\u00e1in<\/strong> (one cow).\u00a0 \u201cAmh\u00e1in<\/strong>\u201d fits the same slot in ord na bhfocal<\/strong> as the other aidiachta\u00ed (m\u00f3r, beag, maol<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

The numbers above one, though, are considered \u201cnumerical adjectives\u201d (as opposed to just plain old adjective), which puts them in a different position, literally.\u00a0 The numerical adjectives come before the noun, as we\u2019ve seen often enough, and from that vantage point they can do tricky things like cause lenition or eclipsis.\u00a0 You can\u2019t cause initial consonant mutation (like lenition or eclipsis) from behind the noun, so there’s no change to the noun when we\u2019re just saying \u201ccapall amh\u00e1in<\/strong>\u201d!\u00a0 Just for review, here are some sampla\u00ed<\/strong> of the numerical adjectives with lenition and eclipsis, as appropriate:<\/p>\n

dh\u00e1 bhliain, tr\u00ed mh\u00ed, ceithre phunt, c\u00faig euro, s\u00e9 chat, seacht madra, ocht n-\u00fall, naoi n-or\u00e1iste, deich mbliana<\/strong><\/p>\n

While a nice straightforward number like \u201ctr\u00ed<\/strong>\u201d stays the same no matter where you put it, as in \u201ctr\u00ed bhus<\/strong>\u201d (three buses) or \u201cBus a Tr\u00ed<\/strong>\u201d (bus number three), the number \u201cone\u201d does not.\u00a0 When used \u201cindependently,\u201d (i.e. as a maoluimhir<\/strong>), we\u2019re really looking at a completely different word: a haon<\/strong>.\u00a0 This used to be written as \u201ca h-aon<\/strong>,\u201d which IMHO\u00a0made it clearer that the number part was really \u201caon<\/strong>\u201d and the \u201ca<\/strong>\u201d was a numerical particle, causing \u201ch-prefixing.<\/p>\n

Some more examples of \u201ca haon<\/strong>\u201d are:<\/p>\n

a haon a chlog<\/strong>, one o\u2019clock<\/p>\n

cuid a haon<\/strong>, part one<\/p>\n

nuacht a haon<\/strong>, news at one (o\u2019clock)<\/p>\n

One of the gray areas for this topic would be names of royalty (not a huge topic of conversation in my experience in Irish, but worth noting nevertheless) and names of numbered streets or avenues.\u00a0 The latter also don\u2019t come up often in Irish discussion, except in the American context, since there are so few numbered streets in Ireland. \u201cBh\u00ed m\u00e9 ag si\u00fal ar Fifth Avenue<\/strong>\u201d could be heard often enough stateside, but one could also say \u201car Ascaill a C\u00faig<\/strong>,\u201d which literally means \u201cAvenue Five.\u201d\u00a0 The fact that the word \u201cascaill<\/strong>\u201d also really does mean \u201carmpit\u201d in Irish (like Latin \u201caxilla<\/em>\u201d) may not jive too well with \u201cLucht Fifth Avenue<\/strong>,\u201d were they to get this particular skinny, but most of said \u201clucht<\/strong>\u201d will probably be none the wiser.\u00a0 Unless, of course, they\u2019re reading \u201cIrish Blog.\u201d\u00a0 As for how \u201cascaill<\/strong>\u201d came to mean both \u201carmpit\u201d and \u201cavenue,\u201d sin \u00e1bhar blag eile<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

As for royalty, the use of numbers is well established.\u00a0 The \u201cmaoluimhir<\/strong>\u201d is used, not the ordinal number (adjective form) as English does:<\/p>\n

Eil\u00eds a hAon<\/strong>, Elizabeth the First (even though the Irish word for \u201cfirst\u201d is \u201can ch\u00e9ad<\/strong>\u201d)<\/p>\n

S\u00e9arlas a hAon<\/strong>, Charles the First<\/p>\n

So, sin agaibh \u00e9, \u201camh\u00e1in\u201d agus \u201ca haon<\/strong>.\u201d\u00a0 A fascinating number, even if Harry Nilsson found it lonely.\u00a0 SGF, \u00f3 R\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/strong><\/p>\n

das<\/strong> (btw), an cuimhin leat ceolt\u00f3ir\u00ed eile, seachas Nilsson \u00e9 f\u00e9in agus Johnny Farnham, a chan an t-amhr\u00e1n<\/strong> \u201cOne Is The Loneliest Number That You\u2019ll Ever Do\u201d?.\u00a0 Here\u2019s their name in Irish — can you translate it back into English (freagra th\u00edos):\u00a0<\/strong>O\u00edche Thr\u00ed Dhiong\u00f3<\/strong>:\u00a0 O\u00edche Thr\u00ed Mhadra<\/strong>.\u00a0 Or, of course, you could make a case for using \u201cmadadh<\/strong>\u201d and leniting it to \u201cmhadadh<\/strong>\u201d or \u201cgadhar<\/strong>,\u201d leniting it to \u201cghadhar<\/strong>.\u201d\u00a0 If I understand the band name origin correctly, the reference is really to diong\u00f3nna<\/strong>, we should probably be saying \u201cO\u00edche Thr\u00ed Dhiong\u00f3<\/strong>,\u201d but who am I to change rock \u2018n\u2019 roll history and nomenclature?<\/p>\n

Gluais: cho\u00edche<\/strong>, ever; uaigneach<\/strong>, lonely (is uaign\u00ed<\/strong>, loneliest)<\/p>\n

Freagra: O\u00edche Thr\u00ed Mhadra, O\u00edche Thr\u00ed Mhadadh, O\u00edche Thr\u00ed Ghadhar<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong>\u00a0all mean “Three Dog Night,” and that’s the band name. \u00a0The song was recorded, simply as “One” on their 1969 debut album, entitled, go heapainmneach<\/strong>, “Three Dog Night.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

(le R\u00f3isl\u00edn) “An uimhir is uaign\u00ed a ‘dh\u00e9anfaidh’ t\u00fa cho\u00edche.” \u00a0C\u00e9n uimhir \u00ed sin?\u00a0 Uimhir a haon, ar nd\u00f3igh, de r\u00e9ir Harry Nilsson, ar a laghad.\u00a0 Speaking of the number \u201cone,\u201d this might be a good time to discuss the two forms of the number \u201cone\u201d in Irish: a haon and amh\u00e1in. Of all the…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":3931,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3898],"tags":[3944,96662,111115,275748,4222,4249,275763,275747,275764,276878,275761,275760,275758,275744,275745,275754,96663,211653,275757,275750,275753,275751,229900,5966,6003,275756,276762,275749,276560,211595,275759,275755,3328,275752,275765,275766,275746,7188,275762],"class_list":["post-1191","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-irish-language","tag-a-haon","tag-amhain","tag-an-chead","tag-armpit","tag-ascaill","tag-avenue","tag-ceithre-phunt","tag-charles-the-first","tag-cuig-euro","tag-deich-mbliana","tag-dha-bhliain","tag-diongo","tag-diongonna","tag-eilis-a-haon","tag-elizabeth-the-first","tag-farnham","tag-first","tag-gadhar","tag-ghadhar","tag-harry-nilsson","tag-johnny-farnham","tag-loneliest-number","tag-madadh","tag-madra","tag-maoluimhir","tag-mhadadh","tag-naoi-n-oraiste","tag-nilsson","tag-ocht-n-ull","tag-oiche","tag-oiche-thri-dhiongo","tag-oiche-thri-mhadra","tag-one","tag-one-is-the-loneliest-number","tag-se-chat","tag-seacht-madra","tag-searlas-a-haon","tag-tri","tag-tri-mhi"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1191","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=1191"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1191\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6219,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1191\/revisions\/6219"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3931"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1191"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1191"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1191"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}