{"id":1743,"date":"2012-01-20T04:52:51","date_gmt":"2012-01-20T04:52:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/?p=1743"},"modified":"2014-03-25T13:25:34","modified_gmt":"2014-03-25T13:25:34","slug":"ce-mhead-la-sa-mhi-how-many-days-in-the-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/ce-mhead-la-sa-mhi-how-many-days-in-the-month\/","title":{"rendered":"C\u00e9 Mh\u00e9ad L\u00e1 sa Mh\u00ed? (How Many Days in the Month?)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

A reader recently posted a question about how to say how many days a month has.\u00a0 Bhuel, ar mhaith leatsa na bearna\u00ed sa chairt seo a\u00a0<\/strong>lionadh isteach ?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh, and d\u00e1la an sc\u00e9il<\/strong>, the months in this chart are not in chronological order.\u00a0 Don\u2019t want it to be too much of a giveaway!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\nM\u00ed<\/strong><\/td>\nLaethanta<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/strong><\/td>\nBealtaine<\/strong><\/td>\n\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2<\/strong><\/td>\nDeireadh F\u00f3mhair<\/strong><\/td>\n\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3<\/strong><\/td>\nFeabhra<\/strong><\/td>\n\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4<\/strong><\/td>\nM\u00ed na Nollag<\/strong><\/td>\n\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5<\/strong><\/td>\nEan\u00e1ir<\/strong><\/td>\n\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6<\/strong><\/td>\nM\u00e1rta<\/strong><\/td>\n\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
7<\/strong><\/td>\nMeitheamh<\/strong><\/td>\n\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
8<\/strong><\/td>\nAibre\u00e1n<\/strong><\/td>\n\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
9<\/strong><\/td>\nM\u00ed na Samhna<\/strong><\/td>\n\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
10<\/strong><\/td>\nL\u00fanasa<\/strong><\/td>\n\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
11<\/strong><\/td>\nMe\u00e1n F\u00f3mhair<\/strong><\/td>\n\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
12<\/strong><\/td>\nI\u00fail<\/strong><\/td>\n\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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

T\u00e1 tr\u00edocha l\u00e1 (30) ag ceithre mh\u00ed.<\/strong><\/p>\n

T\u00e1 l\u00e1 is tr\u00edocha (31) ag seacht m\u00ed.<\/strong><\/p>\n

T\u00e1 ocht l\u00e1 is fiche (28) ag m\u00ed amh\u00e1in ach amh\u00e1in i mbliain bhisigh nuair a bh\u00edonn naoi l\u00e1 is fiche (29) ag an m\u00ed seo<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

For any given month, to say it has X number of days, the pattern is, \u201cT\u00e1 X l\u00e1 ag Ean\u00e1ir<\/strong>.\u201d\u00a0 As many of you will recognize, we\u2019re not really using a verb that means \u201cto have\u201d here.\u00a0 Instead, we\u2019re showing possession in the typical Irish way, saying the object is \u201cat him\u201d (at me, at her, etc.) using \u201caige\u201d (agam, aici, srl.).<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0 So, for example, \u201cSeptember has 30 days” would be: T\u00e1 tr\u00edocha l\u00e1 ag Me\u00e1n F\u00f3mhair<\/strong>.\u00a0 Remember, the word for \u201cday\u201d stays singular (i.e. it remains as \u201cl\u00e1<\/strong>\u201d).<\/p>\n

Is there any rhyme in Irish equivalent to \u201cThirty Days Hath September\u201d in English?\u00a0 Bhuel<\/strong>, in fact, t\u00e1<\/strong>.\u00a0 But I don\u2019t think it\u2019s anywhere nearly as well known as the English \u201cThirty Days.\u201d\u00a0 When I was in school, every child knew the English rhyme \u201cThirty Days,\u201d it seemed.\u00a0 And I guess it gave us one of our early introductions to the history of the English language, if we stopped to think about it.\u00a0 To recite \u201cThirty Days Has<\/em> September\u201d (without the \u201chath\u201d) just doesn\u2019t have the same panache!\u00a0 That\u2019s especially true when we consider that the rhyme goes back to the 15th<\/sup> century, when \u201chath\u201d would have been the normal verb form.<\/p>\n

But, lo and behold, there is an Irish equivalent to \u201cThirty Days,\u201d published (and perhaps composed by) An tAthair Peadar Ua Laoghaire (1839-1920), an early Irish language activist, scholar, and writer.\u00a0 Slightly updated, to account for the spelling reform of the 1950s, it reads like this:<\/p>\n

Na Laethanta i nGach M\u00ed<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

(leis an Athair Peadar Ua Laoghaire, le litri\u00fa caighde\u00e1naithe)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Tr\u00edocha l\u00e1 a bheireann siad leo<\/strong><\/p>\n

Samhain, Aibre\u00e1n, is na Mithimh teo.<\/strong><\/p>\n

L\u00e1 sa bhreis ag gach m\u00ed eile,<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ach an Feabhra thiar ar deireadh,<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gan aige ach ocht l\u00e1 is fiche \u2013 <\/strong><\/p>\n

Naoi l\u00e1 is fiche sa bhliain bhisigh.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Of course, this isn\u2019t literally an equivalent to \u201cThirty Days.\u201d\u00a0 For one thing, you can see that there are only three names listed as having thirty days: Samhain, Aibre\u00e1n, <\/strong>and na Mithimh<\/strong>.\u00a0 The key thing is \u201cna Mithimh<\/strong>\u201d actually represent two separate months, the middle month of summer (June) and the middle month of Autumn (September).\u00a0 In Irish, summer (samhradh<\/strong>) traditionally means May, June, and July, and Autumn (F\u00f3mhar<\/strong>) is August, September, and October.\u00a0 The spring had March as a middle month and December was the middle month of winter. \u00a0\u201cMithimh<\/strong>\u201d could refer to all the middle months but only June and September would be part of \u201cna Mithimh teo<\/strong>\u201d (the warm middle months).\u00a0 \u201cTeo<\/strong>\u201d is the plural form of \u201cte<\/strong>\u201d (hot, warm).\u00a0 The \u201cmithimh<\/strong>\u201d idea survives as the modern Irish word \u201cMeitheamh<\/strong>\u201d (June).<\/p>\n

Very literally, this version means:<\/p>\n

Thirty days they take with them \/\u00a0November, April, and the hot middle months<\/p>\n

A day extra at each other month \/\u00a0But February left back at the end,<\/p>\n

With only eight days and twenty [even more literally: with only 8 days and 20 at him]<\/p>\n

Nine and twenty in the increase-year [leap year].<\/p>\n

And if anyone would like a rhyming (and hopefully catchy) translation of Ua Laoghaire\u2019s version in English, I can offer this adaptation.\u00a0 Loosely translated, like poetry usually is.\u00a0 Of course, I\u2019d really recommend learning the Irish version, but, hey, there\u2019s no reason not to have more rhymes!<\/p>\n

The Days of the Months<\/em><\/p>\n

(translated by R\u00f3isl\u00edn, based on the poem by an tAthair Peadar Ua Laoghaire)<\/em><\/p>\n

Thirty days have these all,<\/p>\n

November, April, mid-summer, mid-fall,<\/p>\n

The other months have one day more<\/p>\n

But February is two days poor<\/p>\n

With 28, three years in four,<\/p>\n

But leap year gives it one day more.<\/p>\n

For more on the history of the leagan B\u00e9arla<\/strong> of this rhyme, you might want to check out this recent article by Rachael Misstear, http:\/\/www.walesonline.co.uk\/news\/need-to-read\/2012\/01\/16\/welsh-author-digs-deep-to-find-medieval-origins-of-thirty-days-hath-verse-91466-30128447\/<\/a>.\u00a0 Iontach suimi\u00fail, nach ea!\u00a0 SGF, R\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Freagra\u00ed don chairt<\/strong>: 1. Bealtaine<\/strong>, May, 31; 2. Deireadh F\u00f3mhair<\/strong>, October, 31; 3. Feabhra<\/strong>, February, 28\/29; 4.<\/strong> M\u00ed na Nollag<\/strong>, December 31; 5. Ean\u00e1ir<\/strong>, January, 31; 6. M\u00e1rta<\/strong>, March, 31; 7. Meitheamh<\/strong>, June, 30; 8. Aibre\u00e1n<\/strong>, April, <\/strong>30; 9. M\u00ed na Samhna<\/strong>, November, 30; 10. L\u00fanasa<\/strong>, August, 31; 11. Me\u00e1n F\u00f3mhair<\/strong>, September, 30; 12. I\u00fail,<\/strong> July 31<\/p>\n

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

(le R\u00f3isl\u00edn) A reader recently posted a question about how to say how many days a month has.\u00a0 Bhuel, ar mhaith leatsa na bearna\u00ed sa chairt seo a\u00a0lionadh isteach ? Oh, and d\u00e1la an sc\u00e9il, the months in this chart are not in chronological order.\u00a0 Don\u2019t want it to be too much of a giveaway!…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":1747,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3898],"tags":[111895,111896,111897,111898,4015,4191,4247,4297,96682,96683,96687,5148,5155,96680,96688,5775,96686,5802,111891,111894,5952,3756,2295,6027,96671,96685,111890,6085,96681,6088,111900,111901,6304,96684,111899,27740,111893,111892],"class_list":["post-1743","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-irish-language","tag-111895","tag-111896","tag-111897","tag-111898","tag-aibrean","tag-april","tag-august","tag-bealtaine","tag-december","tag-deireadh-fomhair","tag-eanair","tag-feabhra","tag-february","tag-iuil","tag-january","tag-july","tag-june","tag-la","tag-laethanta","tag-leap-year","tag-lunasa","tag-march","tag-marta","tag-may","tag-mean-fomhair","tag-meitheamh","tag-mhi","tag-mi","tag-mi-na-nollag","tag-mi-na-samhna","tag-misstear","tag-mnemonic","tag-november","tag-october","tag-rachael-misstear","tag-september","tag-thirty-days-has-september","tag-thirty-days-hath-september"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t