{"id":2148,"date":"2012-04-08T15:31:01","date_gmt":"2012-04-08T15:31:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/?p=2148"},"modified":"2015-04-06T17:51:58","modified_gmt":"2015-04-06T17:51:58","slug":"caisc-chaisc-chasca-casca-et-al-which-one-when","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/caisc-chaisc-chasca-casca-et-al-which-one-when\/","title":{"rendered":"C\u00e1isc, Ch\u00e1isc, Ch\u00e1sca, C\u00e1sca et al. \u2013 Which One When?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

After seeing so many Easter phrases, you might start to wonder why there are so many different forms of the same word.\u00a0 Well, there\u2019s the practical answer and the theoretical answer.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

<a href=”http:\/\/www.publicdomainpictures.net\/view-image.php?image=6089&picture=easter-basket”>Easter Basket<\/a> by Petr Kratochvil<\/p><\/div>\n

Let\u2019s start with the practical answer.\u00a0 For \u201cEaster\u201d in Irish we have the subject form (An Ch\u00e1isc<\/strong>, lenited because it\u2019s a feminine noun) and the possessive form (C\u00e1sca<\/strong> or na C\u00e1sca<\/strong>), plus we have two possible plurals (C\u00e1isceanna, C\u00e1sca\u00ed<\/strong>, the former being more standard today).\u00a0 The trickiest part to figure out, in most cases, is whether \u201cC\u00e1sca<\/strong>\u201d itself gets lenited, as often happens.\u00a0 That depends on whether the noun in front of it is masculine or feminine, singular or plural, and if plural, what the plural ending is.\u00a0 So you don\u2019t just have to know the grammatical gender of \u201cAn Ch\u00e1isc<\/strong>\u201d (feminine, ar nd\u00f3igh<\/strong>) but you also have to know the gender of any other nouns in your Easter phrase.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s try some exercises, with phrases taken mostly from previous blogs in this series.\u00a0 Which form of the word for \u201cEaster\u201d would you use in the following expressions?\u00a0 Freagra\u00ed agus aistri\u00fach\u00e1in th\u00edos<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. 1.. Inniu an _______________________<\/strong><\/li>\n
  2. 2.. ubh ___________________________<\/strong><\/li>\n
  3. 3.. coin\u00edn seacl\u00e1ide _________________<\/strong><\/li>\n
  4. 4.. clog __________________________<\/strong><\/li>\n
  5. 5.. uibheacha______________________<\/strong><\/li>\n
  6. 6.. Domhnach _____________________<\/strong><\/li>\n
  7. 7.. M\u00e1irt _________________________<\/strong><\/li>\n
  8. 8.. ag cuimhni\u00fa ar na _________i m\u2019\u00f3ige<\/strong><\/li>\n
  9. 9.. p\u00f3nair\u00ed gl\u00f3tha\u00ed ____________\u00a0<\/strong>(as contrasted\u00a0with\u00a0<\/strong>gn\u00e1thph\u00f3nair\u00ed gl\u00f3tha\u00ed, <\/strong>for all year round)<\/li>\n
  10. 10.. Aimsir na _____________________<\/strong><\/li>\n
  11. 11.. cloig _________________________<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    And finally, a seanfhocal<\/strong>, since after all, n\u00ed sh\u00e1ra\u00edtear seanfhocal<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

    N\u00ed d\u00f3ich\u00ed an ________________ a bheith ar an Domhnach.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    The theoretical-type answer to the original question (why so many forms?) is that Irish is an \u201cinflected\u201d language, more so than English but less so than, say, Latin or Russian.\u00a0 That means\u00a0 that words in Irish typically have a lot more forms, especially endings, than they do in English.\u00a0 In English we have possessive forms (\u2018s) and singular and plural (almost always \u201c-s\u201d or “-es”).\u00a0 In Irish, on the other hand, there are several different plural endings and a number of irregular plurals.\u00a0 Some of the typical plural endings are: -(a)\u00ed, -a, -(e)anna, -(e)acha, -ta, -te, with the forms in parentheses allowing for adjustments for vowel harmony (addressed in earlier blogs, if you want a review: https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/tearmai-an-tseasuir-nollaig-agus-hanukkah-and-some-vowel-harmony-to-boot\/<\/a>).\u00a0 Other Irish nouns form their plurals by internal vowel change (fear\/fir<\/strong> for “man”\/”men”, the latter also using internal vowel change), and some are just idiosyncratic (bean\/mn\u00e1<\/strong> for “woman”\/”women”).<\/p>\n

    And then there\u2019s gender, as with nouns in other European languages but not most English nouns (with rare exceptions, like \u201cship\u201d as \u201cshe\u201d).\u00a0 This creates even more variety, because Irish typically uses with lenition with feminine nouns (like An Ch\u00e1isc<\/strong>), but no lenition for masculine nouns till you get to an tuiseal ginideach<\/strong>, which is definitely \u00e1bhar blag eile<\/strong>.\u00a0 Since lenition affects the first letter of the word, we see often see Irish words changing at the beginning for lenition and at the end for plural, past tense, etc., and sometimes in the middle as well (\u201cinternal vowel change\u201d).<\/p>\n

    Perhaps you\u2019re wondering if \u201cC\u00e1isc<\/strong>,\u201d as such, is ever actually used?\u00a0 The answer is well, casta<\/strong> (complicated).\u00a0 I\u2019d say \u201crarely\u201d for most traditional phrases, with \u201cC\u00e1isc na nGi\u00fadach<\/strong>\u201d (Passover) being a major exception (if you\u2019re surprised at that connection, check out the note below).\u00a0 The word \u201cC\u00e1isc<\/strong>\u201d changes substantially for the tuiseal ginideach<\/strong> (to \u201cC\u00e1sca<\/strong>\u201d), so \u201cC\u00e1isc<\/strong>,\u201d as such, doesn\u2019t show up in possessive phrases. \u201cC\u00e1isc<\/strong>\u201d on its own is not the form most traditionally used.\u00a0 Having said that, I\u2019ve noticed in recent years that the phrase \u201cC\u00e1isc Shona duit!<\/strong>\u201d has become widely used.\u00a0 Traditionally, the phrase for \u201cHappy Easter\u201d was \u201cBeannachta\u00ed na C\u00e1sca ort!<\/strong>\u201d (lit. the blessings of Easter on you!), and this is still widely used.\u00a0 From the Google search viewpoint, the \u201cbeannachta\u00ed<\/strong>\u201d phrase is currently solidly in the lead (20,300 amas<\/strong> vs. 4,830 amas<\/strong> for \u201cC\u00e1isc Shona<\/strong>\u201d) but the latter seems to be more and more popular, especially on the 100-ways-to-say-Happy-Easter-type sites.<\/p>\n

    Regarding eclipsis, the other main initial sound change in Irish, in theory there could be forms like \u201cgC\u00e1isc<\/strong>\u201d and \u201cgC\u00e1sca<\/strong>,\u201d but in practice, they\u2019re very rare.\u00a0 Eclipsis would be a little more likely with the plural form, for example, if one were saying, as we did in a previous blog \u201cstale chocolate Easter rabbits of Easters past\u201d (coin\u00edn\u00ed seacl\u00e1ide C\u00e1sca st\u00e1laithe na gC\u00e1isceanna thart<\/strong>) from https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/diochlaontai-aris\/<\/a> (24 Aibre\u00e1n<\/strong> 2011).\u00a0 But, as you might imagine, that example is not exactly your everyday expression (most chocolate rabbits don\u2019t last long enough to become stale) and \u201cEaster\u201d in the plural eclipsed form isn\u2019t very commonly used.<\/p>\n

    As usual, this is just the tip of the iceberg for all the aspects of creating Irish phrases and sentences, but at least it is a start.\u00a0 The issues involved include grammatical gender (masculine, feminine), number (singular, plural), and case (an tuiseal ginideach<\/strong>), all of which are factors in some other European languages.\u00a0 But Irish, like other Celtic languages, adds the unique factor of initial consonant mutation<\/em>.\u00a0 In Irish, there are two types of such mutation, lenition and, though not much for Easter itself, eclipsis, resulting in, well, lots of variety, lots of endings, lots of beginnings, and lots of choices to make as you speak Irish.\u00a0 The exercises above were designed to illustrate some of those principles.<\/p>\n

    Conas a d\u2019\u00e9irigh leat leis na fr\u00e1sa\u00ed thuas?\u00a0 Go maith, t\u00e1 s\u00fail agam!\u00a0 Freagra\u00ed th\u00edos.\u00a0 SGF, R\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/strong><\/p>\n

    N\u00f3ta faoin bhfocal \u201cC\u00e1isc\u201d agus \u201cPascha\u201d:<\/strong> \u201cC\u00e1isc<\/strong>\u201d is ultimately derived from Hebrew \u201cPesach<\/em>,\u201d which also gives us Latin \u201cPascha<\/em>\u201d and all the related words, like Pascua, P\u00e2ques, Pasg<\/em>, etc.\u00a0 The alternation of the letters \u201cc\u201d and \u201cp\u201d may seem surprising but it\u2019s actually quite systematic (think \u201ccos<\/strong>,\u201d foot, and Latin, \u201cp<\/em>\u0113s, pedis<\/em>,\u201d foot).\u00a0 There are even more such connections between Irish and Welsh (\u201cceann<\/strong>,\u201d head, and Welsh, \u201cpen<\/em>,\u201d head).\u00a0 It\u2019s a much bigger \u00e1bhar<\/strong> than we have space for here, but perhaps sa todhcha\u00ed<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

    Freagra\u00ed agus aistri\u00fach\u00e1in:<\/strong> 1. Inniu an Ch\u00e1isc<\/strong>, Today is Easter. 2. ubh Ch\u00e1sca<\/strong>, Easter egg (lenition because \u201cubh<\/strong>\u201d is feminine), 3. coin\u00edn seacl\u00e1ide C\u00e1sca<\/strong>, chocolate Easter rabbit, 4. clog C\u00e1sca<\/strong>, Easter bell (remember those flying French Easter bells that deliver candy? Also, \u201cclog\u201d<\/strong> is masculine, so no lenition), 5. uibheacha C\u00e1sca<\/strong>, Easter eggs (dropping the lenition of no. 2, since \u201cuibheacha<\/strong>\u201d is plural), 6. Domhnach C\u00e1sca<\/strong>, Easter Sunday, 7. M\u00e1irt Ch\u00e1sca<\/strong>, Easter Tuesday (lenition because \u201cM\u00e1irt<\/strong>\u201d is feminine), 8. ag cuimhni\u00fa ar na C\u00e1isceanna i m\u2019\u00f3ige,<\/strong> remembering the Easters in my youth, 9. p\u00f3nair\u00ed gl\u00f3tha\u00ed C\u00e1sca<\/strong>, Easter jellybeans (as contrasted with ordinary jellybeans), 10. Aimsir na C\u00e1sca<\/strong>, Eastertide, 11. cloig Ch\u00e1sca<\/strong>, Easter bells (lenition because \u201ccloig<\/strong>,\u201d the plural of \u201cclog<\/strong>,\u201d ends in a slender consonant; same rule that gives us \u201cfir mhaithe<\/strong>,\u201d with lenition, but \u201cbuachaill\u00ed maithe<\/strong>,\u201d no lenition), and finally, an seanfhocal: n\u00ed d\u00f3ich\u00ed an Ch\u00e1isc a bheith ar an Domhnach<\/strong>, as sure as Easter is on a Sunday.<\/p>\n

    Still wondering about those flying French candy-delivery bells?\u00a0 They\u2019re also discussed in https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/diochlaontai-aris\/<\/a> and lots of French folklore sites.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

    (le R\u00f3isl\u00edn) After seeing so many Easter phrases, you might start to wonder why there are so many different forms of the same word.\u00a0 Well, there\u2019s the practical answer and the theoretical answer. Let\u2019s start with the practical answer.\u00a0 For \u201cEaster\u201d in Irish we have the subject form (An Ch\u00e1isc, lenited because it\u2019s a feminine…<\/p>\n

    Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":2161,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3898],"tags":[4018,4525,207496,4571,4644,4655,315884,316235,4727,111128,3167,316234,207497,111131,6741,7223,7227],"class_list":["post-2148","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-irish-language","tag-aimsir","tag-caisc","tag-caisceanna","tag-casca","tag-chaisc","tag-chasca","tag-clog","tag-cloig","tag-coinin","tag-domhnach","tag-easter","tag-flying-french-candy-delivery-bell","tag-gcaisceanna","tag-mairt","tag-seanfhocal","tag-ubh","tag-uibheacha"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2148","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=2148"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2148\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6553,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2148\/revisions\/6553"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2161"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2148"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2148"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}