{"id":222,"date":"2010-05-09T23:46:07","date_gmt":"2010-05-09T23:46:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/?p=222"},"modified":"2010-05-18T17:56:57","modified_gmt":"2010-05-18T17:56:57","slug":"dads-and-grads-plus-i-ngaeilge-of-course","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/dads-and-grads-plus-i-ngaeilge-of-course\/","title":{"rendered":"Dads and Grads Plus (i nGaeilge, of course)"},"content":{"rendered":"

At this time of year, we slip from one holiday to another, Mother\u2019s Day, Father\u2019s Day, and mostly in June, all kinds of graduations from ciondargaird\u00edn <\/strong>(kindergarten) up through ollscoil<\/strong> (university).\u00a0 For now, let\u2019s just consider some of the basic terminology for \u201cmother,\u201d \u201cfather,\u201d and \u201cgrad.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0Unfortunately, even racking my brains (or what\u2019s left of them after they\u2019ve been racked so frequently!), I can\u2019t come up with a catchy rhyming phrase in Irish like the English \u201cDads and Grads,\u201d which pervades American marketing at this time of year.\u00a0 But at least we can get the words down!<\/p>\n

To quickly review L\u00e1 na M\u00e1ithreacha,<\/strong> the phrase literally means \u201cthe day of the mothers.\u201d\u00a0 It seems to be agreed upon as being plural in Irish.\u00a0 And, in fact, the handful of other languages I\u2019ve checked follow the same approach: <\/strong>F\u00eate des M\u00e8res<\/em>, D\u00eda de las Madres, <\/em>and<\/em> Dia das M\u00e3es.<\/em>\u00a0 In German, it looks like singular\/plural isn\u2019t so much the issue, since \u201cMutter<\/em>\u201d fits more of an adjectival prefix slot (der Muttertag<\/em>).\u00a0 But let\u2019s save any more on that for Mother\u2019s Day, 2011, when it would be cool to list the phrase in many languages.<\/p>\n

The word \u201cmother\u201d in Irish is an irregular noun, so it might not hurt to review all its forms:<\/p>\n

m\u00e1thair<\/strong>, mother; an mh\u00e1thair<\/strong> [un WAW-hirzh], the mother<\/p>\n

m\u00e1thar<\/strong>, of a mother, as in the phrase \u201caire m\u00e1thar<\/strong>\u201d (mothering, lit. care of, i.e. by, a mother, a mother\u2019s care)<\/p>\n

na m\u00e1thar<\/strong>, of the mother.\u00a0 This is the definite form (with the definite article \u201cna<\/strong>\u201d in its own possessive feminine singular form, that is, \u201cna<\/strong>\u201d not \u201can<\/strong>\u201d).\u00a0 It\u2019s probably more typical to use the possessive in definite phrases, like \u201cthe health of the mother\u201d or \u201cthe house of my mother\u201d than in phrases that just mean \u201cof a mother\u201d (simply \u201cm\u00e1thar<\/strong>) in Irish.\u00a0<\/p>\n

sl\u00e1inte na m\u00e1thar<\/strong>, the health of the mother; note also, especially if you\u2019re new to Irish, that there\u2019s no definite article in the front of phrases like this.\u00a0 The \u201cna<\/strong>\u201d in the middle covers both nouns.\u00a0<\/p>\n

teach mo mh\u00e1thar<\/strong>, the house of my mother, my mother\u2019s house.\u00a0 Again. no \u201cthe\u201d at the front of the phrase.\u00a0 The word \u201cmo<\/strong>\u201d (my) makes the whole phrase definite and also triggers the lenition (mh\u00e1thar<\/strong>, not m\u00e1thar<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

m\u00e1ithreacha<\/strong>, mothers<\/p>\n

na m\u00e1ithreacha<\/strong>, the mothers<\/p>\n

na m\u00e1ithreacha<\/strong> (same as above), of the mothers; ex. L\u00e1 na M\u00e1ithreacha <\/strong>(Mother\u2019s Day), l\u00f3nta na m\u00e1ithreacha<\/strong> (the lunches of the mothers)<\/p>\n

A bit of good news about this irregular noun is that the forms for \u201cathair<\/strong>\u201d (father) are fairly parallel.\u00a0 That is to say, two of the main things to notice for both words are the loss of the \u201ci\u201d to make the possessive singular form and the contraction of a syllable mid-word, so the \u201cr\u201d directly follows the \u201cth.\u201d\u00a0 For mother, these showed up as \u201cm\u00e1thar<\/em><\/strong>\u201d and \u201cm\u00e1ithr<\/em><\/strong>eacha.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

And now, the same work-up for \u201cathair<\/strong>\u201d:<\/p>\n

athair<\/strong> [AH-hirzh, note the \u201ct\u201d is silent], father;<\/p>\n

an t-athair<\/strong> [un TAH-hirzh], the father.\u00a0 Here we prefix a \u201ct-\u201c (which is<\/em> pronounced).\u00a0 Historically, this \u201ct\u201d was part of the definite article, but that\u2019s a saga in and of itself and \u00e1bhar blag eile!<\/strong><\/p>\n

athar<\/strong>, of a father, as in the phrase \u201caire athar<\/strong>\u201d (care by a father)<\/p>\n

an athar<\/strong>, of the father.\u00a0 Two changes: we lose the prefixed \u201ct-\u201c and we lose the \u201ci.\u201d<\/p>\n

sl\u00e1inte an athar<\/strong>, the health of the father<\/p>\n

teach m\u2019athar<\/strong>, the house of my father, my father\u2019s house.\u00a0 And one more change, since \u201cmo<\/strong>\u201d ends with a vowel and \u201cathar<\/strong>\u201d begins with one, this phrase is generally contracted to be written as one word, \u201cm\u2019athar<\/strong>\u201d (of my father).<\/p>\n

aithreacha<\/strong>, fathers<\/p>\n

na haithreacha<\/strong>, the fathers.\u00a0 Yet another rule: prefix \u201ch\u201d before plural nouns beginning with a vowel.\u00a0 These days, the dash (-) after the \u201ch\u201d is no longer generally included.<\/p>\n

na n-aithreacha<\/strong>, of the fathers.\u00a0 And yet another rule: prefix \u201cn-\u201c before plural nouns beginning with vowels when the nouns are in the possessive form.\u00a0 Gender doesn\u2019t<\/em> matter for this rule!\u00a0 The dash is<\/em> included.\u00a0<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve probably been seeing this last rule since you first saw the Irish language, since it\u2019s also in widely-used phrases like \u201cT\u00edr na n\u00d3g<\/strong>.\u201d That\u2019s often translated as \u201cthe Land of Youth,\u201d but literally is \u201cthe Land of the Young People\u201d — so it truly is an example of possessive plural<\/em>.\u00a0 If you\u2019re wondering where the \u201cdash\u201d went, well, another wee bit of a rule creeps in here.\u00a0 If the noun that\u2019s possessive and<\/em> plural and<\/em> starts with a vowel is capitalized<\/em>, then no dash!\u00a0 This is more a rule of punctuation style than grammar per se.\u00a0 And that brings us back to \u201cof the fathers\u201d \u2026<\/p>\n

L\u00e1 na nAithreacha<\/strong>, Father\u2019s Day, the day of the fathers.\u00a0 Here we include the initial \u201cn\u201d but no dash since the phrase is a proper noun and therefore capitalized (unless you\u2019re ag t\u00e9acs\u00e1il<\/strong>, in which case you probably don\u2019t capitalize the phrase).<\/p>\n

l\u00f3nta na n-aithreacha<\/strong>, the lunches of the fathers<\/p>\n

As for \u201cgrads, much simpler!\u00a0 Hur\u00e1!<\/strong>\u00a0 The word \u201cc\u00e9im\u00ed<\/strong>\u201d (a grad, a graduate) is just a nice, straightforward, fourth-declension noun, with no separate possessive ending, a regular plural ending, and just the normal run-of-the-mill initial consonant mutations.\u00a0 Hmm, they don\u2019t sound so run-of-the-mill when said that way, but the initial mutations really do become second nature after you work with them enough.\u00a0 Here goes:<\/p>\n

c\u00e9im\u00ed<\/strong>, a grad; an c\u00e9im\u00ed<\/strong>, the grad<\/p>\n

c\u00e9im\u00ed<\/strong>, of a grad (See! Like I said, no special ending!).<\/p>\n

cl\u00e1rchaip\u00edn c\u00e9imi<\/strong>, a grad\u2019s mortarboard (indefinite)<\/p>\n

an ch\u00e9im\u00ed<\/strong>, of the grad (definite)<\/p>\n

cl\u00e1rchaip\u00edn an ch\u00e9im\u00ed<\/strong>, the<\/em> mortarboard of the<\/em> graduate (definite).\u00a0 OK, so there is<\/em> lenition (c -> ch), but you rarely have an Irish phrase where some part of some word isn\u2019t changing!\u00a0 I\u2019d count my blessings if it\u2019s just lenition, with no inflected ending and no internal vowel change)<\/p>\n

na c\u00e9imithe<\/strong>, the grads (routine plural for an \u201c-\u00ed\u201d ending, like r\u00fana\u00ed \/ r\u00fanaithe<\/strong> (-\u00ed -> -ithe)<\/p>\n

na gc\u00e9imithe<\/strong>, of the grads (Aw! That\u2019s just a little eclipsis!\u00a0 Routine mutation for possessive plural, c \u2013> gc, so c\u00e9imithe<\/strong> -> gc\u00e9imithe<\/strong>)<\/p>\n

cl\u00e1rchaip\u00edn\u00ed na gc\u00e9imithe<\/strong>, the mortarboards of the grads, the grads\u2019 mortarboards<\/p>\n

N\u00f3ta:<\/strong> I included the term \u201ckindergarten\u201d primarily for the North American readers.\u00a0 Although the word obviously exists in Irish, I\u2019m striking out trying to remember hearing it in any typical context in Irish, except maybe Irish-speaking parents in this leathsf\u00e9ar<\/strong>.\u00a0 How \u2018bout ya, a Thom\u00e1is, do bhar\u00fail<\/strong>?\u00a0 (Sin cara de mo chuid nach labhra\u00edonn ach Gaeilge lena ph\u00e1ist\u00ed, anseo i Meirice\u00e1)<\/strong>.\u00a0 Mostly for kids that age, in Irish, one refers to the na\u00edon\u00e1in<\/strong> (infants), who can be \u201cna\u00edon\u00e1in sh\u00f3isearacha<\/strong>\u201d (junior infants) or \u201cna\u00edon\u00e1in shinsearacha<\/strong>\u201d (senior infants).\u00a0 Dear old Google confirms the trend with a total of 14 actual hits for \u201cciondargaird\u00edn\u201d <\/strong>but approximately 6300 each for \u201cna\u00edon\u00e1in shinsearacha<\/strong>\u201d and \u201cna\u00edon\u00e1in sh\u00f3isearacha<\/strong>.\u201d\u00a0 Not that Google hits are bun agus barr an sc\u00e9il <\/strong>as far as real-world usage goes, but it\u2019s something of a guide.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

So we could get into a discussion, i mblag eile<\/strong>, about ciondargaird\u00edn<\/strong> vs. na\u00edscoil<\/strong>, and \u201cna\u00edon\u00e1in<\/strong>\u201d who are four or five years old vs. na\u00edon\u00e1in nuabheirithe <\/strong>and na\u00edon\u00e1in r\u00e9amhaib\u00ed <\/strong>(newborn infants, premature infants), but like I said, blag \u00e9igin eile<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At this time of year, we slip from one holiday to another, Mother\u2019s Day, Father\u2019s Day, and mostly in June, all kinds of graduations from ciondargaird\u00edn (kindergarten) up through ollscoil (university).\u00a0 For now, let\u2019s just consider some of the basic terminology for \u201cmother,\u201d \u201cfather,\u201d and \u201cgrad.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0Unfortunately, even racking my brains (or what\u2019s left of…<\/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":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-222","post","type-post","status-publish","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/222","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=222"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/222\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":224,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/222\/revisions\/224"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=222"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=222"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=222"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}