{"id":2303,"date":"2012-05-24T13:39:28","date_gmt":"2012-05-24T13:39:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/?p=2303"},"modified":"2017-12-06T15:36:11","modified_gmt":"2017-12-06T15:36:11","slug":"eavesdropping-as-gaeilge-but-not-exactly-under-the-eaves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/eavesdropping-as-gaeilge-but-not-exactly-under-the-eaves\/","title":{"rendered":"Eavesdropping “as Gaeilge” But Not Exactly Under the Eaves"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0(le R\u00f3isl\u00edn)<\/strong><\/p>\n

A few blogs ago, in the discussion of “rusticles” on the Titanic, we also talked about the various Irish words for “icicle.”\u00a0 For the full list, f\u00e9ach ar an n\u00f3ta “S\u00fail Siar” th\u00edos<\/strong>.\u00a0 It does seem unusual to me to have that many words for “icicle” when I don’t associate icicles with the (formerly) archetypal Irish dwelling place, the thatched cottage.\u00a0 I assume that something about the texture of thatch, as opposed to shingle or tile roofs, discourages icicle formation, combined with the (usually) relatively mild winters, compared to places like Talamh an \u00c9isc<\/strong> or An Iorua<\/strong> or Bost\u00fan<\/strong>.\u00a0 \u00a0At any rate, that triggered a reference, in the n\u00f3ta\u00ed tr\u00e1chta<\/strong>, to the “bunsop<\/strong>,” also spelled as “bun tsop<\/strong>” [say: bun top], which can be translated either as “eaves” or “the lowest layer of thatch.”<\/p>\n

So that got me thinking about words for “eaves” in general, and, of course, “eavesdropping.”\u00a0 As Gaeilge<\/strong>?\u00a0 Let’s start with “eaves.”\u00a0 It’s an unusual word in that in English it looks plural (think “sheaf\/sheaves”) but, fad m’eolais<\/strong>, this is one of those words that stays the same in the singular and the plural.\u00a0 Kind of like “sheep” and “deer,” but they don’t end in “-s,” so they’re a little more straightforward.\u00a0 Always one for checking, I figured I’d better Google that before proceeding.\u00a0 Na tortha\u00ed<\/strong>?\u00a0 Despite whatever the gramad\u00f3ir\u00ed <\/strong>and focl\u00f3irithe<\/strong> say about the topic, Google gives me about 116K hits for “under the eave,” singular, particularly as an adjectival phrase (m. sh<\/strong>. under-the-eave vent), and about 603K for the standard phrase, “under the eaves.”\u00a0 Also, <osna<\/strong>> \u00a0a couple hundred examples of uascham\u00f3g ghr\u00f3saeir na nglasra\u00ed<\/strong> (the greengrocer’s apostrophe) in phrases like, “under the eave’s” [sic] and “rotting eave’s” [sic ar\u00eds<\/strong>].\u00a0 Anyway, what that leads to, Irishwise, is a note that “bunsop<\/strong>” basically refers to the lowest layer of thatch in a thatched roof, which by default, also comprises the “eaves.”<\/p>\n

“Bunsop<\/strong>” can also be plural, but its use appears limited.\u00a0 Na hamais i nGaeilge do “na bunsoip”?\u00a0 Ceithre cinn, go d\u00edreach, agus tr\u00ed cinn acu \u00f3n t\u00e9acs c\u00e9anna.\u00a0 Mar sin, dh\u00e1 amas maidir le \u00fas\u00e1id phraitici\u00fail. <\/strong>\u00a0One of those two is thanks to Cathal \u00d3 Searcaigh’s poem, “S\u00e9as\u00fair<\/strong>,” with the line “b\u00edonn na bunsoip trom le sioc<\/strong>,” which \u00d3 Searcaigh himself translates as ” thatch-eaves are heavy with frost.”\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The plural follows the standard, first-declension pattern: na bunsoip<\/strong>.\u00a0 And for thoroughness’s sake, for genitive singular, “the texture of the lowest layer of thatch” would be “uigeacht an bhunsoip<\/strong>” and, for the genitive plural (of the lowest layers of thatch, presumably talking about multiple roofs), we would have “na mbunsop<\/strong>.”<\/p>\n

All that assumes the one-word form (bunsop<\/strong>).\u00a0\u00a0 For the two-word form, bun tsop<\/strong> (lit. bottom\u00a0 wisp\/straw\/thatch, with the prefixed “t”), we’d have “bunanna sop<\/strong>” for the plural.\u00a0\u00a0 And how often does that actually get used?\u00a0 Grand total of amais Google<\/strong> for “bunanna sop<\/strong>“? \u00a0Diabhal ceann<\/strong> (divil a wan).\u00a0\u00a0 Not even putting “sop<\/strong>” into the genitive singular (soip<\/strong>), even though it should be genitive plural “sop<\/strong>” (think “bottom layers of wisps,” more than one wisp needed, like way more).\u00a0 No hits either for “bunanna soip<\/strong>.”\u00a0 Hmmm, \u00a0with that prefixed “t” perhaps, though that’s usually triggered by a preceding “n” (as in “bun<\/strong>“) and so should disappear if we’re using “bunanna<\/strong>.”\u00a0 Anyway, “bunanna”<\/strong> with “tsop<\/strong>” or “tsoip<\/strong>“?\u00a0 Not even close to any tod\u00f3g<\/strong> (cigar).\u00a0 Tada<\/strong> (nothing).<\/p>\n

So where does that leave us?\u00a0 The word “bunsop<\/strong>,” grammatically speaking, can take a plural form, but at best, it’s not really that common today, at least as we see in online usage.\u00a0 Of course, if we had been present when thatched cottages were being built, especially several at a time, for example when Folk Parks or Folk Villages are being developed, there might have been plenty of speech events using “bunsoip” or “bunanna sop<\/strong>,” or some such phrase, assuming the thatchers spoke Irish.\u00a0 But that, like most actually spoken speech, goes unrecorded and therefore unconcordanceable.<\/p>\n

But there other types of roofs in Ireland, of course, not just thatch, especially these days.\u00a0 \u00a0There are at least two more words for “eaves,” neither of which is specifically for thatch:<\/p>\n

bunsile\u00e1n<\/strong>, pl: na bunsile\u00e1in<\/strong>, this is usually used in the plural,<\/p>\n

sceimheal,<\/strong> pl: sceimhleacha<\/strong>, as in “sceimhleacha an t\u00ed<\/strong>” (the eaves of a house) or “sceimhleacha na cruaiche<\/strong>” (the eaves of a stack).\u00a0 The stack being …?\u00a0 Presumably, \u00e1rbhar<\/strong> (corn).\u00a0 Presumably also before the days of mechanical baling.\u00a0 “Sceimheal<\/strong>” can also be used in the charmingly collegial phrase “Bhainfinn an sceimheal d\u00edot<\/strong>” (I’d knock your block off).\u00a0 If you hear that, my advice would be, “Crom do cheann<\/strong>!” (“Duck!”).<\/p>\n

So how about “eavesdropping?”\u00a0 Are Irish eavesdroppers literally “under the eaves?”\u00a0 Or if we go back to original version of the English word, under the “eavesdrip,” i.e. where the water dripped down from the eaves.\u00a0 \u00a0No, not really, though close.\u00a0 The Irish for “eavesdropping” is “c\u00fal\u00e9isteacht<\/strong>” (lit. back + listening, that’s “back” as in “far side,” not the back of a person or animal, such as the notorious pig of well-being, on whose “muin<\/strong>” or “droim<\/strong>” we all hope to find ourselves.\u00a0\u00a0 A few related forms:<\/p>\n

ag c\u00fal\u00e9isteacht leo<\/strong>, eavesdropping on them, listening in on them (with the preposition “le<\/strong>,” lit. “with)<\/p>\n

c\u00fal\u00e9istim<\/strong>, I eavesdrop (usually or habitually)<\/p>\n

c\u00fal\u00e9isteoir<\/strong>, an eavesdropper<\/p>\n

And there’s at least one more way to say “eavesdrop,” although it’s not as widely used, in my experience, at least:<\/p>\n

cluasa\u00edl<\/strong> [KLOO-us-eel], based on the word “cluas<\/strong>” (ear).\u00a0 I’ve also seen “cluas\u00e1il<\/strong>” [KLOO-us-awl] for this, but “cluasa\u00edl<\/strong>” seems to me to better fit the pattern of “feada\u00edl<\/strong>” (whistling), geona\u00edl<\/strong> (whining, as of a dog; whimpering, droning), and “cuacha\u00edl<\/strong>” (snorting or whinnying or whining or speaking in a falsetto voice — hunh?\u00a0 go figure — beats me!).\u00a0 Although it’s not any absolute guideline, the “-a\u00edl<\/strong> [-eel]” ending seems to me to apply to a very “bodyish” body of words, especially involving body sounds, as opposed to “-\u00e1il”<\/strong> [awl or aw-il], which is much more common and very multi-purpose, including as the suffix of primary choice for many direct borrowings from English (p\u00e1irce\u00e1il, p\u00e9inte\u00e1il, land\u00e1il, l\u00f3d\u00e1il<\/strong>, and, though I’m not totally sure how to spell it, “smile\u00e1il<\/strong>” (smaidhle\u00e1il<\/strong>? – I’ve never seen it written)<\/p>\n

cluasa\u00ed<\/strong> [KLOO-us-ee], a listener (probably mostly in a negative sense), an eavesdropper; alternately, and a bit archaically, this could also mean a dull silent person (in a country that thrives on conversation)<\/p>\n

So, the upshot of it is that “eavesdropping” as an Irish word has more to do with being in the back of or behind the speakers (c\u00fal\u00e9isteacht<\/strong>) or with revving up one’s ear power, to make one an “earer” as well as a “hearer.”\u00a0 Shades of Harry Potter<\/em> with the “cluasa ins\u00ednte<\/strong>” (extendable ears)?<\/p>\n

Well, I never woulda thunk it from the outset, but with all the vocabulary that’s on the go these days, I might have known that eventually I’d end up bringing in the “eaves.”\u00a0 Joyfully!<\/p>\n

Up next?\u00a0 Tairr <\/strong>(soffits), anyone?<\/p>\n

A “Post-Pun” Note: the word “sop<\/strong>,” one of the elements of the compound word “bunsop<\/strong>,” can also mean a “sheaf of corn.”\u00a0 So the imeartas focal<\/strong> actually has a real-life application.\u00a0 Especially if we imagine the sheaf of corn to be on the roof.\u00a0 Just in the imagination, mind you!\u00a0 Also, Meirice\u00e1naigh<\/strong> especially should take note, “corn” in Irish and UK English can mean “edible grain” in general, including wheat.\u00a0 So we’re not talking necessarily talking “sheaf of maize” here.\u00a0 What Americans usually know simply as “corn” is typically called “Indian corn” or “maize,” or sometimes “sweet corn” in other Englishes.<\/p>\n

S\u00fail Siar: Dh\u00e1 Fhocal D\u00e9ag ar<\/strong> “icicle” i nGaeilge (aon fhocal d\u00e9ag acu \u00f3 mo bhlag \u00f3 15 Aibre\u00e1n 2012,<\/strong> \u00a0https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/cen-ghaeilge-ata-ar-rusticle-an-ann-di-do\/<\/a>, agus ceann eile \u00f3 n\u00f3ta tr\u00e1chta \u00c1ine)<\/strong>: a) bior\u00e1n seaca<\/strong>, lit. pin (hook) of frost; b) bir\u00edn seaca<\/strong>, lit. little pin (hook) of frost; c) coinl\u00edn oighreoige<\/strong>, lit. little stalk of ice; d) coinl\u00edn reo<\/strong>, lit. little frost-stalk, e) coinneal bhraon\u00e1in<\/strong>, lit. droplet-candle; \u00a0f) coinnea<\/strong>l\u00a0reo<\/strong>, lit. frost-candle; g) maide seaca<\/strong>, lit. stick of frost; h) oighreog<\/strong>\u00a0(from \u201coighear<\/strong>,\u201d ice); i) reod\u00f3g<\/strong>\u00a0(from \u201creo<\/strong>,\u201d frost); j) sioc\u00e1n<\/strong>, more typically \u201cfrost\u201d itself or a \u201cfrozen person;\u201d k) spiac\u00e1n<\/strong>, more typically \u201csharp spiky object\u201d in general; l) spinc\u00edn seaca<\/strong>, lit. little point of frost<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

\u00a0(le R\u00f3isl\u00edn) A few blogs ago, in the discussion of “rusticles” on the Titanic, we also talked about the various Irish words for “icicle.”\u00a0 For the full list, f\u00e9ach ar an n\u00f3ta “S\u00fail Siar” th\u00edos.\u00a0 It does seem unusual to me to have that many words for “icicle” when I don’t associate icicles with the…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":2304,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3898],"tags":[211709,211710,211707,211712,211708,211714,211715,211705,211704,211701,211703,211702,211716,211713,3349,229379,6750,3404,211711,111748],"class_list":["post-2303","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-irish-language","tag-bun-tsop","tag-bunanna-sop","tag-bunsilean","tag-bunsoip","tag-bunsop","tag-cathal","tag-cathal-o-searcaigh","tag-cluasail","tag-culeisteacht","tag-eaves","tag-eavesdrip","tag-eavesdrop","tag-greengrocers-apostrophe","tag-o-searcaigh","tag-plural","tag-sceimheal","tag-seasuir","tag-singular","tag-soip","tag-tui"],"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