{"id":3087,"date":"2012-08-28T16:57:12","date_gmt":"2012-08-28T16:57:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/?p=3087"},"modified":"2016-09-13T20:05:43","modified_gmt":"2016-09-13T20:05:43","slug":"cialla-an-fhocail-log-hollow-place-hollow-place-etc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/cialla-an-fhocail-log-hollow-place-hollow-place-etc\/","title":{"rendered":"Cialla an Fhocail “Log” (hollow, place, hollow place, etc.)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

In the last blog, we looked at terms for various types of horses (stail, l\u00e1ir, bromach, cliob\u00f3g, searrach, srl.<\/strong>) and at different ways to describe them, including the Irish for “sway-backed horse” (capall a bhfuil log sa droim aige \/ aici<\/strong>).\u00a0 The word “log<\/strong>” in that phrase actually has many other interesting applications, none of which have to do with “swaying” as such.<\/p>\n

The basic meaning of “log<\/strong>” is a “hollow” or a “hollow place.” \u00a0It has the connotation of a low-lying area, not necessarily something that is hollow as opposed to being solid.\u00a0 For that differentiation, I’d use “cuasach<\/strong>” or “folamh<\/strong>,” for “hollow,” as opposed to “tathagach<\/strong>” (solid, substantial), “daingean<\/strong>” (solid, strong), or “cru\u00e1nach<\/strong> (solid, hard), depending on context.\u00a0 A typical expression with “log<\/strong>” would be “th\u00edos sa log<\/strong>” (down in the hollow).\u00a0 Or you could be “i log na hamharclainne<\/strong>” (in the pit of the theater).<\/p>\n

“Log<\/strong>” can also be used abstractly, as in “log na ho\u00edche<\/strong>” (the depths of the night).\u00a0\u00a0 A comparable phrase is “coim na h\u00f3iche<\/strong>” (the middle of the night, lit. the “waist” of the night).<\/p>\n

As for the pronunciation of this basically simple word, just a reminder that it isn’t pronounced like the English word “log” (as in wood cut from a tree), and it has nothing to do with such logs, any more than other chance lookalikes in two different languages are connected.\u00a0 \u00a0As an example of “chance lookalikes,” most learners of Irish quickly realize the Irish word “fear<\/strong>” has nothing to do with English “fear” and “fir<\/strong>” has nothing to do with English “fir.” \u00a0Nor do the Irish words “fear<\/strong>” and “fir<\/strong>” sound like the English words “fear” or “fir.” \u00a0These pairs of words just happen to be spelled the same.<\/p>\n

There are various ways to describe the sound of the Irish short “o” including comparisons to German “Gott<\/em>” and Scottish English “hot” (not the widely used “haht” pronunciation), with the implication that the Irish short “o” sound does not have an exact equivalent in “standard English” (whatever standard English is — I doubt there really is one, but sin \u00e1bhar eile<\/strong>). \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Some sources simply equate the Irish short “o” to the short “u” (uh) sound of English words like “son” or “tough,” but I hear a slight difference.\u00a0 \u00a0In fact, I hear a slight difference in the short “o” in the Irish words “sona<\/strong>” and “pota<\/strong>,” but let’s not split hairs here (I’ll happily split them “eile<\/strong>-swhere”).\u00a0 The key thing here is not to let English pronunciation sway you when you see a lookalike word like “log <\/strong>\/ log.”\u00a0 Irish “log<\/strong>” is pronounced closer to English “lug,” but rounder.<\/p>\n

“Log<\/strong>” can also mean “place” in general, though that is usually expressed by “\u00e1it<\/strong>,” or sometimes by “l\u00e1thair<\/strong>.”\u00a0 Some examples where the “log<\/strong>” isn’t necessarily low-lying or depressed (physically) are “log\u00a0 margaidh<\/strong> [MAHR-uh-gee]” (a market-place, which could also be “\u00e1it mhargaidh<\/strong>“) and “log catha<\/strong>” (a battle-site, which could also be “l\u00e1thair chatha<\/strong>“).<\/p>\n

So, getting back to the sway-backs, we say that the horse that has a “log<\/strong>” (depression) in its “droim<\/strong>” (back).\u00a0 The “has” part of that is expressed by “ag<\/strong>” in one of its various forms (aige<\/strong>, at him; aici<\/strong>, at her, for a female horse, etc.).\u00a0 Examples:<\/p>\n

Seo capall a bhfuil log sa droim aige<\/strong>.\u00a0 This is a horse that has a hollow (depressed) space in his back.<\/p>\n

Seo l\u00e1ir a bhfuil log sa droim aici<\/strong>.\u00a0 This is a mare that has a hollow (depressed) space in her back.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, there are places where such creatures can live out their days in relative comfort, in some cases together with horses who have specifically suffered abuse or neglect, as opposed to becoming sway-backed from age.\u00a0 These include the Ryerss Farm for Aged Equines, in Pennsylvania (http:\/\/ryerssfarm.org\/<\/a>, established in 1888 under a slightly different name), the Home of Rest for Old Horses on the Isle of Man (http:\/\/www.iom-horseshome.com\/<\/a>, established 1950), \u00a0and the Irish Horse Welfare Trust (http:\/\/www.ihwt.ie\/site2\/<\/a>, established in 1999)<\/p>\n

It’s interesting to note that if we’re talking about the “small of the back,” at least for humans, the Irish word doesn’t use “log<\/strong>,” but rather “caol<\/strong>” (narrow, narrow part).\u00a0 So we can say “an caoldroim<\/strong>” or “caol an droma.<\/strong>” \u00a0Come to think of it, now I’m curious what a “tr\u00e9idlia<\/strong>” would say if discussing the condition of horse’s back.\u00a0 Would they refer to the “log<\/strong>” or the “caol<\/strong>,” or, perhaps even the “cuas<\/strong>” (a hollow place, but usually more specifically cup-shaped)?\u00a0 Would they simply say the “lord\u00f3is<\/strong>” (lordosis) was mild or extreme?\u00a0 I’m not sure exactly what one would say i mB\u00e9arla<\/strong> for that matter.\u00a0 Does a horse has a “small of his\/her back” or is some other term used?\u00a0 \u00a0Marcach n\u00f3 banmharcach n\u00f3 eacha\u00ed n\u00f3 eachlach n\u00f3 baneachlach n\u00f3 eachmharcach n\u00f3 tr\u00e9idlia ar bith ar an liosta<\/strong>?<\/p>\n

The actual medical term “lordosis” is based on the Greek “lordos<\/em>” (curving forward). \u00a0It’s also used regarding humans, and, we may as well include, for good measure, that it’s used for the mating posture of female rats.\u00a0 Which I’ve been champing at the bit to know for years –not!<\/p>\n

I’m a bit puzzled by not finding a succinct, literally one-word, word for “a sway-backed horse” in Irish, \u00a0since the language is typically so rich in that type of vocabulary.\u00a0 I’ve looked for all sorts of possibilities, based on “log<\/strong>” and even “cuas<\/strong>,” with a variety of endings, but to no avail.\u00a0 If anyone on the list knows of such a word, I’m sure many readers would be interested.\u00a0 Please send it in in the comments!<\/p>\n

As for the ordinary Irish word for “sway,” as a noun, it’s “svae<\/strong>.”\u00a0 Not very widely used, IMThF, but like all words, it has its “am<\/strong>” agus “\u00e1it<\/strong>.”\u00a0 “Svae<\/strong>” usually has the connotation of “victory” (“bua<\/strong>“) and could be used in a sentence like “Thug \u00e1r bhfoireann an svae leo<\/strong>” (Our team carried the day, lit. Our team took the sway\/victory with them). \u00a0\u00a0The word “svae<\/strong>” is not used for expressions like “swaying back and forth” or “to sway him from his course \/ direction,” fad m’eolais, ar a laghad<\/strong>.\u00a0 Those would be “luascadh anonn is anall<\/strong>” (lit. swinging back and forth) and “\u00e9 a chur d\u00e1 (de + a) threoir<\/strong>” (putting him from his direction) respectively. \u00a0The latter phrase can be modified for gender and number:\u00a0\u00ed a chur d\u00e1 treoir, iad a chur d\u00e1 dtreoir, srl.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hmm, this blog has reminded me that I never did get around to writing about donkey sanctuaries in Ireland, as I mentioned many blogs ago, and perhaps that would provide an opportunity to discuss asail, l\u00e1racha asail,<\/strong> and mi\u00faileanna<\/strong> in general as well.\u00a0 And perhaps to answer the question, do hinnies hinny?\u00a0 None of the more extreme urbandictionary.com hinnies intended here, by the way, only the ones related to feirmeoireacht ainmhithe<\/strong> (animal husbandry). \u00a0\u00a0On that note, sl\u00e1n go f\u00f3ill, R\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/strong><\/p>\n

PS (13 Me\u00e1n F\u00f3mhair 2016)<\/strong>: Looking into this further, I see there is a congenital condition in lambs which may be referred to as “swayback” in English, but it’s really quite different from what happens to aged equines. \u00a0The Irish for it is “galar an d\u00edod\u00e1in<\/strong>,” which can also be translated as “giddiness” or “megrim.” \u00a0However, what I read about “swayback” in lambs sounds more like a type of paralysis than what I would consider “giddiness” as such. \u00a0Not that I’m a, ermm, *uaineola\u00ed <\/strong>(?) n\u00f3 *caoireola\u00ed <\/strong>(?), two possiblilities for “ovinologist”. \u00a0Any thoughts from readers on why “swayback” is used for these two different situations? \u00a0Or what the condition of the lambs actually looks like? \u00a0It seems very sad from what I’ve read about it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(le R\u00f3isl\u00edn) In the last blog, we looked at terms for various types of horses (stail, l\u00e1ir, bromach, cliob\u00f3g, searrach, srl.) and at different ways to describe them, including the Irish for “sway-backed horse” (capall a bhfuil log sa droim aige \/ aici).\u00a0 The word “log” in that phrase actually has many other interesting applications…<\/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":[3898],"tags":[229761,229764,96548,229757,33010,211628,460856,460854,4292,229737,229774,229776,229777,229689,229763,460851,4581,460864,460865,460867,460852,460875,460870,229801,211629,211630,359293,460855,460857,460874,460868,229769,229766,229767,96547,229755,229779,111686,229770,229736,229760,460861,5922,460860,229749,460866,229748,289935,460853,460862,2294,460863,229758,229759,229762,11,229778,460859,229698,229756,229735,460871,460872,229772,229771,229747,229765,460873,460869,229768,229775,460858,10764,229773],"class_list":["post-3087","post","type-post","status-publish","hentry","category-irish-language","tag-aged-equines","tag-aici","tag-ait","tag-asail","tag-asal","tag-back","tag-baneachlach","tag-banmharcach","tag-battle","tag-bromach","tag-bua","tag-caol","tag-caoldroim","tag-capall","tag-capall-a-bhfuil-log-sa-droim-aige","tag-carry-the-day","tag-cath","tag-catha","tag-cliobog","tag-cruanach","tag-cuas","tag-cuasach","tag-daingean","tag-donkey","tag-droim","tag-droma","tag-eachai","tag-eachlach","tag-eachmharcach","tag-folamh","tag-hard","tag-hinnies","tag-hinny","tag-hinnying","tag-hollow","tag-hollow-place","tag-hollowback","tag-horse","tag-irish-horse-welfare-trust","tag-lair","tag-laracha","tag-lathair","tag-log","tag-lookalike","tag-lordois","tag-lordos","tag-lordosis","tag-luascadh","tag-marcach","tag-margaidh","tag-market","tag-mhargaidh","tag-miuil","tag-miuileanna","tag-old-horses","tag-pronunciation","tag-saddleback","tag-sanctualry","tag-searrach","tag-solid","tag-stail","tag-strong","tag-substantial","tag-svae","tag-sway","tag-sway-back","tag-sway-backed-horse","tag-tathagach","tag-theater-pit","tag-to-hinny","tag-to-sway","tag-treidlia","tag-treoir","tag-victory"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3087","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=3087"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3087\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8386,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3087\/revisions\/8386"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3087"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3087"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3087"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}