{"id":3959,"date":"2013-04-30T19:15:53","date_gmt":"2013-04-30T19:15:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/?p=3959"},"modified":"2015-02-10T17:43:11","modified_gmt":"2015-02-10T17:43:11","slug":"who-says-irish-doesnt-have-many-cognates-with-english-cuid-a-tript-3-grian-gealach-sol-luan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/who-says-irish-doesnt-have-many-cognates-with-english-cuid-a-tript-3-grian-gealach-sol-luan\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Says Irish Doesn’t Have Many Cognates with English? (Cuid a Tr\u00ed\/Pt. 3: Grian, Gealach, Sol, Luan)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\"\"<\/a>

grian\/gealach<\/p><\/div>\n

Continuing the quest for cognates (naisc th\u00edos)<\/strong>, let’s look at another pair of words, sun and moon, each of which typically has many similar-looking cousins throughout the Indo-European language family.\u00a0 Given that the Irish word for sun is “grian<\/strong>” and the Irish for “moon” is “gealach<\/strong>,” it looks like we have a bit of a puzzle on our hands.<\/p>\n

Typical cognates for the English word “sun” include Latin “sol<\/em>,” Icelandic “s\u00f3l<\/em>” and Sanskrit\/Hindi “surya\/suraj<\/em>.”\u00a0 All of the sun\/zon<\/em>\/Sonne<\/em>-type words are also included in this family, since the original root (*sawel<\/em>) had a variant (*sulno<\/em>-).\u00a0 In some languages the “-l” ending predominated, in other cases, the “-n” ending, and Russian “\u0421\u043e\u043b\u043d\u0446\u0435” (solnce)<\/em> seems to straddle the fence, with both the “l” and the “n.”<\/p>\n

For “moon,” there are two main roots found in the Indo-European family.\u00a0 One is *m\u0113nes<\/em>-, which also gives us the word “month.”\u00a0 From *m\u0113nes<\/em>-, we get English “moon,”\u00a0 German “Mond<\/em>,” Danish “m\u00e5ne<\/em>” (maane), \u00a0and Lithuanian “m\u0117nulis<\/em>.”\u00a0 The other major root for “moon” in Indo-European is *leuksn\u0101<\/em>-, which gives us Latin “luna<\/em>” and Russian \u041b\u0443\u043d\u0430 (luna)<\/em>, and many words in between, such as French “lune<\/em>,” Welsh “lleuad<\/em>,” and Romanian “lun\u0103<\/em>,” as well as various words for light (lux, luz, luce, lumi\u00e8re, Licht<\/em>).<\/p>\n

While it’s likely that no one will ever be able to say exactly why the Irish words “grian<\/strong>” and “gealach<\/strong>” don’t fit this pattern, we can say that they both have interesting origins and “relatives” within the Celtic and Indo-European language families.<\/p>\n

Let’s look first at “grian<\/strong>” (sun).\u00a0\u00a0 It is related to various words for “heat,” including the Modern Irish word “gor<\/strong>,” whose meanings range from “incubation” or “broodiness” in hens (a bheith ar gor<\/strong>) to “inflammation” (gor i gcne\u00e1<\/strong>, pus in a wound); cf. also “gorlann<\/strong>” (a hatchery) and “gora\u00ed<\/strong>” (a hatching hen or a brooding impatient person).\u00a0\u00a0 Also coming from the same Indo-European root (*gw<\/sup>her<\/em>-) are English “warm” and “furnace,” Greek “thermos<\/em>,” and Sanskrit “gharma<\/em>-.”<\/p>\n

So much for the history of the word “grian<\/strong>” (nutshell version, of course).\u00a0 What are its basic forms and how do we use them?\u00a0 Seo iad<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

an ghrian<\/strong>, the sun (“g” becomes “gh” because “grian<\/strong>” is feminine — unlike most words for “sun” in languages that have grammatical gender); T\u00e1 an ghrian ag soilsi\u00fa<\/strong>.\u00a0 The sun is shining.<\/p>\n

gr\u00e9ine<\/strong>, of sun; na gr\u00e9ine<\/strong>, of the sun (l\u00e1 gr\u00e9ine<\/strong>, a sunny day; lu\u00ed na gr\u00e9ine<\/strong>, the setting of the sun)<\/p>\n

grianta<\/strong>, suns.\u00a0 “An bhfeiceann t\u00fa grianta Tatooine<\/strong>?”\u00a0 Do you see the suns of Tatooine? \u00a0In contrast, to say, “Tatooine has two suns,” we go back to the singular form, as is standard with counting things in Irish, “T\u00e1 dh\u00e1 ghrian ag Tatooine<\/strong>.”<\/p>\n

na ngrianta<\/strong>, of the suns.\u00a0 “T\u00e1 teas na ngrianta sin an-te<\/strong>.” \u00a0(The heat of those suns is very hot), another one for m\u00f3id\u00edn\u00ed ficsean eola\u00edoch<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

btw, “grianta<\/strong>” can also mean “having been solarized,” as in photography (probably no longer relevant in this digital age, but remember, “photograph” in Irish remains “grianghraf<\/strong>,” lit. “sun-graph).<\/p>\n

As for “moon,” the Irish word “gealach<\/strong>” is related to “geal<\/strong>,” bright, not very far afield at all.\u00a0 “Geal<\/strong>” in and of itself also has cousins in other languages, although the meaning has definitely taken a twist (not at all uncommon when unraveling word histories).\u00a0 “Geal<\/strong>” is related historically to various words for “yellow” in different Indo-European languages, including German “gelb<\/em>,” Italian “giallo<\/em>,” and Latin “galbinus<\/em>.” \u00a0It is not at all related to the usual Irish word for “yellow,” which is “bu\u00ed<\/strong>.”<\/p>\n

Here are the forms for “gealach<\/strong>“:<\/p>\n

an ghealach<\/strong>, the moon (“g” to “gh” because it’s feminine).\u00a0 An bhfeiceann t\u00fa an ghealach<\/strong>?\u00a0 Do you see the moon?<\/p>\n

geala\u00ed<\/strong>, of moon; na geala\u00ed, <\/strong>of the moon; t\u00fas geala\u00ed<\/strong>, first phase of [the] moon; solas na geala\u00ed<\/strong>, the light of the moon<\/p>\n

gealacha<\/strong>, moons.\u00a0 \u00a0T\u00e1 gealacha go leor ag I\u00fapatar<\/strong>.\u00a0 Jupiter has plenty of moons.<\/p>\n

na ngealach<\/strong>, of the moons.\u00a0 T\u00e1 na heachtardhomhandaigh ag caint faoi chuma na ngealach<\/strong> (The extraterrestrials are talking about the appearance of the moons).<\/p>\n

From these examples, we can see that a seemingly anomalous word like “grian<\/strong>” may not be part of the typical Indo-European pattern for “sun,” as such (“sol<\/em>,” etc.), but it does have “kin” within Irish (gor<\/strong>, et al.) and in other languages, as noted above.\u00a0 Likewise, “gealach<\/strong>” is not part of the *m\u0113nes<\/em>– or \u00a0*leuksn\u0101<\/em>– families, which give us “moon” and “luna,” but it does have “relatives,” in “geal<\/strong>” and more distantly, in words like “yellow,” “gelb<\/em>,” and “giallo<\/em>.”<\/p>\n

But if we probe further in Irish, into the realm of less commonly used synonyms and archaic, poetic, or literary vocabulary, lo and behold, we find “sol<\/strong>” and “luan<\/strong>” in Irish.\u00a0\u00a0 “Sol<\/strong>” is virtually extinct in Modern Irish and I don’t see it listed in any of the current dictionaries, but it appears occasionally in Old Irish and through the 18th and 19th centuries.\u00a0 I wouldn’t recommend using it instead of “grian<\/strong>,” by any means, but it is interesting to see that the *sawel<\/em>-\/*sulno<\/em>– family does have a representative in reasonably recent Irish.\u00a0 I’ve seen conflicting accounts as to whether this is connected to another basic Irish vocabulary word, “solas<\/strong>” (light).\u00a0 It would easily appear to be the case, but some linguists say that the “so<\/strong>” of “solas<\/strong>” is a prefix, with no relation to “sol<\/strong>” as a root.\u00a0 \u00c1bhar blag eile, b’fh\u00e9idir. <\/strong><\/p>\n

As for “luan<\/strong>,” the situation is quite different.\u00a0 \u00a0While “luan<\/strong>” is not the basic word for “moon” (that remains “gealach<\/strong>“), it’s not that uncommon in Modern Irish, most notably in “An Luan<\/strong>” (Monday, i.e. “moon-day).\u00a0 Today, it often means “halo” or “aureole,” and it also shows up in compound words like “luanlus<\/strong>” (moonwort) and “naomhluan<\/strong>” (lit. “saint-moon\/halo”).\u00a0 Just don’t mistake this “luan<\/strong>” for that in “luanghr\u00edsc\u00edn<\/strong>,” which comes from a completely different “luan<\/strong>,” meaning “loin.”\u00a0 So “luanghr\u00edsc\u00edn<\/strong>” means “loin-chop.”<\/p>\n

So there we have it, the basic words for “sun” and “moon” in Irish, a bit about their linguistic background, how they do or don’t fit into the Indo-European picture, and some sample phrases or sentences.\u00a0\u00a0 I guess I should quote Jack Horkheimer again, “Keep looking up!”\u00a0 \u00a0B’fh\u00e9idir go bhfeicfidh t\u00fa dh\u00e1 ghrian Tatooine n\u00f3 gealacha I\u00fapatair.\u00a0 \u00a0SGF, R\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/strong><\/p>\n

Image from\u00a0<a href=”http:\/\/www.DailyClipArt.net”>DailyClipArt.net<\/a><\/p>\n

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

Who Says Irish Doesn\u2019t Have Many Cognates with English? (Cuid a D\u00f3\/Pt. 2: T\u00e9arma\u00ed Gaoil, Focail Ghaolmhara)<\/a> Posted on 27. Apr, 2013 by\u00a0r\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0Irish Language<\/a> (https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/who-says-irish-doesnt-have-many-cognates-with-english-cuid-a-dopt-2-tearmai-gaoil-focail-ghaolmhara\/)<\/p>\n

Ascaill, Axilla, Armpit \u2014 Who Says Irish Doesn\u2019t Have Many Cognates with English? (Cuid a hAon\/Pt. 1)<\/a> Posted on 24. Apr, 2013 by\u00a0r\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0Irish Language<\/a> (https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/ascaill-axilla-armpit-who-says-irish-doesnt-have-many-cognates-with-english\/)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

\u00a0(le R\u00f3isl\u00edn) Continuing the quest for cognates (naisc th\u00edos), let’s look at another pair of words, sun and moon, each of which typically has many similar-looking cousins throughout the Indo-European language family.\u00a0 Given that the Irish word for sun is “grian” and the Irish for “moon” is “gealach,” it looks like we have a bit…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":3960,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3898],"tags":[4719,285990,283519,285439,5444,5447,5636,285646,285067,279662,207475,284340,94610,284056,283867,27752,284492,284706],"class_list":["post-3959","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-irish-language","tag-cognate","tag-eachtardhomhandaigh","tag-gealach","tag-gealacha","tag-grian","tag-grianta","tag-indo-european","tag-jack-horkheimer","tag-jupiter","tag-keep-looking-up","tag-luan","tag-luanlus","tag-moon","tag-naomhluan","tag-sol","tag-sun","tag-tatooine","tag-two-moons"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3959","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=3959"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3959\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6307,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3959\/revisions\/6307"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3960"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3959"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3959"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3959"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}