{"id":4359,"date":"2013-08-27T19:56:42","date_gmt":"2013-08-27T19:56:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/?p=4359"},"modified":"2013-09-01T00:32:54","modified_gmt":"2013-09-01T00:32:54","slug":"o-tillich-go-henry-bemis-solitude-vs-loneliness-agus-dearcadh-na-gaeilge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/o-tillich-go-henry-bemis-solitude-vs-loneliness-agus-dearcadh-na-gaeilge\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00d3 Tillich go (Henry) Bemis: ‘Solitude’ vs. ‘Loneliness’ agus Dearcadh na Gaeilge"},"content":{"rendered":"

(le\u00a0R\u00f3isl\u00edn)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Uaigneas<\/a>

Uaigneas n\u00f3 Aonaracht?<\/p><\/div>\n

I recently came across the following athfhriotal suimi\u00fail<\/strong> from Paul Tillich, which set me thinking about the Irish parallels for his discussion: “Our language has wisely sensed the two sides of being alone.\u00a0 It has created the word loneliness to express the pain of being alone.\u00a0 And it has created the word solitude to express the glory of being alone.”<\/p>\n

The quote raises a few questions, which I can’t really answer here.\u00a0 First, what does he mean by “our language”?\u00a0 Gearm\u00e1inis<\/strong>?\u00a0 He would have spoken German in his childhood and early adult life.\u00a0 Perhaps also Polainnis<\/strong>, given the locations where he was born and lived as a child (the Province of Brandenberg and Trzci\u0144sko-Zdr\u00f3j, formerly also known as “Bad Schonflie\u00df, in northwestern Poland).<\/p>\n

\"Aonaracht<\/a>

Aonaracht n\u00f3 Uaigneas?<\/p><\/div>\n

Tillich came to America in 1933, to escape Nazi Germany.\u00a0 So does he mean English in this quote?\u00a0 Was he more aware of differentiations in meaning in English because of learning it as a second (or third?) language?<\/p>\n

Or does he mean human language in general?\u00a0 That would open up the question of solitude vs. loneliness quite broadly.\u00a0 What do the approximately 5999 other languages in the word indicate on the subject?But our interest here, of course, is dearcadh na Gaeilge ar an \u00e1bhar<\/strong>.\u00a0 Ideally, this could become a great fieldwork research project, ag cur ceisteanna ar dhaoine faoina mbar\u00falacha<\/strong>.\u00a0 But for this blog, will simply take a gander at the dictionary definitions and see what they can tell us.\u00a0 Underlying that is my own general perception of the issue, which I never really thought of so specifically either for Irish or English before finding the Tillich quote and writing this blog.<\/p>\n

So, the personal tack first.\u00a0 If you asked me, point blank, what words I’d use for “loneliness” and “solitude.”\u00a0 I’d say “uaigneas<\/strong>” for “loneliness” and “aonaracht<\/strong>” for “solitude.”\u00a0 I don’t know if Tillich was trying to suggest that only English, or perhaps only German, made such a fine distinction, but if he was, we certainly find a similar distinction in Irish.\u00a0 It is, like many definitions, though, a bit doil\u00e9ir (neamhshoil\u00e9ir)<\/strong> around the edges.<\/p>\n

Each of these words, “uaigneas<\/strong>” and “aonaracht<\/strong>” has additional layers of meaning, so this is where the dictionaries come in.\u00a0 Of course, a comhchordacht<\/strong> of every bit of Irish every spoken would be even better, but, by its very nature, most spoken language isn’t preserved.\u00a0 Anyway, let’s look at each word in turn:<\/p>\n

uaigneas<\/strong>, loneliness (an t-uaigneas<\/strong>, the loneliness; an uaignis<\/strong>, of the loneliness; \u00a0no plural): this word can also mean “a lonely place” (but more in the abstract than in physical terms), “the state of being alone,” and “the feeling of loneliness.”\u00a0 Oh, and did I mention, it can also mean “solitude,” as in “ag si\u00fal san uaigneas<\/strong>” (walking in solitude.”\u00a0 Related words include “uaigneach<\/strong>” (lonely, lonesome, solitary, secret, haunted, unearthly, eerie, and sometimes “a lonely person”) and “uaigneach\u00e1n<\/strong>” (a hermit or solitary person).<\/p>\n

aonaracht<\/strong>, solitude (an aonaracht<\/strong>, the solitude; na haonarachta<\/strong>, of the solitude; usually no plural although it seems to me it could have one, if we’re thinking of “solitude” as “an isolated place,” as sometimes pertains, i mB\u00e9arla ar a laghad<\/strong>): this word can also mean “singularity” and, lo and behold, it can also mean “loneliness,” although that last meaning is probably not as prevalent for “aonaracht<\/strong>” today, with “uaigneas<\/strong>” usually filling that semantic slot.<\/p>\n

And then there’s also “aonarachas<\/strong>,” also translated as “solitude,” but I’ll leave parsing out that slight difference (or is there any?) for another day.\u00a0 And then there’s “aonar\u00e1nacht<\/strong>” (solitariness), just to add to the mix!\u00a0 “Aonar\u00e1nacht<\/strong>” is based on “aonar<\/strong>” (one person, a lone person).\u00a0 Although it is a noun, it is often used as an adjective, as in “comhrac aonair<\/strong>” (single combat), or in the phrase “ina aonar<\/strong>,” as in “Bh\u00ed s\u00e9 ina aonar<\/strong>” (he was on his own).<\/p>\n

So what is the conclusion, in Tillichian terms?\u00a0 Bhuel, speaking broadly, “uaigneas<\/strong>” has more to do with emotions, and “aonaracht<\/strong>” has more to do with the physical state of being on one’s own.\u00a0 But, like many words, there’s some overlap, and ultimately, cad a riala\u00edonn<\/strong>?\u00a0 Comhth\u00e9acs, comhth\u00e9acs, comhth\u00e9acs<\/strong>!\u00a0 That’s pronounced “KOH-hayks,” by the way, and means, you guessed it, “context.”\u00a0 Is there a different sense of loneliness and solitude in Irish as opposed to other languages? \u00a0Can one be solitary but not lonely?\u00a0 Can one be lonely in a crowd? \u00a0Is Irish any different from English or German, or whatever language(s) Tillich had in mind?\u00a0 I’ve just presented the tip of the iceberg here for this issue, but I hope you feel, as I do, that it’s at least good food for thought.\u00a0 \u00a0Please weigh in on the subject if you have some bar\u00falacha<\/strong> on the matter.<\/p>\n

Agus cad faoi<\/strong> Paul Tillich (1886-1965) \u00e9 f\u00e9in?\u00a0 C\u00e9n s\u00f3rt duine a bh\u00ed ann?\u00a0 Feals\u00fana\u00ed eiseach agus diagaire ab ea \u00e9.\u00a0 Th\u00e1inig s\u00e9 go Meirice\u00e1 i 1933 mar bh\u00ed cuireadh aige a bheith ag teagasc<\/strong> ag<\/strong> Union Theological Seminary i Nua-Eabhrac agus bh\u00ed s\u00e9 deacair d\u00f3 a bheith ag fanacht sa Ghearm\u00e1in.<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are volumes by and on Paul Tillich, far more than we need be concerned with here.\u00a0 But I do note, looking over some of his titles, that they would present a challenge to a translator, especially The Courage To Be<\/em> and The New Being<\/em>.\u00a0 One could take a literal approach, of course, but would such phrases have a good “flow” and sound natural.\u00a0 At any rate, that’s a rainy-if-ever day project, unless a reader wants to undertake it.\u00a0 Or see if any of Tillich’s works have already been translated into Irish.<\/p>\n

As for the final word on “solitude” vs. “loneliness,” I think for that we’ll have to ask Henry Bemis.\u00a0 An cuimhin leat \u00e9?\u00a0 \u00d3<\/strong> The Twilight Zone<\/em>?\u00a0 Eisean an t-aon duine amh\u00e1in a bh\u00ed f\u00e1gtha ar an domhan tar \u00e9is H-bhuama san eipeas\u00f3id,<\/strong> “Time Enough at Last” (http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Time_Enough_at_Last<\/a> or http:\/\/www.tv.com\/shows\/the-twilight-zone\/time-enough-at-last-12592\/<\/a>)\u00a0 Ach, hmmm, t\u00e1 faidhb\u00edn beag againn, nach bhfuil?\u00a0 D\u00e1 mba \u00e9<\/strong> Henry Bemis an t-aon duine amh\u00e1in a bheadh beo sa todhcha\u00ed, n\u00ed bheadh muide (mar dhea) \u00e1balta an cheist a chur air!\u00a0 Agus sin \u00e1bhar machnaimh! SGF, R\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

(le\u00a0R\u00f3isl\u00edn) I recently came across the following athfhriotal suimi\u00fail from Paul Tillich, which set me thinking about the Irish parallels for his discussion: “Our language has wisely sensed the two sides of being alone.\u00a0 It has created the word loneliness to express the pain of being alone.\u00a0 And it has created the word solitude to…<\/p>\n

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