{"id":4403,"date":"2013-09-11T19:19:56","date_gmt":"2013-09-11T19:19:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/?p=4403"},"modified":"2020-03-08T23:48:49","modified_gmt":"2020-03-08T23:48:49","slug":"ag-caint-faoi-heaney-a-shaol-agus-a-bhas-i-ngaeilge-agus-gluais","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/ag-caint-faoi-heaney-a-shaol-agus-a-bhas-i-ngaeilge-agus-gluais\/","title":{"rendered":"Ag Caint faoi Heaney, a shaol agus a bh\u00e1s (i nGaeilge) agus gluais"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

If you click this link, you’ll find a short bio of Seamus Heaney in Irish (“Seamus Heaney marbh in aois 74,” http:\/\/www.nuacht24.com\/nuacht\/seamus-heaney-marbh-in-aois-74\/<\/a>).\u00a0\u00a0 The writing is quite clear and straightforward, but I thought that some learners on our list might like to have a glossary and some pronunciation tips to go with it, so\u00a0 … here goes.<\/p>\n

1. fuair s\u00e9 b\u00e1s<\/strong>, lit. he got death.\u00a0 This is the most typical way to say in Irish that someone died.\u00a0 There are other ways, some more equivalent to the verb “to die” as such, but in my experience at least, “to get death,” is the most widely used phrase.\u00a0 “Fuair<\/strong>” is from the verb “faigh<\/strong>” [say “fie,” rhyming with “pie” or “eye”], one of the eleven “briathra neamhrialta<\/strong>” (irregular verbs) in Irish.\u00a0 “D’\u00e9ag s\u00e9<\/strong>” (he died) and “bh\u00e1saigh s\u00e9<\/strong>” are more like the English verb, and “sti\u00fag s\u00e9<\/strong>” can be used for animals or to suggest that someone “gave up the ghost.”<\/p>\n

It’s not easy writing about such a sad situation as Heaney’s death and simply looking at grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation, but I hope that doing so helps some readers explore the commentary on Heaney in Irish.<\/p>\n

2. d\u00e1 shaol<\/strong> [daw heel OR daw hayl], of his life.\u00a0 \u00a0Translating “d\u00e1<\/strong>” can be challenging because there are several different words with the same spelling.\u00a0 In the phrase “d\u00e1 shaol<\/strong>,” we have a shortened form of “de + a + shaol<\/strong>.”\u00a0 The “de<\/strong>” (of) and the “a<\/strong>” (his) combine to form “d\u00e1<\/strong>.”\u00a0 Some of the other “d\u00e1<\/strong>” words you may have seen include “d\u00e1<\/strong>” (two) and “d\u00e1<\/strong>” (if).\u00a0 Examples of “d\u00e1<\/strong>” as “two” include “an d\u00e1 rud<\/strong>” (also “an d\u00e1 mhadra<\/strong>,” “an d\u00e1 cheist<\/strong>,” etc.); here “d\u00e1<\/strong>” is a form of “dh\u00e1<\/strong>.” \u00a0Examples of “d\u00e1<\/strong>” as “if” include “D\u00e1 mbeinn i mo dhra\u00edod\u00f3ir, bheinn s\u00e1sta<\/strong>” (if I were a wizard, I would be content, lit. if I would be a wizard, I would be content) and “d\u00e1 mbeadh C\u00e1it anseo, bheinn s\u00e1sta<\/strong>.” \u00a0Hmm, hazy memories there of M\u00edche\u00e1l \u00d3 Siadhail’s Learning Irish<\/em>, the ubiquitous “C\u00e1it<\/strong>,” and the perennial question of whether anyone anywhere is ever “s\u00e1sta<\/strong>” (satisfied).\u00a0 Ach “s\u00e1stacht” agus “s\u00e1samh”<\/strong> (and, for those who remember, “feilm\u00e9ara\u00ed Chonamara”) sin \u00e1bhar blag eile.<\/strong><\/p>\n

3. drochshl\u00e1inte<\/strong> [DROKH-HLAWN-tchuh], bad health.\u00a0 This is a compound word, consisting of the prefix “droch<\/strong>-” (bad) and “sl\u00e1inte<\/strong>” (health).\u00a0 The prefix “droch<\/strong>-” causes lenition, so “sl\u00e1inte<\/strong>” [SLAWN-tchuh] changes to “shl\u00e1inte<\/strong>” [HLAWN-tchuh].\u00a0 “Droch<\/strong>-” can be used in many other compound words, such as “drochbhail<\/strong>” (bad condition or circumstances), droch-cheann<\/strong> (a bad headache, literally “a bad head”), “droch-chro\u00ed<\/strong>” (a bad\/weak heart OR ill-will), and “drochphl\u00e1in\u00e9ad<\/strong>” (an unlucky star, literally, “a bad planet”).\u00a0 Note that when the word following “droch<\/strong>-” begins with a “ch” (as in “droch-cheann<\/strong>“), the hyphen is used, to separate the “chch” combination you’d have otherwise.\u00a0 With other uses, however, the hyphen is no longer used, as in “drochshaol<\/strong>” (hard life\/times, or, if capitalized, “The Famine,” referring to the 1840s), “drochthuar<\/strong> [DROKH-HOO-ur],\u00a0 bad omen, and “drochth\u00e1tal<\/strong> [DROKH-HAW-tul],” which also means “bad omen.”\u00a0 Hmmm, words for “bad omen” in Irish?\u00a0 \u00c1bhar blag eile<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

4. ar na mallaibh<\/strong>\u00a0[erzh nuh MAHL-iv OR erzh nuh MAHL-ee], lately.\u00a0 This is an example of an old ending (-ibh<\/strong>), which has been fossilized in modern Irish.\u00a0 It used to be used regularly for plural nouns in the dative case (i.e. in prepositional phrases), but this was abandoned during the language reform of the 1950s.\u00a0 Presumably this is based on some sort of noun form of “mall<\/strong>” which today, in modern Irish, is usually an adjective, meaning “slow” or “late.”\u00a0 As for “ar<\/strong>,” the preposition meaning “on,” yes, it’s pronounced slender, even though it’s written as if it were broad.\u00a0\u00a0 Hence the “zh” in the transcription.<\/p>\n

Well, that’s just a few “n\u00f3ta\u00ed tr\u00e1chta<\/strong>” about the “alt<\/strong>” (article), but, as they say “i dT\u00e9acsais<\/strong>,” HTH (abbreviatable in Irish as “TSAGgCSSL<\/strong>” but even I have to admit that the Irish isn’t really quite as snappy, sa ch\u00e1s seo<\/strong>).\u00a0 Could I propose a shorter abbreviation, “SGOG” [T\u00e1] S[\u00fail agam] GO G[cuid\u00edonn sin leat]?\u00a0 R\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/strong><\/p>\n

Naisc do bhlagmh\u00edreanna faoi Heaney sa tsraith seo, an bhlagmh\u00edr seo ina measc :<\/strong><\/p>\n

S\u00e9amus \u00d3 h\u00c9ana\u00ed \/ Seamus Heaney (1939-2013)<\/a>Posted by\u00a0r\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/a>\u00a0on Sep 6, 2013 in\u00a0Irish Language<\/a><\/p>\n

Ag Caint faoi Heaney, a shaol agus a bh\u00e1s (i nGaeilge) agus gluais<\/a>Posted by\u00a0r\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/a>\u00a0on Sep 11, 2013 in\u00a0Irish Language<\/a><\/p>\n

Seamus Heaney and the Irish Language (Cuid a hAon as \u2018N\u2019Fheadar\u2019)<\/a>Posted by\u00a0r\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/a>\u00a0on Sep 15, 2013 in\u00a0Irish Language<\/a><\/p>\n

Seamus Heaney and the Irish Language (Cuid a D\u00f3 as Tr\u00ed)<\/a>Posted by\u00a0r\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/a>\u00a0on Sep 19, 2013 in\u00a0Irish Language<\/a><\/p>\n

Seamus Heaney and the Irish Language (Cuid a Tr\u00ed as Tr\u00ed)<\/a> Posted by\u00a0r\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/a>\u00a0on Sep 22, 2013 in\u00a0Irish Language<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(le R\u00f3isl\u00edn) If you click this link, you’ll find a short bio of Seamus Heaney in Irish (“Seamus Heaney marbh in aois 74,” http:\/\/www.nuacht24.com\/nuacht\/seamus-heaney-marbh-in-aois-74\/).\u00a0\u00a0 The writing is quite clear and straightforward, but I thought that some learners on our list might like to have a glossary and some pronunciation tips to go with it, so\u00a0…<\/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":[4282,298413,298412,298352],"class_list":["post-4403","post","type-post","status-publish","hentry","category-irish-language","tag-bas","tag-commentary-in-irish","tag-marbh","tag-seamus-heaney"],"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