{"id":5093,"date":"2014-03-22T17:25:02","date_gmt":"2014-03-22T17:25:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/?p=5093"},"modified":"2016-03-03T16:17:04","modified_gmt":"2016-03-03T16:17:04","slug":"an-tearrach-the-spring-20-marta-2014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/an-tearrach-the-spring-20-marta-2014\/","title":{"rendered":"An tEarrach (The Spring): 20 M\u00e1rta 2014"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\"Pl\u00fair\u00edn\u00ed<\/a>

Pl\u00fair\u00edn\u00ed Sneachta — R\u00e9amhtheachtair\u00ed an Earraigh (nasc th\u00edos)<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

By all accounts now, Spring has finally sprung, on March 20th for this year. \u00a0At least astronomically. \u00a0Maybe in the next blog we’ll look at two other traditional dates for “Spring”– February 1st and March 1st. \u00a0All three calendar systems have their validity.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, how do we say “Spring” in Irish?\u00a0 And just “le haghaidh an chraic<\/b>” we’ll also look at the verb “spring, sprang, sprung,” in Irish, although, of course, the “spring\/sprung” word play doesn’t carry over from English into Irish.\u00a0 Puns rarely do!<\/p>\n

Let’s start with “Spring” itself, as a season of the year.\u00a0 Here are its forms and a few sample phrases and related words (I know you’re chomping\/champing at the bit for “to vernalize,” right?):<\/p>\n

earrach<\/b> [AR-ukh], spring (the season), occasionally this also means “work typically done in springtime” (like planting seeds)<\/p>\n

an t-earrach<\/b> (if lower case) OR “An tEarrach<\/b>” if using “ceannlitreacha<\/b>” as in a title, etc.; the spring, The Spring<\/p>\n

earraigh<\/b> [AR-ee], of spring; l\u00e1 earraigh<\/b>, a spring day (lit. a day of spring)<\/p>\n

an earraigh<\/b> [un YAR-ee], of the spring; teacht an earraigh<\/b>, the coming of (the) spring<\/p>\n

The word “earrach<\/b>” is probably not used all that often in the plural, but it can be:<\/p>\n

earraigh<\/b>, springs (as seasons)<\/p>\n

na hearraigh<\/b>, the springs<\/p>\n

earrach<\/b>, of the springs<\/p>\n

na n-earrach<\/b>, of the springs<\/p>\n

We’re quite likely to encounter the word “earrach<\/b>” in phrases like these though:<\/p>\n

san earrach<\/b>, in the spring<\/p>\n

i rith an earraigh<\/b>, during the spring<\/p>\n

tar \u00e9is an earraigh<\/b> OR i ndiaidh an earraigh<\/b>, after the spring<\/p>\n

And finally, not so much on the beaten track:<\/p>\n

earrach\u00fa<\/b>, to vernalize; this can also mean “vernalization”<\/p>\n

earrach\u00fail<\/b>, vernal or springlike<\/p>\n

c\u00f3nocht an earraigh<\/b>, vernal equinox, lit. the equinox of the spring<\/p>\n

sciolla earraigh<\/b>, vernal squill (spring squill), which happens to be “Planda an Chontae<\/b>” for “Contae an D\u00fain<\/b>.”\u00a0 Now that does open up a lot more future blog topics — county flowers — although so far I’ve only seen them for Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n

So that takes care of the basics for “Spring” as a season.\u00a0 What about “spring, sprang, sprung”?\u00a0 In English, there is a distant relationship in meaning, because “Spring” is the time of year when plants “spring forth” from the ground.\u00a0 The same process, though opposite direction, is true for “Fall,” as typically said in America, when leaves “fall” to the ground.\u00a0 In British and Irish English, one would more likely hear “autumn,” which is from a completely different root.<\/span><\/p>\n

Irish has several words to indicate a “springing” action:<\/p>\n

1) Preabann s\u00e9<\/b>, he springs (or “hops,” “bounces,” “twitches,”), etc.<\/p>\n

Phreab s\u00e9<\/b>, he sprang, etc.<\/p>\n

The past participle is “preabtha<\/b>.”\u00a0 In theory, we’d use “preabtha<\/strong>” for “has sprung” (as well as “has hopped,” etc.) but it doesn’t seem all that practical or widespread in this form.\u00a0 One place we would<\/em> be likely to see “preabtha<\/b>” would be “cluiche preabtha<\/b>” (a bouncing game), but there it really means “a game of bouncing” not “having bounced.”<\/p>\n

2) B\u00edogann s\u00e9<\/b>, he springs (or “starts,” “jumps,” “twitches,” etc.)<\/p>\n

Bh\u00edog s\u00e9<\/b>, he sprang<\/p>\n

Past participle: b\u00edogtha<\/b><\/p>\n

3) Lingeann s\u00e9<\/b> – he springs or leaps (or “jumps at,” “attacks,” etc.; not that widely used, in my experience)<\/p>\n

Ling s\u00e9<\/b>, he sprang, etc.<\/p>\n

Past participle: lingthe<\/b><\/p>\n

So, in Irish, if we want to get really “antrapamorfach<\/b>,” we might say:<\/p>\n

T\u00e1 bl\u00e1thanna an earraigh preabtha \/ b\u00edogtha \/ lingthe<\/b>.\u00a0 But this would probably be interpreted as the flowers had been leaping, twitching, or jumping out at people (Audrey, S\u00f3isearach, b’fh\u00e9idir?\u00a0 C\u00e9rbh \u00ed?\u00a0 An hibrid de leith uisce agus de chuilghaiste V\u00e9ineas i, hmm, c\u00e9n scann\u00e1n?\u00a0 Freagra th\u00edos<\/b>)<\/p>\n

And what if we’re really talking about plants springing up from the ground? \u00a0Well, hope does spring eternal, and there certainly are phrases for “springing forth,” but to speak from experience, I’ve never heard them applied to “Spring” as a season.\u00a0 Typical examples, actually referring to plants, would include:<\/p>\n

4) Eascra\u00edonn an planda<\/b>, the plant springs, shoots, sprouts, etc.<\/p>\n

5) Gobann an planda<\/b>, the plant springs, shoots, sprouts, etc. (emphasizing that it is breaking through the surface of the soil, or perhaps, in the case of “pl\u00fair\u00edn\u00ed sneachta<\/b>,” breaking through the “sneachta<\/b>“).<\/p>\n

At any rate, one thing is clear from all of this.\u00a0 While the English phrase “Spring has sprung” has a pleasant, if pithy, poetic touch, it doesn’t work very well to try to translate it literally.\u00a0 And even if we did, the alliteration would most likely be lost because “Earrach<\/b>” and “b\u00edog \/ ling \/ preab \/ gob<\/b>” all come from different roots.\u00a0 “Earrach<\/b>” and “eascair<\/b>” would be a little alliterative, but, not, I think, as effectively as in the “sprung Spring” phrase.\u00a0 “D’eascair an tEarrach<\/b>“? N\u00f3 “T\u00e1 an tEarrach eascartha”<\/b>?\u00a0 Well, maybe, but not exactly ringing any bells, “blue-,” “hare-,” “Canterbury” or otherwise. \u00a0(Cad iad seo?\u00a0 F\u00e9ach na haistri\u00fach\u00e1in th\u00edos<\/b>).<\/p>\n

But even if we’re left alliterationless (whoever thought that was a word!), we’ve had a good workout with “earrach, an t-earrach, an tEarrach, an earraigh, srl.<\/b>” and five different verbs to indicate a springing motion (there are more, never fear!).\u00a0 T\u00e1 s\u00fail agam go bhfuil aimsir dheas earraigh agat san \u00e1it ina bhfuil t\u00fa. SGF – R\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/b><\/p>\n

Freagra: Siopa Beag na nUaf\u00e1s<\/b> (or maybe “B\u00faitic\u00edn na nUaf\u00e1s<\/b>“), not that I’ve seen a cybertrail for either translation online.\u00a0 You will<\/i> find the movie under the more mainstream foreign language names though, including the perhaps-more-recognizable: La Petite boutique des horreurs, La peque\u00f1a tienda de los horrores\u00a0(La tiendita del horror)<\/i>, Kleiner Laden voller Schrecken,<\/i> or even, less “mainstreamly,” Izugarrikerien Denda Txikia<\/i>,<\/p>\n

Aistri\u00fach\u00e1in<\/b>: Wouldn’t you know it?\u00a0 Some of the most typical flowers called “bells” in English aren’t called “bells” (cloig \/ cloganna<\/strong> or even cloig\u00edn\u00ed<\/strong>, little bells) as such in Irish.\u00a0 So we have:<\/p>\n

coinnle corra<\/b>, bluebells, wild hyacinth (based on “coinnle<\/b>,” which means “candles,” not “bells”), ah!, but wait there’s more: cloig\u00edn\u00ed gorma<\/b> is<\/i> another name for “bluebells,” a term which I now see has ten (!) taxonomical synonyms.\u00a0 No wonder it’s confusing.\u00a0 And then, of course, there’s “An Cloig\u00edn Gorm<\/b>,” (Bluebell, the Dublin suburb), but why is that named for just one flower?\u00a0 Or is it?\u00a0 Maybe there was once a small blue bell (an actual “clog<\/b>” or bell) of historic significance.\u00a0 Or does the one “cloig\u00edn<\/b>” (flower) symbolize many flowers?\u00a0 An bhfuil a fhios agaibh, a Bhaile \u00c1tha Cliathacha<\/b>?\u00a0 For that matter, I wonder why the various other places in the world named “Bluebell” are singular: Bluebell, Utah (2010 population: 293), the fictional Bluebell in “Hart of Dixie,” and Blue Bell, Pennsylvania. \u00a0\u00c1bhar blag eile<\/strong>?<\/p>\n

m\u00e9arac\u00e1in ghorma<\/b>, harebells (based on “m\u00e9arac\u00e1n<\/b>,” a thimble)<\/p>\n

pl\u00far\u00e1in chloigneacha<\/b>, Canterbury bells (literally “bell-type little flower” or “belled” little flower,” so the “bell” idea is there, just as an adjective); at any rate, the concept is not “Canterburian” in Irish<\/p>\n

Pronunciation tip<\/i>:\u00a0 Although “clog<\/b>” (bell, clock) may look like an English word, that’s a coincidence.\u00a0 The pronunciation is slightly different.\u00a0 The Irish “clog<\/b>” is pronounced more like “clugg” \u00a0(close to English, “to lug” or “to hug), with the short “o” of Irish “pota<\/b>” or “obair<\/b>.” \u00a0\u00a0For the English word “clog,” I’d use “klahgg” as a pronunciation guide, the same whether it’s “clogged drains” or “wooden clogs.” \u00a0In Irish, the vowel sound changes for “cloig\u00edn<\/b>” because of the “i” — it’s more like “KLIGG-een.”<\/p>\n

nasc don phicti\u00far<\/strong>:\u00a0http:\/\/www.clker.com\/clipart-10497.html<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

\u00a0(le R\u00f3isl\u00edn) By all accounts now, Spring has finally sprung, on March 20th for this year. \u00a0At least astronomically. \u00a0Maybe in the next blog we’ll look at two other traditional dates for “Spring”– February 1st and March 1st. \u00a0All three calendar systems have their validity. Meanwhile, how do we say “Spring” in Irish?\u00a0 And just…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":5095,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3898],"tags":[315887,411210,316065,315881,12030,411209,411215,411216,315872,411207,411208,315886,315882,411225,315873,411229,411213,315884,411242,315870,411232,411227,229579,173041,411233,411243,411212,411219,411236,5000,5034,315903,5035,254972,411221,411220,411214,5104,11201,290023,390612,411217,5419,315871,315877,315869,376503,411234,411241,13360,411205,411240,5802,406623,411211,411224,315880,411230,411231,315878,315879,96521,411238,411237,193008,6476,411218,411228,411226,411222,411223,8770,6698,6749,315885,6864,6886,315874,1317,315925,315875,411202,315876,411246,230021,411239,411204,218929,7263,315883,165,315924,411245,411244,7318],"class_list":["post-5093","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-irish-language","tag-alliterationless","tag-antrapamorfach","tag-attack","tag-audrey-junior","tag-autumn","tag-bhiog","tag-biog","tag-biogtha","tag-bluebell","tag-bounce","tag-bouncing","tag-buiticin-na-nuafas","tag-butterwort","tag-canterburian","tag-canterbury-bell","tag-chloigneacha","tag-chuilghaiste","tag-clog","tag-cloganna","tag-cloigin","tag-cloigini","tag-cloigneach","tag-cluiche","tag-coinneal","tag-coinnle-corra","tag-conocht","tag-cuilghaiste","tag-deascair","tag-dixie","tag-dublin","tag-earrach","tag-earrachu","tag-earrachuil","tag-earraigh","tag-eascair","tag-eascartha","tag-eascraionn","tag-equinox","tag-fall","tag-ghorm","tag-gob","tag-gobann","tag-gorm","tag-harebell","tag-hearraigh","tag-hibrid","tag-hop","tag-hyacinth","tag-izugarrikerien-denda-txikia","tag-jump","tag-jump-at","tag-kleiner-laden-voller-schrecken","tag-la","tag-leap","tag-lingeann","tag-lingthe","tag-little-shop-of-horrors","tag-mearacain","tag-mearacan","tag-n-earrach","tag-nearrach","tag-pennsylvania","tag-pequena-tienda-de-los-horrores","tag-petite-boutique-des-horreurs","tag-planda","tag-plant","tag-pluirin","tag-plurain","tag-pluran","tag-preab","tag-preabtha","tag-pun","tag-scannan","tag-season","tag-siopa-beag-na-nuafas","tag-sneachta","tag-soisearach","tag-sprang","tag-spring","tag-springlike","tag-sprung","tag-start","tag-t-earrach","tag-teacht","tag-tearrach","tag-tiendita-del-horror","tag-twitch","tag-utah","tag-veineas","tag-venus-fly-trap","tag-verb","tag-vernal","tag-vernalization","tag-vernalize","tag-wild"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5093","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=5093"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5093\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7698,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5093\/revisions\/7698"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5095"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5093"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5093"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5093"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}