{"id":572,"date":"2010-12-25T11:07:53","date_gmt":"2010-12-25T11:07:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/?p=572"},"modified":"2018-12-11T17:08:25","modified_gmt":"2018-12-11T17:08:25","slug":"dha-la-dheag-na-nollag-the-twelve-days-of-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/dha-la-dheag-na-nollag-the-twelve-days-of-christmas\/","title":{"rendered":"Dh\u00e1 L\u00e1 Dh\u00e9ag na Nollag (The Twelve Days of Christmas)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

For the next few (six really) blogs, I thought I\u2019d check out the gifts mentioned sa char\u00fal Nollag<\/strong>, \u201cThe Twelve Days of Christmas.\u201d\u00a0 There are so many gifts, we\u2019ll do two per blog and see if that ends up on the actual 12th<\/sup> day of Christmas.<\/p>\n

Be warned, there are at least four ways to say \u201cturtle-dove\u201d in Irish, none of which are based on the ordinary word for \u201cdove,\u201d which is \u201ccolm<\/strong>.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 And there are at least three ways to say \u201cpartridge.\u201d\u00a0 An bhfuil t\u00fa r\u00e9idh<\/strong>?<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s first look briefly at the more recognizable word, \u201ccolm<\/strong>,\u201d before moving on to the \u201cdove\u201d of \u201cturtle-dove.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cColm<\/strong>\u201d is a nice cognate of the Latin \u201ccolumba<\/em>\u201d (dove), giving us a whole slew of related words and place names in English (columbarium, Colombia, District of Columbia, etc.).\u00a0 You might recognize the Irish \u201ccolm<\/strong>\u201d from the name of an Irish saint, Colm Cille<\/strong> (aka Columbkille), where it means \u201cdove of the \u201ccill<\/strong>\u201d (church, monastic cell).\u00a0 Gleann Cholm Cille<\/strong>, in Co. Donegal, is named after him (and is also the home of the top-notch Irish language summer program for adults, Oideas Gael).\u00a0 \u201cColm<\/strong>\u201d is the basis of the name \u201cColm\u00e1n<\/strong>,\u201d which means \u201clittle dove\u201d (or, less appealingly, little pigeon).\u00a0 There is another way to say \u201clittle dove\u201d in Irish, \u201ccoilm\u00edn<\/strong>,\u201d which, delightfully, gives us the Irish equivalent for \u201cmare\u2019s nest.\u201d<\/p>\n

Please note, that I do say \u201cequivalent,\u201d not \u201ctranslation,\u201d for \u201cmare\u2019s nest,\u201d since the Irish expression has nothing to do with mares.\u00a0 Not that mares have nests anyway, which is the point.\u00a0 The Irish for a \u201cmare\u2019s nest\u201d is \u201cnead coilm\u00edn aille<\/strong>\u201d (nest of a rock dove).\u00a0 Now a \u201ccoilm\u00edn aille<\/strong>\u201d is a little rock dove, which is, at least, a bird, so the Irish phrase \u201cnead coilm\u00edn aille<\/strong>\u201d might not seem as fantastical as the idea of a \u201cmare\u2019s nest.\u201d \u00a0But we must remember that the rock dove\u2019s nest is notoriously flimsy.\u00a0 Rock doves mostly nest in cliff faces and rock ledges, or the urban equivalent, high-rise buildings with convenient ledges and crevices, so the underlying structure really provides much of the support for the \u201cnead<\/strong>.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0.<\/p>\n

By the way, this is only one way to say \u201cmare\u2019s nest\u201d in Irish.\u00a0 The other actually involves the word for a \u201cgelding,\u201d not a \u201cmare\u201d per se.\u00a0 More on that i mblag \u00e9igin eile<\/strong>, about ten blogs down the line, since we\u2019re still working on \u201cDh\u00e1 L\u00e1 Dh\u00e9ag na Nollag<\/strong>.\u201d\u00a0 Anyway, I didn\u2019t really expect I\u2019d be talking about mares\u2019 nests in a Christmas blog, but that\u2019s the joys (and quagmires) of focleola\u00edocht<\/strong> for you.<\/p>\n

So, to get back to that car\u00fal Nollag<\/strong>!\u00a0 Curiously, the word \u201ccolm<\/strong>\u201d is not part of the word for \u201cturtle-dove\u201d in Irish. \u00a0Nor, as one might come to expect, is \u201cturtar<\/strong>,\u201d the Irish for \u201cturtle.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0The Irish names for Streptopelia turtur<\/em> are based on the word \u201cf\u00e9ar\u00e1n<\/strong> or its variant \u201cfear\u00e1n<\/strong>.\u201d\u00a0 Turtle-doves can be called \u201cf\u00e9ar\u00e1n breac<\/strong>\u201d (speckled f\u00e9ar\u00e1n<\/strong>), fear\u00e1n Eorpach<\/strong> (European fear\u00e1n<\/strong>) or simply f\u00e9ar\u00e1n<\/strong> or fear\u00e1n<\/strong>.\u00a0 The last choice is favored by An B\u00edobla Naofa<\/em><\/strong>, which gives us the phrase, \u201cT\u00e1 an fear\u00e1n ag durd\u00e1il amuigh<\/strong>\u201d in \u201cLaoi na Laoithe<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

And why was it called a \u201cturtle-dove\u201d anyway? \u00a0Because of its cooing sound, like \u201cturr-turr,\u201d which also shows up in the name in French, \u201ctourterelle des bois<\/em>,\u201d and in Latin (and Welsh), \u201cturtur<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 The sound is onomatopoeically recreated in one of the Irish words for \u201ccooing,\u201d which is \u201cag durd\u00e1il<\/strong>.\u201d\u00a0 You can hear the sound at http:\/\/www.garden-birds.co.uk\/birds\/turtle_dove.htm<\/a><\/p>\n

Since we have two of these turtle-doves in the song, we need to complete the phrase:<\/p>\n

dh\u00e1 fh\u00e9ar\u00e1n<\/strong> OR dh\u00e1 fhear\u00e1n<\/strong> OR dh\u00e1 fhear\u00e1n bhreaca<\/strong> OR dh\u00e1 fhear\u00e1n Eorpacha<\/strong> (or dh\u00e1 fh\u00e9ar\u00e1n<\/strong>, etc.)<\/p>\n

Sin an l\u00edne sin!<\/strong><\/p>\n

As for the partridge in a pear tree — piece o\u2019 cake, except possibly for which word to use for \u201cpartridge.\u201d\u00a0 Most common is \u201cpatraisc<\/strong>,\u201d which, like the English also, is closely connected to the Latin, perd\u012bx\u00a0 <\/em>This Irish word has a couple of variant spellings, like \u201cpaitrisc\u201d<\/strong> and \u201cpaitriosc<\/strong>.\u201d\u00a0 Some completely different phrases for \u201cpartridge\u201d are \u201ccearc ghearr<\/strong>\u201d (lit. short hen), \u201cgeirrchearc<\/strong>\u201d (also lit. short hen), and \u201ccearc choille<\/strong>\u201d (lit. hen of woods).\u00a0 The latter can also mean \u201cpheasant,\u201d especially in Cois Fharraige, introducing a note of non-Linnaean folk-taxonomical ambiguity.\u00a0 So, for convenience\u2019s sake and clarity, I\u2019d opt for \u201cpatraisc<\/strong>\u201d for translating the Christmas carol.\u00a0 .<\/p>\n

The pear-tree part is pretty straightforward, \u201ci gcrann piorra\u00ed<\/strong>\u201d (lit. in a tree of pears).\u00a0 This is also a classic example of ur\u00fa<\/strong> (eclipsis), following the word \u201ci<\/strong>\u201d (in).\u00a0 Just like you would do in the phrases \u201ci gCorcaigh<\/strong>\u201d or \u201ci gCeanada<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why, you might ask, did I do the turtledoves before the partridge?\u00a0 N\u00edl a fhios agam<\/strong>.\u00a0 I don\u2019t really know.\u00a0 Maybe for the same reason I tend to look at the end of a book before the beginning.\u00a0 Not to actually read the last page, mind you \u2013 I would never knowingly inflict spoilers on myself.\u00a0 Just to check if there are any enticing glossaries, colophons, or other interesting bits of \u201cend matter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sl\u00e1n go f\u00f3ill —\u00a0R\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/strong><\/p>\n

P.S. As for the forms of the phrase \u201can Nollaig<\/strong>\u201d in this song, there are two approaches one could take for translating \u201cof Christmas.\u201d\u00a0 One method uses an tuiseal ginideach<\/strong>, with the word \u201can<\/strong>\u201d switching to \u201cna<\/strong>,\u201d dh\u00e1 l\u00e1 dh\u00e9ag na Nollag<\/strong> (note that the \u201ci\u201d has disappeared from the second syllable of “Nollaig<\/strong>” to create the genitive).\u00a0 The other uses the preposition \u201cde<\/strong>\u201d (of) and keeps the basic form of \u201cNollaig\u201d<\/strong> (with the letter \u201ci\u201d).\u00a0 \u201cDe<\/strong>\u201d would get the ending \u201c-n,\u201d giving us \u201cdh\u00e1 l\u00e1 dh\u00e9ag den Nollaig<\/strong>,\u201d since we\u2019re essentially saying \u201cof the Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gluais: aill<\/strong>, cliff, but here used for \u201crock,\u201d which is usually \u201ccarraig,<\/strong>\u201d or sometimes \u201ccloch<\/strong>;\u201d focleola\u00edocht<\/strong>, philology; r\u00e9idh<\/strong>, ready<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(le R\u00f3isl\u00edn)\u00a0 For the next few (six really) blogs, I thought I\u2019d check out the gifts mentioned sa char\u00fal Nollag, \u201cThe Twelve Days of Christmas.\u201d\u00a0 There are so many gifts, we\u2019ll do two per blog and see if that ends up on the actual 12th day of Christmas. Be warned, there are at least four…<\/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":[96397,4017,376517,359226,376749,4608,390719,513758,43,306190,390722,306138,4700,513740,306119,306160,306131,4813,513743,306241,96585,365357,359130,306122,306252,513747,8303,306215,513753,513754,293308,390720,513759,513744,513757,5366,5373,5382,513749,513750,513742,229730,229753,6199,513741,6274,513739,513756,513755,272950,306255,474729,513738,474728,2476,489862,513745,303059,513752,7183,7206,513751,513746,390723],"class_list":["post-572","post","type-post","status-publish","hentry","category-irish-language","tag-uru","tag-aille","tag-breac","tag-carraig","tag-carul","tag-cearc","tag-charul","tag-choille","tag-christmas","tag-cill","tag-cille","tag-cliff","tag-cloch","tag-coilmin","tag-colm","tag-colman","tag-columba","tag-crann","tag-crevice","tag-den-nollaig","tag-dha","tag-dha-la-dheag","tag-donegal","tag-dove","tag-durdail","tag-eorpach","tag-european","tag-fearan","tag-fhearan","tag-fhearan-cooing","tag-gave","tag-gcarul","tag-geirrchearc","tag-gelding","tag-ghearr","tag-gift","tag-ginideach","tag-gleann","tag-laoi","tag-laoithe","tag-ledge","tag-mare","tag-mares-nest","tag-na-nollag","tag-nead","tag-nollaig","tag-oideas-gael","tag-paitriosc","tag-paitrisc","tag-partridge","tag-patraisc","tag-pear","tag-pheasant","tag-piorra","tag-rock","tag-speckled","tag-streptopelia","tag-taxonomy","tag-tourterelle","tag-tree","tag-tuiseal","tag-turr-turr","tag-turtur","tag-twelve-days"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/572","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=572"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/572\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10942,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/572\/revisions\/10942"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=572"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=572"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=572"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}