{"id":6086,"date":"2014-12-31T21:27:17","date_gmt":"2014-12-31T21:27:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/?p=6086"},"modified":"2018-01-01T19:59:44","modified_gmt":"2018-01-01T19:59:44","slug":"how-to-say-happy-new-year-in-irish-and-how-to-pronounce-the-consonant-cluster-thbhl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/how-to-say-happy-new-year-in-irish-and-how-to-pronounce-the-consonant-cluster-thbhl\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Say ‘Happy New Year’ in Irish and How to Pronounce the Consonant Cluster “thbhl”"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\"http:\/\/www.publicdomainpictures.net\/view-image.php?image=81027&picture=new-year-clip-art\"<\/a>

http:\/\/www.publicdomainpictures.net\/view-image.php?image=81027&picture=new-year-clip-art<\/a>, by Dawn Hudson<\/p><\/div>\n

Athbhliain faoi sh\u00e9an is faoi mhaise duit<\/strong>.\u00a0 Happy New Year to you.<\/p>\n

Athbhliain faoi sh\u00e9an is faoi mhaise daoibh<\/strong>.\u00a0 Happy New Year to you (plural).<\/p>\n

So how do we pronounce that, what does it literally mean, why are the actual words “happy” and “new” not in the phrase, and where does a consonant cluster like “-thbhl-” come from?<\/p>\n

First, pronunciation:<\/p>\n

athbhliain<\/strong> [AH-VLEE-in], “new year,” lit. “re-year” (i.e. a sort of “renewed year”)<\/p>\n

faoi<\/strong> [fwee] under (here used somewhat abstractly, almost like “full of”)<\/p>\n

sh\u00e9an<\/strong> [hayn, with the “s” silent, rhyming with “bane” or “cane”], lenited form of the noun “s\u00e9an<\/strong>, ” meaning “prosperity” or “happiness. ”\u00a0 Note the difference between this word and the name “Se\u00e1n<\/strong>” and the adjective “sean<\/strong>.”\u00a0 It’s a matter of s\u00ednt\u00ed fada<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

is<\/strong> [iss, with a “hard” s, like “kiss” or “miss”], short for “agus<\/strong>” (and)<\/p>\n

mhaise<\/strong> [WISH-uh], from “maise<\/strong>,” lit. adornment; in the phrase “faoi mhaise<\/strong>,” typically “prosperous” or “flourishing”<\/p>\n

duit<\/strong> [pronounced similarly to English “ditch” but with an initial dental “d” and a slender final “t,” similar to the “t” of “tune” when pronounced like “chune”], to you (to one person); daoibh<\/strong> [deev] to you all (to two or more people)<\/p>\n

Second, what does it literally mean?\u00a0 As you may have pieced together from the words above, “New Year under happiness and prosperity to you!”\u00a0 In other words, “A Happy and Prosperous New Year to you!”<\/p>\n

Third, why are the words “happy” and “new” not actually present in the phrase?\u00a0 Well, I can sort of answer this, but as for why<\/em>\u00a0we say any combination of words or sounds to communicate, there’s usually no specific reason.\u00a0 For example, we know that “book” means “book” in English, we know its plural (books), and some cognates (like German “Buch<\/em>“), and even that it derives from Proto-Germanic “*bokiz<\/em>,” meaning “beech,” because people used to carve letters into beechwood tablets.\u00a0 But why some ancient people decided to say something like “*bokiz<\/em>” for “beech,” we’ll never know.<\/p>\n

For “athbhliain<\/strong>,” let’s start with the “new” factor. \u00a0\u00a0There are, of course, various words for “new” in Irish, typically “nua<\/strong>” and “\u00far<\/strong>.”\u00a0 And I have sometimes seen these used in New Year’s greetings.\u00a0 But in the traditional Irish New Year’s phrase, the “new” part is usually indicated by the prefix “ath<\/strong>-” (new, re-, second, rejected, later, further, etc.).\u00a0 In fact, while in “athbhliain<\/strong>” the prefix is translated as “new,” it can also be translated as “old” (!), as in “athbhuaile<\/strong>” (an old disused milking-place).\u00a0 Which, admittedly, I’ve never really needed to say in daily conversation!<\/p>\n

To sum up this point, why is “athbhliain<\/strong>” so typical for a New Year’s wish as opposed to “bliain \u00far<\/strong>“?\u00a0 Diabhal a fhios agam.\u00a0 T\u00e1 an d\u00e1 fhr\u00e1sa ciallmhar<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

As for “happy,” I can’t really tell you why<\/em> none of the typical Irish adjectives for “happy” or phrases indicating happiness are used.\u00a0 I don’t think anyone could say why<\/em> this is so.\u00a0 There are plenty of adjectives and phrases to choose from (sona, s\u00e9anmhar, gliondrach, \u00e1thasach, Is m\u00e9anar d\u00f3, T\u00e1 \u00e1thas uirthi, srl.<\/strong>) but for whatever reason, “faoi sh\u00e9an<\/strong>” is used instead.\u00a0 The phrase “faoi sh\u00e9an<\/strong>” gives us the same implication, so the actual adjective “happy” is unnecessary.\u00a0 \u00a0The “faoi mhaise<\/strong>” part reinforces the good wish, but doesn’t literally mean “happy.”<\/p>\n

And, come to think of it, is the phrase “Happy New Year” always literally “happy” in other languages?\u00a0 Welsh says “Blwyddyn Newydd Dda<\/em>” (Good New Year), whereas “happy” is normally “hapus<\/em>.”\u00a0 German uses the adjective “gl\u00fccklich<\/em>,” which can mean “lucky” or “happy,” and is etymologically related to “luck.”\u00a0 Scottish Gaelic says “Bliadhna mhaith \u00f9r<\/em>,” lit. a “good new year.”\u00a0 And I’m sure a larger survey would show the use of some other adjectives in different languages as well.\u00a0 And furthermore, is Christmas really “merry” or is it “happy”?\u00a0 Why do we have both options in English?<\/p>\n

And finally, our fourth key point, the lovely consonant cluster “-thbhl-“!\u00a0 I love these consonant clusters in Irish — the longer the better!\u00a0 A lot of consonant clusters were streamlined away from the language during the spelling reforms of the 1950s (“scr\u00edobhtha”<\/strong> becoming “scr\u00edofa<\/strong>,” “gabhtha<\/strong>” becoming “gafa<\/strong>,” etc.).\u00a0 But one arena where the consonant clusters usually remain in full is prefix+noun combinations, where the prefix has “-th” or “-ch” at the end.\u00a0 So we have combinations like “ath<\/strong>– [AH] + bhliain<\/strong> [VLEE-in],” ending up as “athbhliain<\/strong>.” \u00a0The “t” of “ath<\/strong>-” is silent. \u00a0The “bhl” is pronounced like “vl,” admittedly not common in English, but recognizable from “Vladimir,” “Vladivostok,” and “Vlissingen” (which became “Flushing” in New York State).\u00a0 Another example of “vl” that intrigues me is the Czech river name “Vltava<\/em>” (aka Moldau).\u00a0 Hmm, V-L-T, presumably there’s a vowel sound in there somewhere.<\/p>\n

Other examples of 4-\u00a0 and 5-consonant clusters with Irish prefixes abound, such as athbheochan<\/strong> (revival) \u00a0and athchluiche<\/strong> (replay).\u00a0 The main other prefix that leads to these longish, mid-word consonant clusters is “droch<\/strong>-” (bad), which gives us “droch-chleas<\/strong>” (a bad trick), drochdhathach<\/strong> (sickly-looking), drochsh\u00e1<\/strong> (a bad stab) and drochthr\u00e9ith<\/strong> (a bad trait).\u00a0 So the key, as with “athbhliain<\/strong>,” is to recognize the prefix.<\/p>\n

And remember, English has its quirky spellings and consonant clusters, like “naphtha” and “chthonic,” vowelless words like “tsktsk,” \u00a0and words like “rhythm” or “nymph,” which use “y,” normally a consonant, as a vowel.<\/p>\n

So, in conclusion, our key phrase for “Happy New Year” is:<\/p>\n

Athbhliain faoi sh\u00e9an is faoi mhaise duit,<\/strong><\/p>\n

or,\u00a0Athbhliain faoi sh\u00e9an is faoi mhaise daoibh<\/strong> (plural).<\/p>\n

Of course, if you want to play with other combinations of “happy” plus “new” plus “year,” the world’s your “oisre<\/strong>.”\u00a0 But for traditional expressions, like “Happy New Year!,” I like to stick to tradition.\u00a0 So, sin r\u00e1ite agam, “Athbhliain faoi sh\u00e9an is faoi mhaise daoibh go l\u00e9ir, a l\u00e9itheoir\u00ed.”<\/strong>\u00a0 Or if you want to tackle a completely different phrase, “Go mbeire bliain \u00f3 inniu faoi mhaise oraibh<\/strong>” (May you prosper in the year to come).\u00a0 Which could lead us down the thorny path of the subjunctive mood some day in the hypothetical future.\u00a0 SGF — R\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

(le R\u00f3isl\u00edn) Athbhliain faoi sh\u00e9an is faoi mhaise duit.\u00a0 Happy New Year to you. Athbhliain faoi sh\u00e9an is faoi mhaise daoibh.\u00a0 Happy New Year to you (plural). So how do we pronounce that, what does it literally mean, why are the actual words “happy” and “new” not in the phrase, and where does a consonant…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":6088,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3898],"tags":[365261,365286,111647,365256,111632,365287,4240,365246,365264,365288,8452,293349,365263,365273,365268,3125,4488,365250,365251,43,365297,298724,4888,111621,4996,365290,365291,365293,365294,111617,930,365253,5137,111648,365282,365277,935,111642,365270,365302,1091,5483,365259,365247,365269,5667,365266,5874,95390,117737,306385,13059,365257,365285,365296,2337,1166,365283,304909,339422,365265,3349,365278,11,55227,6547,365258,365260,365252,365289,6599,255460,218826,6725,365275,365276,2503,111643,365255,365292,207356,13056,365274,275645,148,365267,365249,3669,365295,365299,365254,365279,365280,365281,365284,7278,365298,7296,365301],"class_list":["post-6086","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-irish-language","tag-bokiz","tag-5-consoant-cluster","tag-adornment","tag-agus","tag-athasach","tag-athbheochan","tag-athbhliain","tag-athbhliain-faoi-shean-is-faoi-mhaise","tag-athbhuaile","tag-athchluiche","tag-bad","tag-beech","tag-beechwood","tag-bliadhna-mhaith-ur","tag-blwyddyn-newydd-dda","tag-book","tag-buch","tag-ch-chl","tag-ch-thr","tag-christmas","tag-chthonic","tag-consonant-cluster","tag-czech","tag-daoibh","tag-droch","tag-droch-chleas","tag-drochdhathach","tag-drochsha","tag-drochthreith","tag-duit","tag-english","tag-faoi","tag-faoi-mhaise","tag-flourishing","tag-flushing","tag-gabhtha","tag-german","tag-gliondrach","tag-glucklich","tag-go-mbeire-bliain-o-inniu-faoi-mhaise-oraibh","tag-happiness","tag-happy","tag-happy-and-prosperous-new-year","tag-happy-new-year-to-you","tag-hapus","tag-irish","tag-is-meanar-do","tag-lenited","tag-luck","tag-lucky","tag-maise","tag-merry","tag-mhaise","tag-moldau","tag-naphtha","tag-new","tag-new-year","tag-new-york-state","tag-nymph","tag-old","tag-old-disused-milking-place","tag-plural","tag-prefixnoun","tag-pronunciation","tag-prosper","tag-prosperity","tag-prosperous","tag-proto-germanic","tag-re-year","tag-replay","tag-revival","tag-rhythm","tag-river","tag-scottish-gaelic","tag-scriobhtha","tag-scriofa","tag-sean","tag-seanmhar","tag-shean","tag-sickly-looking","tag-sinti-fada","tag-sona","tag-spelling-reforms","tag-stab","tag-subjunctive","tag-ta-athas-uirthi","tag-thbhl","tag-traditional","tag-trait","tag-tsktsk","tag-under","tag-vladimir","tag-vladivostok","tag-vlissingen","tag-vltava","tag-vowel","tag-vowelless","tag-welsh","tag-worlds-your-oisre"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6086","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=6086"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6086\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9977,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6086\/revisions\/9977"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6088"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6086"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6086"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6086"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}