{"id":7117,"date":"2015-09-21T18:40:16","date_gmt":"2015-09-21T18:40:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/?p=7117"},"modified":"2015-10-20T13:54:45","modified_gmt":"2015-10-20T13:54:45","slug":"some-irish-words-starting-with-the-letter-y-yoyo-ina-measc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/some-irish-words-starting-with-the-letter-y-yoyo-ina-measc\/","title":{"rendered":"Some Irish Words Starting with the Letter ‘Y’ (y\u00f3y\u00f3 ina measc)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

In the past few blagmh\u00edreanna<\/strong> (naisc th\u00edos<\/strong>), we’ve looked at some Irish words that start with letters not traditionally in the Irish alphabet (v, w, x). \u00a0Today’s blog will deal with the letter “y” and soon we’ll do “z.” \u00a0Someday we’ll get to the other three non-traditional letters (j, k, q), but for now let’s continue with our end-of-alphabet selection.<\/p>\n

While the sound of “y” (as in English “year” or “yet”) occurs widely in Irish, as in “an ghealach<\/strong>” [un YAL-ukh] or “gheobhaidh<\/strong>” [YOH-wee] or “a Dhiarmaid<\/strong>” [uh YEER-mw<\/sup>idj], the letter itself does not.\u00a0 There are very very few Irish words that begin with “y,” but there are some examples. \u00a0Among them we have the following:<\/p>\n

yainc\u00edn<\/strong>, a “yankee” or working foresail<\/p>\n

y\u00f3y\u00f3<\/strong>, plural: y\u00f3y\u00f3nna<\/strong>.\u00a0 And the gender is masculine, in case you were wondering.<\/p>\n

Then we get the “y-prefix,” fairly scientific or technical:<\/p>\n

y-ais<\/strong>, y-axis<\/p>\n

y-chr\u00f3mas\u00f3m<\/strong>, y-chromosome (occasionally spelled y-chr\u00f3mos\u00f3m, <\/strong>but medial “-a-” seems to be the norm)<\/p>\n

y-chruthach<\/strong>, y-shaped (from “cruth<\/strong>” [kruh], shape)<\/p>\n

y-nasc<\/strong>, y-connection<\/p>\n

What happens to some other loan-words that begin with “y” in English or other languages if they don’t keep the initial “y”?\u00a0 Some of them end up with an initial “i,” as in i\u00f3gart, i\u00f3ga, itriam<\/strong>, and An I\u00fagslaiv<\/strong> (the former Yugoslavia).\u00a0 Some get an initial “g” as in “geoidil<\/strong>” (yodel), “Gi\u00fadais<\/strong>” (Yiddish), and “geac<\/strong>” (the animal, yes, that’s the Irish for ‘yak’).\u00a0 “Yucca” can be either “yucca<\/strong>” or “gioca<\/strong>.”\u00a0 Sometimes we go right to a vowel, as for the English interjection “yuk” (or “yuck”) which is\u00a0“uch<\/strong>” in Irish.\u00a0 “Yemen” is “\u00c9imin<\/strong>.”\u00a0 \u00a0The County Cork place name “Youghal,” of course, didn’t originally have a “y” in it; the actual Irish spelling is “Eochaill<\/strong>.”<\/p>\n

Of course, many English words that start with ‘y’ have traditional Irish equivalents, starting with whatever letter happens to apply to that particular Irish word.\u00a0 These aren’t our main concern here, but a few examples won’t hurt:<\/p>\n

yacht: luamh<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yankee: Ponc\u00e1n<\/strong> OR Ponc\u00e1nach<\/strong><\/p>\n

year: bliain<\/strong><\/p>\n

yet: f\u00f3s<\/strong> OR go f\u00f3ill<\/strong><\/p>\n

young: \u00f3g<\/strong><\/p>\n

yahoo (also “curmudgeon” or “churl”): bodach<\/strong> OR br\u00faisc<\/strong> (and yes, “yahoo” way predates yahoo.com, as we know from Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels<\/em>\u00a0(1726).\u00a0 Hmm, is Yahoo planning a big celebration of the word’s 300th birthday in 2026?\u00a0 It wasn’t exactly flattering in Swift, but then he was pretty much an equal opportunity\u00a0satirist.\u00a0 Something to look out for, anyway, sa todhcha\u00ed<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Needless to say, those in the last batch weren’t loan-words.\u00a0 They’re simply the original Irish words for the English.<\/p>\n

Additionally, there are foreign words, which are not gaelicized in any way, and which retain their original spelling. \u00a0They include the following: yang, yen (money), yeti, yin, yuan, yuko, yurt, Yggdrasil, and as noted above, sometimes “yucca.”<\/p>\n

Bhuel,<\/strong> now, I guess all I need to do is to determine the Irish for “yadda-yadda-yadda” or “yakkety-yakking” in general or maybe the Lieber\/Stoller song, “Yakety Yak.”\u00a0 And maybe even the Irish for Spider Rich and Boots Randolph’s “Yakety Sax” and then I guess we’ll be all set.\u00a0 Or sorted.\u00a0 SGF–R\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/strong><\/p>\n

Naisc<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

From \u2018vacsa\u00edn\u2019 to \u2018vuinsci\u00fa\u2019 and some other Irish words that start with \u2018v\u2019<\/a>\u00a0Posted on 05. Sep, 2015 by r\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/a> in Irish Language<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/from-vacsain-to-vuinsciu-and-some-other-irish-words-that-start-with-v\/<\/p>\n

Irish Words Starting with \u2018w\u2019 (dorn\u00e1n beag ach dorn\u00e1n acu ann!)<\/a>\u00a0Posted on 09. Sep, 2015 by r\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/a> in Irish Language<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/irish-words-starting-with-w-dornan-beag-ach-dornan-acu-ann\/<\/p>\n

Some Irish Words Starting with the Letter \u2018X\u2019 (Part 1 of 2)<\/a>\u00a0Posted on 14. Sep, 2015 by r\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/a> in Irish Language<\/a>\u00a0https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/some-irish-words-starting-with-the-letter-x-part-1-of-2\/<\/p>\n

Some Irish Words Starting with the Letter \u2018X\u2019 (Part 2 of 2): xileaf\u00f3n agus xifisteirneam<\/a>\u00a0Posted on 18. Sep, 2015 by r\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/a> in Irish Language<\/a>\u00a0https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/some-irish-words-starting-with-the-letter-x-part-2-of-2-xileafon-agus-xifisteirneam\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(le R\u00f3isl\u00edn) In the past few blagmh\u00edreanna (naisc th\u00edos), we’ve looked at some Irish words that start with letters not traditionally in the Irish alphabet (v, w, x). \u00a0Today’s blog will deal with the letter “y” and soon we’ll do “z.” \u00a0Someday we’ll get to the other three non-traditional letters (j, k, q), but for…<\/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":[390456,390464,390449,390448,390458,306296,390463,390452,229490,390447,390454,390453,390455,390446,390450,390461,390465,390466,390462,111759,390445,390457,390443,7626,12129,96533,306233,390459,390460,390451],"class_list":["post-7117","post","type-post","status-publish","hentry","category-irish-language","tag-an-iugslaiv","tag-cromasom","tag-eimin","tag-eochaill","tag-geac","tag-geoidil","tag-ghealach","tag-gioca","tag-giudais","tag-gulliver","tag-ioga","tag-iogart","tag-itriam","tag-swift","tag-uch","tag-y-ais","tag-y-chromasom","tag-y-chromosom","tag-y-chruthach","tag-yacht","tag-yahoo","tag-yaincin","tag-yankee","tag-year","tag-yet","tag-youghal","tag-young","tag-yoyo","tag-yoyonna","tag-yucca"],"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