{"id":7153,"date":"2015-09-28T14:18:23","date_gmt":"2015-09-28T14:18:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/?p=7153"},"modified":"2016-08-20T20:24:18","modified_gmt":"2016-08-20T20:24:18","slug":"when-does-x-become-cs-freagra-in-the-middle-of-some-irish-words","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/when-does-x-become-cs-freagra-in-the-middle-of-some-irish-words\/","title":{"rendered":"When Does ‘X’ Become ‘CS’? Freagra: In the Middle of Some Irish Words"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

Your first thought on looking at the combination “cs” might be the abbreviation\u00a0for the element ‘cesium’ (caeisiam, i nGaeilge<\/strong>).\u00a0 Well, maybe not.\u00a0 Not exactly a “t\u00e9arma laeth\u00fail<\/strong>.”\u00a0 Maybe “Cs\u00e1rd\u00e1s<\/em>,” the Hungarian dance? \u00a0That’s “cardas,” i nGaeilge<\/strong>, by the way. \u00a0Maybe CSI<\/em> (an cl\u00e1r teilif\u00edse<\/strong>)?\u00a0 Any way you look at it, “cs” as a cluster doesn’t occur very often in English words; when it does, it’s usually the s-ending of words like “logistics,” “physics , or “aerobics” (an Ghaeilge orthu sin th\u00edos<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

In Irish, the consonant cluster “cs” isn’t that widespread either.\u00a0 When it does occur, it typically replaces “x,” especially in some “focail iasachta<\/strong>.” \u00a0There aren’t lots of examples but there are some interesting ones.\u00a0 They fall into two basic categories:\u00a0 a) a small handful that refer specifically to Irish culture, and b) the rest, much more numerous, which are often scientific and\/or heavily Latin-based.<\/p>\n

Let’s look first at the Irish cultural terms:<\/p>\n

bacsta\u00ed<\/strong>, the Irish for “boxty,” a type of bread or cake made with grated raw potatoes.\u00a0 The origin of this word is mysterious.\u00a0 Some say it may come from “to bake,” but it’s really more fried, rather than baked.\u00a0 Another possibility is “ar\u00e1n bocht t\u00ed,<\/strong>” consisting of the words “bread,” “poor,” and “of house,” but there’s probably no way to prove this.\u00a0 As far as I know, this word first showed up in print with the anglicized spelling (boxty) and eventually got gaelicized, with the “x” being represented by “cs.”\u00a0 We may never know the exact origin, but for our purposes, the key point is that it shows the x \/ cs alternation.<\/p>\n

plancsta\u00ed<\/strong>, the Irish for “planxty,” a type of musical composition.\u00a0 Again, as far as I know, the ultimate origin of this term is mysterious, and again, I think it showed up first in print as “planxty,” not as “plancsta\u00ed<\/strong>” as such.\u00a0 It’s another example of the x \/ cs alternation.<\/p>\n

As I mentioned above, the second and much larger, category consists of scientific terms or Latin-based words (many of which are also scientific).\u00a0 Here are some examples with “cs” either in the middle or at the end.\u00a0 Can you figure out what they mean?\u00a0 (Freagra\u00ed th\u00edos, 1<\/strong>)<\/p>\n

An F\u00e9inics<\/strong><\/p>\n

An Sfioncs<\/strong><\/p>\n

An Stiocs<\/strong><\/p>\n

An tSacsain<\/strong><\/p>\n

angla-shacsanach<\/strong><\/p>\n

inn\u00e9acs<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lucsamburg<\/strong><\/p>\n

ocsaigin<\/strong><\/p>\n

t\u00e9acs<\/strong><\/p>\n

t\u00e9acs\u00fail<\/strong><\/p>\n

tocsaineach<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some less everyday words that still fit the pattern are “adacs<\/strong>,” “aircit\u00e9acs<\/strong>,” and “amocsaicillin<\/strong>” (freagra\u00ed th\u00edos, 2<\/strong>)<\/p>\n

And there’s at least one noteworthy “x” in English (and Latin), which doesn’t become “-cs-” but rather becomes “-sc-<\/em>” in the middle of the word.\u00a0 An cuimhin leat \u00e9?\u00a0 ‘Sea, “ascaill.”<\/strong>\u00a0 Which means “armpit.”\u00a0 You might remember this word from a previous blog (nasc th\u00edos<\/strong>).\u00a0 Wait!\u00a0 Where’s the “x” in “armpit”? \u00a0Well, it’s not there in English, of course, but it is in Latin (axilla<\/em>), which also gives us the English word “axillary” as in “axillary temperature” (taking the temperature via a baby’s armpit).\u00a0 Hmm, yeah, we may have less and less need for that phrase as we now have scanning and patch thermometers, but it’s a good vocabulary example, anyway.<\/p>\n

A word of warning though: \u00a0“cs” in Irish can also replace English “ct” in words like “aicsean<\/strong>,” “ficsean<\/strong>,” and “traicsean<\/strong>” which, you guessed it, mean “action,” “fiction,” and “traction.”\u00a0 \u00a0Nobody ever said spelling was consistent or logical.<\/p>\n

And while we’re looking at exceptions, there’s one interesting example of “-cs-“in Irish replacing an English “ch.” \u00a0This is an English “ch” with a k sound, not as in “chew” or “child.”\u00a0 The word is “\u00e1racs<\/strong>,” which means “auroch” (Bos taurus<\/em>), now sadly extinct, but undergoing their own Jurassic Park treatment (nasc th\u00edos<\/strong>).\u00a0\u00a0 Getting back to the language aspect, I wonder if any other words fit that English “ch” to Irish “cs” pattern!<\/p>\n

Well, that’s been an interesting work-out, looking at what happens to English medial “x” in Irish words.\u00a0 What’s next?\u00a0 Medial “z”? \u00a0\u00a0Hmm, c\u00e9n Ghaeilge at\u00e1 ar “<\/strong>pizzazz“?\u00a0 T\u00e1 “p\u00edotsa”<\/strong> (le “-ts-” ar an bhfocal “<\/strong>pizza,” ach sin fuaim eile ar fad; n\u00edl an “<\/strong>zz” san fhocal “<\/strong>pizzazz” mar “ts”<\/strong>). \u00a0So far I haven’t found “pizzazz” in any Irish dictionaries, either defined or with a gaelicized spelling.\u00a0 Oh well, there are lots of other linguistic fish to fry, so I guess I should wrap up now. \u00a0<slight pause> … <sneaking back into the blog> … “Pizzazz” is an interesting word though, origin generally considered unknown (attributed variously to show-biz slang, jazz slang, and fashion editor Diana Vreeland) and relatively recent in origin (early\/mid-20th c.).\u00a0 But, of course, that’s not really related to an teanga Gaeilge. \u00a0 <\/strong>Unless I can find a good Irish equivalent for it. \u00a0Maybe searching under “panache”? \u00a0Sl\u00e1n go f\u00f3ill — R\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/strong><\/p>\n

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

On Armpits:<\/strong> Ascaill, Axilla, Armpit \u2014 Who Says Irish Doesn\u2019t Have Many Cognates with English? (Cuid a hAon\/Pt. 1)<\/a> Posted on 24. Apr, 2013 by\u00a0r\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0Irish Language<\/a>\u00a0 (https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/ascaill-axilla-armpit-who-says-irish-doesnt-have-many-cognates-with-english\/)<\/p>\n

On Aurochs:\u00a0<\/strong>Breeding Ancient Cattle Back from Extinction By Stephan Faris Friday, Feb. 12, 2010 (http:\/\/content.time.com\/time\/health\/article\/0,8599,1961918,00.html)<\/p>\n

Aistri\u00fach\u00e1in ar <\/strong>logistics, physics, and aerobics: \u00a0l\u00f3ist\u00edocht,\u00a0 fisic <\/strong>OR an fhisic, aer\u00f3baic.<\/strong>\u00a0 As you can see, the English “-cs” ending doesn’t carry over into Irish, typically being replaced by “-cht” or simply by “c” itself.\u00a0 \u00a0However, a further exception to that pattern is the Irish for “Olympics<\/em>,” which generally becomes a noun-adjective combination (Cluich\u00ed Oilimpeacha<\/strong>, lit. Olympic Games).<\/p>\n

Freagra\u00ed<\/strong> 1: An F\u00e9inics<\/strong>, The Phoenix; An Sfioncs<\/strong>, The Sphinx; An Stiocs<\/strong>, The Styx; An tSacsain<\/strong>, Saxony; angla-shacsanach<\/strong>, Anglo-Saxon; inn\u00e9acs<\/strong>, index; Lucsamburg<\/strong>, Luxemburg; ocsaigin<\/strong>, oxygen; t\u00e9acs<\/strong>, text; t\u00e9acs\u00fail<\/strong>, textual; tocsaineach<\/strong>, toxic<\/p>\n

Freagra\u00ed 2<\/strong>: adacs<\/strong>, addax; aircit\u00e9acs<\/strong>, architext; amocsaicillin<\/strong>, amoxicillin<\/p>\n

Update as of 10\/29\/15: Agus ceann eile a bhfuil m\u00e9 go d\u00edreach i ndiaidh smaoineamh air: h\u00e9ilics, m\u00e1 t\u00e1 t\u00fa ag caint faoi\u00a0aig\u00e9ad d\u00ed-ocsairibean\u00faicl\u00e9asach n\u00f3 rud \u00e9igin mar sin. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gluais don nuashonruch\u00e1n: h\u00e9ilics<\/strong>, helix, as our key term, and: aig\u00e9ad<\/strong>, acid; d\u00ed-ocsai-<\/strong>, deoxy-;\u00a0n\u00faicl\u00e9asach<\/strong>, nucleic; ribea<\/strong>-, ribo-; combined, those last four give us\u00a0aig\u00e9ad d\u00ed-ocsairibean\u00faicl\u00e9asach<\/strong> (deoxyribonucleic acid, DNA)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(le R\u00f3isl\u00edn) Your first thought on looking at the combination “cs” might be the abbreviation\u00a0for the element ‘cesium’ (caeisiam, i nGaeilge).\u00a0 Well, maybe not.\u00a0 Not exactly a “t\u00e9arma laeth\u00fail.”\u00a0 Maybe “Cs\u00e1rd\u00e1s,” the Hungarian dance? \u00a0That’s “cardas,” i nGaeilge, by the way. \u00a0Maybe CSI (an cl\u00e1r teilif\u00edse)?\u00a0 Any way you look at it, “cs” as a…<\/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":[390571,390510,390511,390487,390483,390570,390578,390512,390514,390515,390489,390491,390493,390495,390497,390498,390517,390513,275748,390516,277343,277920,390518,229599,390573,390579,390572,390580,390486,390485,2157,390568,390569,390500,390499,99,390480,390481,390484,8521,390501,111878,390575,390574,390502,2360,390503,95076,390576,390577,390496,390504,390506,2565,390507,390490,390492,390494,390508,390509],"class_list":["post-7153","post","type-post","status-publish","hentry","category-irish-language","tag-acid","tag-adacs","tag-addax","tag-aerobaic","tag-aerobics","tag-aigead","tag-aigead-di-ocsairibeanuicleasach","tag-airciteacs","tag-amocsaicillin","tag-amoxicillin","tag-an-feinics","tag-an-sfioncs","tag-an-stiocs","tag-an-tsacsain","tag-angla-shacsanach","tag-anglo-saxon","tag-aracs","tag-architext","tag-armpit","tag-auroch","tag-axilla","tag-axillary","tag-bos-taurus","tag-cluichi-oilimpeacha","tag-deoxy","tag-deoxyribonucleic-acid","tag-di-ocsai","tag-dna","tag-fhisic","tag-fisic","tag-games","tag-heilics","tag-helix","tag-index","tag-inneacs","tag-latin","tag-letter-x","tag-logistics","tag-loistiocht","tag-lucsamburg","tag-luxemburg","tag-medial","tag-nucleic","tag-nuicleasach","tag-ocsaigin","tag-olympics","tag-oxygen","tag-physics","tag-ribea","tag-ribo","tag-saxony","tag-teacs","tag-teacsuil","tag-text","tag-textual","tag-the-phoenix","tag-the-sphinx","tag-the-styx","tag-tocsaineach","tag-toxic"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7153","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=7153"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7153\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8292,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7153\/revisions\/8292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7153"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7153"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}