{"id":7663,"date":"2016-02-18T19:16:27","date_gmt":"2016-02-18T19:16:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/?p=7663"},"modified":"2016-08-15T12:35:47","modified_gmt":"2016-08-15T12:35:47","slug":"ten-ways-to-say-bravo-in-irish-using-ceol-gairm-beannacht-fainne-etc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/ten-ways-to-say-bravo-in-irish-using-ceol-gairm-beannacht-fainne-etc\/","title":{"rendered":"Ten Ways to Say “Bravo” in Irish (using Ceol, Gairm, Beannacht, F\u00e1inne, etc.)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\"Ag<\/a>

Ag bualadh bos agus ag r\u00e1 (do rogha fr\u00e1sa anseo). Read on for ten or more ways to say “Bravo!” in Irish (grafaic: http:\/\/www.clker.com\/clipart-49611.html#)<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

Music lovers at a classical music concert will probably wait politely until the very end to call out “Bravo!” or “Brava!” during the applause. \u00a0But in the realm of Irish folk music, short phrases of encouragement are often used during the song or tune, offering encouragement to the performer.\u00a0 They can all be translated more or less as “Bravo!” but, taken literally, they have an interesting array of meanings, as we’ll see below.\u00a0 So far I’ve counted\u00a0 ten major ways to cheer the performer on, and most of them have some variations.\u00a0 Further contributions would be welcome.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Maith th\u00fa!<\/strong>, very literally “Good you!” [sic]; can also be used for “Well done!” This is probably the most widely used of all the phrases we’ll look at in this blog, and might also be used in situations that aren’t so performance-oriented, such as answering a question well in class.\u00a0 True, answering a teacher’s question is a bit of a performance, but not like singing for a large crowd of people.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Similarly, we can say, “Maith a’ bhean!<\/strong>” or “Maith a’ fear!<\/strong>” or “Maith a’ cail\u00edn!<\/strong>” or “Maith a’ buachaill!<\/strong>”\u00a0 Why am I writing “a<\/strong>” with an apostrophe instead of “an<\/strong>” (“the”)?\u00a0 Because that’s the way it usually sounds when people say this.\u00a0 In fact, the “n” of “an<\/strong>” is often not pronounced before Irish words that start with consonants, so “bean an t\u00ed<\/strong>” sounds like “bean a’ t\u00ed<\/strong>.”\u00a0 Same principle. \u00a0Maybe a subject for a future “pronunciation tips” blog.<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Mo cheol th\u00fa!<\/strong>, literally, “You (are) my music!” There’s no actual verb here but it’s not needed. This is the same pattern as “Mo ghr\u00e1 th\u00fa!<\/strong>” (used for “I love you!” but more literally “You (are) my love!)<\/li>\n
    2. Mo ghoirm th\u00fa!<\/strong>, also spelled as “Mo ghairm th\u00fa!<\/strong>” The pattern is the same as “Mo cheol th\u00fa<\/strong>” and “Mo ghr\u00e1 th\u00fa<\/strong>.” “Gairm<\/strong>” most basically means “call,” “vocation,” “profession,” etc., but here it means “acclaim.”<\/li>\n
    3. Mo ghraidhin th\u00fa<\/strong>!, or in its more intensified forms, “Mo ghraidhin go deo th\u00fa!<\/strong>” or “Mo dh\u00e1 ghraidhin th\u00fa!<\/strong>“<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      “Graidhin<\/strong>” is a variation of “greadhain<\/strong>,” which has a variety of meanings, such as “noise,” “din,” “merriment,” and “joy,” or the shouting connected to the merriment and joy.<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. N\u00e1r laga\u00ed Dia th\u00fa!<\/strong>, which may also appear as “N\u00e1r laga Dia th\u00fa!<\/strong>” literally “May God not weaken you!”<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Sometimes the “N\u00e1r laga\u00ed<\/strong>” phrase is made a little more specific, if\u00a0referring to an instrumentalist as opposed to a singer, “N\u00e1r laga\u00ed Dia do l\u00e1mh!<\/strong>” or “N\u00e1r laga Dia do l\u00e1mh!<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Dia leat!<\/strong>, literally “God with you,” as opposed to “Dia duit” (Dia dhuit)<\/strong>, which is used for “hello,” and literally means “God to you.” “Dia duit<\/strong>,” as you may remember, is shortened from “Go mbeanna\u00ed Dia duit<\/strong>” (May God bless you).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          We can also intensify this one as “Dia go deo leat!<\/strong>, literally, “God forever with you.”<\/p>\n

          7. F\u00e1inne \u00f3ir ort!<\/strong>, literally, “A gold ring on you!” So which came first, this expression or the awarding of a small “f\u00e1inne \u00f3ir<\/strong>” to those who have successfully passed a “scr\u00fad\u00fa b\u00e9il<\/strong>” to show proficiency in Irish? Eolas ag duine ar bith<\/strong>?<\/p>\n

          8. Mo sheacht mbeannacht ort!<\/strong>, literally “My seven blessings on you!” In addition to being a generally useful phrase for anyone who attends a lot of Irish music sessions, this is a great phrase for practicing lenition (“seacht<\/strong>” becomes “sheacht<\/strong>” after “mo<\/strong>“) and eclipsis (“beannacht<\/strong>” becomes “mbeannacht<\/strong>” after “seacht<\/strong>“).<\/p>\n

          9. Bula\u00ed fir!<\/strong> Although technically this means “a bully of a man,” it’s used with a positive connotation and understood as “Good man yourself!” or “Well done!” \u00a0\u00a0As I write this, I’m thinking, why doesn’t this sound so familiar to cheer on a woman or a girl? \u00a0I just Googled “Bula\u00ed mn\u00e1<\/strong>” and got a total of 16 hits.\u00a0 “Bula\u00ed fir<\/strong>” got 116 hits.\u00a0 I guess that proportion of usage sounds about like what I’ve encountered in real life.<\/p>\n

          Similarly we could use “Bula\u00ed girs\u00ed!<\/strong>” or “Bula\u00ed cail\u00edn!<\/strong>” or “Bula\u00ed buachalla!<\/strong>” or “Bula\u00ed gas\u00fair!<\/strong>” but I just haven’t encountered these very much in my own experience. \u00a0“Bula\u00ed<\/strong>” can also be used for a “bully,” meaning a child who bullies other children, with “maist\u00edn<\/strong>” being a synonym.\u00a0 Perhaps there’s less inclination to use “bula\u00ed<\/strong>” in praising children because of the possible other connotations of the word?\u00a0 Smaoineamh agatsa faoi sin<\/strong>?<\/p>\n

          10. Togha fir!<\/strong> or Togha mn\u00e1!<\/strong>, with “togha<\/strong>” literally meaning “pick” or “choice,” implying “top choice” or “excellent.” Note the use of “tuiseal ginideach<\/strong>” anseo<\/strong>. We can’t get too far in Irish without it!<\/p>\n

          In contrast to all of the above, there is, of course, the word for “Congratulations,” but this would more typically be used in situations like winning a competition, congratulating someone on their marriage or engagement, getting a promotion at work, or perhaps in a greeting card for one of those purposes.\u00a0 The Irish is “Comhghairdeas!<\/strong>” or a variation “Comhghairdeachas!<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

          It’s interesting that while Italian has four distinct forms of “bravo<\/em>,” adding “bravissimo<\/em>” and, for women, “brava<\/em>” and “bravissima<\/em>,” most of the Irish terms are not gender-bound, unless you’re specifically using phrases like “Maith a’ bhean!<\/strong>” or “Maith a’ fear!<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

          Of course, all of the above are addressed to one person.\u00a0\u00a0 We can also have plural forms (Dia libh!, Dia go deo libh!, Mo cheol sibh!, Maith sibh!, Mo ghoirm sibh!<\/strong>, etc.), but I have to acknowledge that I haven’t heard these used much in the plural.\u00a0 Maybe it seems that the phrases of encouragement are more important to a solo performer.\u00a0 Duos, trios, and groups have each other for support.\u00a0\u00a0 For that matter, I don’t remember ever hearing “Bravo!” in the plural either.\u00a0 I guess it would be “Bravi<\/em>!” \u00a0but, as noted, I don’t recall hearing that in a classical music setting.<\/p>\n

          A call of encouragement can be referred to as a “g\u00e1ir mholta<\/strong>,” (lit. a call\/shout of praise) but this wouldn’t be used directly to the performer, more in an account of the performance.<\/p>\n

          Agus go raibh maith agat, a Fhirn, as an smaoineamh!\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

          T\u00e1 s\u00fail agam gur bhain sibh sult as an mblagmh\u00edr seo.\u00a0 Maith sibh as a bheith ag labhairt Gaeilge agus as a bheith ag foghlaim! — R\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/strong><\/p>\n

          P.S. Agus seo uimhir a haon d\u00e9ag (agus GRMA ar\u00eds , a Fhirn):<\/strong><\/p>\n

          11. Mo sheacht mh’anam th\u00fa!<\/strong>, literally, “You are my seven souls!” \u00a0This one is based on the word “anam<\/strong>,” (soul). \u00a0Structurally, it’s a little unusual in having “my” twice within the one phrase, showing up once as “mo<\/strong>” and then again as “mh” with the apostrophe. \u00a0Usually the number seven (seacht<\/strong>) triggers eclipsis , in which case the “s” of “seacht<\/strong>” would stay the same, as “s,” but here, somehow, we have the word “mo<\/strong>” lenited and with the “o” dropped off because of following vowel, the “a” of “anam<\/strong>.” \u00a0On its own, “Mh’anam!<\/strong>”\u00a0means the same as “M’anam!<\/strong>” (My soul!), an exclamation of surprise.<\/p>\n

          P.P.S. (6 M\u00e1rta 2016): Agus uimhir a d\u00f3 dh\u00e9ag. \u00a0T\u00e1 m\u00e9 i ndiaidh an ceann seo a thabhairt faoi deara: “Do tharraingt aniar!”<\/strong><\/p>\n

          P.P.P.S. (15 L\u00fanasa 2016):\u00a0Sheacht\u00a0<\/span>mh<\/span>\u2019anam<\/span> do<\/span> shliseog<\/span>! <\/span><\/strong>Bravo<\/span>!, lit. “Seven (my souls) (to) your sliver \/ thin slice \/ cut \/ hit!,” a very idiomatic-sounding expression.<\/span><\/p>\n

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

          (le R\u00f3isl\u00edn) Music lovers at a classical music concert will probably wait politely until the very end to call out “Bravo!” or “Brava!” during the applause. \u00a0But in the realm of Irish folk music, short phrases of encouragement are often used during the song or tune, offering encouragement to the performer.\u00a0 They can all be…<\/p>\n

          Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":7664,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3898],"tags":[4302,460622,411145,411147,411146,411144,460621,376554,411148,229640,460614,460617,460616,289956,32971,8510,460626,460618,111207,460628,5373,229382,332166,111195,460627,460611,460620,331899,460623,460612,6128,306033,460629,460625,460624,6369,6377,6730,460619,111620,460613,374782,460615,7206],"class_list":["post-7663","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-irish-language","tag-beannacht","tag-blessing","tag-brava","tag-bravissima","tag-bravissimo","tag-bravo","tag-bulai","tag-ceol","tag-cheol","tag-comhghairdeachas","tag-comhghairdeas","tag-dia-go-deo-leat","tag-dia-leat","tag-fainne","tag-fir","tag-gairm","tag-ghairm","tag-ghoirm","tag-ghra","tag-ghraidhin","tag-ginideach","tag-go-deo","tag-goirm","tag-gra","tag-graidhin","tag-manam","tag-maistin","tag-maith","tag-mbeannacht","tag-mhanam","tag-mna","tag-mo","tag-nar-laga","tag-nar-lagai","tag-oir","tag-oraibh","tag-ort","tag-seacht","tag-sheacht","tag-sibh","tag-sliseog","tag-thu","tag-togha","tag-tuiseal"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7663","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=7663"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7663\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8257,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7663\/revisions\/8257"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7664"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7663"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7663"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}