{"id":8760,"date":"2016-12-31T01:00:36","date_gmt":"2016-12-31T01:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/?p=8760"},"modified":"2018-01-04T02:46:23","modified_gmt":"2018-01-04T02:46:23","slug":"ar-an-4u-an-5u-an-6u-agus-an-7u-la-den-nollaig-birds-rings-and-poultry-for-the-4th-5th-6th-and-7th-days-of-christmas-cuid-part-33-whatcha-sayin-a-gheanna","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/ar-an-4u-an-5u-an-6u-agus-an-7u-la-den-nollaig-birds-rings-and-poultry-for-the-4th-5th-6th-and-7th-days-of-christmas-cuid-part-33-whatcha-sayin-a-gheanna\/","title":{"rendered":"Ar an 4\u00fa, an 5\u00fa, an 6\u00fa agus an 7\u00fa l\u00e1 den Nollaig (birds, rings, and poultry for the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th days of Christmas) Cuid \/ Part 3\/3: Whatcha sayin’, a gh\u00e9anna?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

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grafaic\u00ed: aghaidh mn\u00e1 \/ woman’s face: www.publicdomainpictures.net\/view-image.php?image=157631&picture=woman-profile-portrait-clipart<\/a>; g\u00e9 \/ goose: http:\/\/www.clker.com\/clipart-11902.html<\/a>; t\u00e9acs agus dearadh le R\u00f3isl\u00edn, 2016<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

Now that we’ve reviewed a few general pronunciation tips for “Dh\u00e1 L\u00e1 Dh\u00e9ag na Nollag<\/strong>” (The 12 Days of Christmas, blagmh\u00edr<\/strong> 12\/29), let’s look at dial\u00f3g na ng\u00e9anna<\/strong> as shown in the illustration\u00a0from 12\/27 (naisc do na blaganna th\u00edos<\/strong>).\u00a0 For this post, I’ve separated out each goose with its own speech balloon, so it will be easier to gloss the sentences.<\/p>\n

So, seo cuid cainte na ng\u00e9anna agus freagairt an bhlag\u00e1la\u00ed. \u00a0T\u00e1 aistri\u00fach\u00e1in agus leideanna fuaimnithe ann. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u00a0 g\u00e9: http:\/\/www.clker.com\/clipart-11902.html<\/a>;\u00a0t\u00e9acs agus dearadh le R\u00f3isl\u00edn, 2016-1<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

1)) Is muid na s\u00e9 gh\u00e9 at\u00e1 ag breith<\/strong>.\u00a0 We are the six geese who are laying (eggs, of course).<\/p>\n

The actual English from the song text (the phrase “a-laying”) is very colloquial from today’s perspective.\u00a0 Other than in this song (a-swimming, a-milking, etc.), we hardly ever use this structure in modern English, although it does show up occasionally, mostly in conjunction with other holiday or traditional activities (a-wassailing, a-Maying, a-nutting), or to quote Loretta Lynn’s song title from 1967, “Don’t Come Home a-Drinkin’ (with lovin’ on your mind).”\u00a0 Growing up in rural Kentucky in the 1930s, Lynn probably heard more of this “a-” + verb structure than most urban Americans would have at the time.<\/p>\n

Reminder: This line is what I wrote for the goose to say as commentary.\u00a0 In the song, the phrase would simply be “s\u00e9 gh\u00e9 ag breith<\/strong>.”\u00a0 OK, not that geese really talk, but I guess is as realistic as any other story, cartoon, or comic that has a talking animal!<\/p>\n

Pronunciation: s\u00e9 gh\u00e9<\/strong> [shay yay, the “g” has become silent], breith<\/strong> [silent “t” and a short “e” sound for the “brei” part, like the “Bre-” of “Brexit.”<\/p>\n

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g\u00e9: http:\/\/www.clker.com\/clipart-11902.html<\/a>;\u00a0t\u00e9acs agus dearadh le R\u00f3isl\u00edn, 2016-2<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

2))\u00a0\u2018Sea, is muide na g\u00e9anna is cl\u00fait\u00ed sna car\u00fail Nollag<\/strong>.\u00a0 The second goose agrees and adds, “We are the most famous geese in the Christmas carols.”<\/p>\n

The word “muid<\/strong>” [mw<\/sup>idj] changes to “muide<\/strong>” [MW<\/sup>IDJ-uh] to show emphasis.\u00a0 “Is cl\u00fait\u00ed<\/strong>” [KLOOitch-ee] here is the superlative form of “cl\u00faiteach<\/strong>” (famous). \u00a0As with adjectives like “is t\u00e1bhachta\u00ed<\/strong>” and “is cleasa\u00ed<\/strong>,” the\u00a0ending changes (switching to “-\u00ed” for words with slender root endings\u00a0and to “-a\u00ed” for words with broad root endings).<\/p>\n

And remember why “Nollaig<\/strong>” lost the letter “i”?\u00a0\u00a0 Our old friend, an tuiseal ginideach<\/strong>. \u00a0“Nollaig<\/strong>” becomes “Nollag<\/strong>” for phrases like “Daid\u00ed na Nollag<\/strong>,” “car\u00fal Nollag<\/strong>,” “bronntanas Nollag<\/strong>,” and “Dh\u00e1 L\u00e1 Dh\u00e9ag na Nollag<\/strong>.”<\/p>\n

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g\u00e9: http:\/\/www.clker.com\/clipart-11902.html<\/a>;\u00a0t\u00e9acs agus dearadh le R\u00f3isl\u00edn, 2016-3<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

3)) \u2018Sea, agus n\u00ed raibh m\u00e9 riamh r\u00f3th\u00f3gtha leis an l\u00edne sin<\/strong>, \u201cChristmas is coming, the geese are getting fat.\u201d\u00a0 The third goose comments, “Yes, and was never very fond of that line, “Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat.” \u00a0This line is, of course, from a different another carol (“Christmas Is Coming”).<\/p>\n

Pronunciation: “raibh<\/strong>” can be pronounced “rev” (like “to rev” a car engine), “ruh” (like the “ru” of “rum”) or “row” (like “to row” a boat), depending on dialect. The prefix “r\u00f3-<\/strong>” causes “t\u00f3gtha<\/strong>” to be lenited, becoming “r\u00f3th\u00f3gtha<\/strong>,” so we say “ROH-HOHG-huh;” note that both t’s are silent.\u00a0 There are two syllables to the word “l\u00edne<\/strong>” [LEEN-yuh], although it looks like the one-syllable English word “line.”\u00a0 For “i gcar\u00fal<\/strong>,” the “c” is silent.<\/p>\n

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g\u00e9: http:\/\/www.clker.com\/clipart-11902.html<\/a>;\u00a0t\u00e9acs agus dearadh le R\u00f3isl\u00edn, 2016-4<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

4))\u00a0Cuireann s\u00e9 drithl\u00edn\u00ed fait\u00eds le mo dhroim<\/strong>.\u00a0 It sends shivers down my spine, lit. it puts twinges of fear with my back. \u00a0So we’re not actually “sending” shivers “down” the “spine,” but “putting” them “with” the “back.” \u00a0Same diff, if you’re the goose, I’d say.<\/p>\n

Pronunciation: drithl\u00edn\u00ed<\/strong> [DRIH-leen-ee, the “t” is silent]; fait\u00eds <\/strong>(of fear): we don’t see this word all that often in the genitive case (sa tuiseal ginideach<\/strong>) but here it is — note that the ending has dropped the “o” (of the root form “fait\u00edos,<\/strong>” fear), so now the ending is pronounced “eesh” because it has a slender “s.”<\/p>\n

For the switch from “droim<\/strong>” to “dhroim<\/strong>,”\u00a0following the word “mo<\/strong>” (my), please see the next note.<\/p>\n

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g\u00e9: http:\/\/www.clker.com\/clipart-11902.html<\/a>;\u00a0t\u00e9acs agus dearadh le R\u00f3isl\u00edn, 2016-5<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

5))\u00a0Le mo dhroimse, freisin<\/strong>. Down my<\/em> spine, also, lit. with my back, also.<\/p>\n

Pronunciation: Here’s our old friend, the voiced velar fricative, that is, the “dh-” of “dhroim<\/strong>.”\u00a0 We’ve had many guides for pronouncing this guttural (“throaty”) sound previously in this blog (nasc amh\u00e1in d\u00f3ibh th\u00edos<\/strong>).\u00a0 There’s no actual equivalent in English but you can find the sound in various other languages.\u00a0 Most recently I noted that it’s in the name of the amazing young singer “Amira Willighagen,” and the name of her hometown, Nijmegen.\u00a0 Now that I’ve become aware of the Dutch connection, I hear it also in the surname “Groot,” as in Boudewijn de Groot or Marike Groot.\u00a0 I never thought I’d be dealing with sloinnte Ollanacha<\/strong> in writing this blog, but you never know what will come up when you’re looking for sounds that aren’t in English!<\/p>\n

The “-se” suffix is added to emphasize the comparison with the previous statement, that both<\/em> geese experience the same feeling.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

g\u00e9: http:\/\/www.clker.com\/clipart-11902.html<\/a>;\u00a0t\u00e9acs agus dearadh le R\u00f3isl\u00edn, 2016-6<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

6)) Maidir liomsa, cuireann an l\u00edne sin craiceann g\u00e9 orm<\/strong>.\u00a0 As for me, that line gives me goosebumps, lit. that line puts gooseflesh on me.<\/p>\n

No special pronunciation challenges here, but remember that the broad “r” in “orm<\/strong>” is flapped (like a short light trill), so the word has two syllables, not one syllable like the Great Orme and the Little Orme in North Wales or the Orme School (in Arizona). \u00a0The second syllable is due to the “uh” sound between the “r” and the “m,” much like what happens with the Irish English pronunciation of “film” (“fillum”).<\/p>\n

In contrast, the “r’s” in “maidir<\/strong>” and “cuireann<\/strong>” are slender, so they are not flapped. \u00a0Instead, they have a buzzy sound that I represent with \u00a0“rzh<\/sup>” in my pronunciation guides [MADj-<\/sup>irzh <\/sup>\u00a0for “maidir<\/strong>” and Kw<\/sup>IRzh<\/sup>-un for “cuireann<\/strong>“]. \u00a0In the standard International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), it’s \/rj<\/sup>\/\u00a0and in the Irish-modified IPA, as laid out in the Focl\u00f3ir P\u00f3ca<\/em>, it’s \/r\u00b4\/.<\/p>\n

7)) This one is “guth an bhlag\u00e1la\u00ed<\/strong>” ([guh un VLAHG-awl-ee], the voice of the blogger), responding to<\/p>\n

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g\u00e9: http:\/\/www.clker.com\/clipart-11902.html<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

what the last goose said.\u00a0 \u201cH\u00e9! Craiceann g\u00e9? C\u00e9n d\u00f3igh is f\u00e9idir le l\u00edne char\u00fal Nollag craiceann g\u00e9 a chur ort m\u00e1s g\u00e9 cheart cheana f\u00e9in th\u00fa?<\/strong>\u00a0 Hey!\u00a0 Goosebumps?\u00a0 How can a line of a Christmas carol give you goosebumps if you’re already a right goose?\u00a0 A little more literally, that’s “How can a line of a Christmas carol put gooseflesh on you if you’re already a right goose?”<\/p>\n

In this sentence, we actually have a trio of sounds for “ch” — usually there are just two! \u00a0The first, in “char\u00fal<\/strong>” and “chur<\/strong>,” is “broad,” pronounced like the “ch” in German “Buch<\/em>,” Yiddish\/English “chutzpah.” and Welsh “bach\/fach<\/em>” or, just to\u00a0quadruple it up for a fun velar fricative workout, “ei chlochen a’i chwch<\/em>” (her bell-jar and her boat). \u00a0 The second “ch” sound, in “cheart<\/strong>,” is “slender,” pronounced like the “h” in “humid” or “human;” the “c” is actually silent. \u00a0And finally, quite idiosyncratically, the “ch” of “cheana<\/strong>” is not pronounced like the “ch” of “cheart<\/strong>” but like the “h” of English “hat” or “hot,” so “cheana<\/strong>” is pronounced “hanuh” (IPA \/han\u0259\/). \u00a0AFAIK, this is the only Irish word spelled with an slender initial “ch” where the “h” doesn’t have the “hy<\/sup>” sound of “humid” or “human.”<\/p>\n

So that’s six geese a-sayin’ –oops– what the six geese a-layin’ are a-sayin’ agus mo fhreagairt<\/strong>.\u00a0 I hope you found it both fun and helpful for practicing Irish.\u00a0 Next up, c\u00faig v\u00e9arsa eile an amhr\u00e1in<\/strong> (L\u00e1 8, 9, 10, 11, agus 12 na Nollag<\/strong>). — R\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/strong><\/p>\n

Naisc sa bhlag seo:<\/strong><\/p>\n

a))\u00a0Nasc<\/strong>\u00a0maidir leis na cuimiltigh ghl\u00f3racha<\/strong>: Saying \u201cI love you\u201d in Irish and Minding Your Velar Fricatives<\/a> Posted on Oct 9, 2011 (for the “dh” of “dhroim<\/strong>” and “dhroimse<\/strong>” and for thousands of other Irish words)<\/p>\n

b)) Liosta carnach nasc <\/strong>(cumulative list of links) maidir le “Dh\u00e1 L\u00e1 Dh\u00e9ag na Nollag” sa bhlag seo, ag tos\u00fa le 2010:<\/strong><\/p>\n

2010:\u00a0Dh\u00e1 L\u00e1 Dh\u00e9ag na Nollag\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/a>(The Twelve Days of Christmas)<\/em><\/a>,\u00a0Posted on 25. Dec, 2010<\/p>\n

Cearca Francacha agus Lonta Dubha (Cuid a D\u00f3 don tSraith: Dh\u00e1 L\u00e1 Dh\u00e9ag na Nollag)<\/em><\/a>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Posted on 29. Dec, 2010<\/p>\n

\u201c\u00d3r,\u201d \u201c\u00d3ir\u201d or \u201c\u00d3rga\u201d? \u201cF\u00e1inne\u201d or \u201c\u00c9an\u201d? \u00c9an?! (Cuid a Tr\u00ed: Dh\u00e1 L\u00e1 Dh\u00e9ag na Nollag)<\/em><\/a>\u00a0Posted on 31. Dec, 2010<\/p>\n

2011: G\u00e9anna agus Eala\u00ed (Cuid a Ceathair: Dh\u00e1 L\u00e1 Dh\u00e9ag na Nollag)<\/em><\/a>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Posted on 04. Jan, 2011<\/p>\n

Na hUimhreacha Pearsanta i nGaeilge\u00a0<\/em><\/a>(Irish Personal Numbers and\u00a0Cuid a C\u00faig\u00a0or the Last Installment of\u00a0Dh\u00e1 L\u00e1 Dh\u00e9ag na Nollag)<\/em><\/a>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Posted on 06. Jan, 2011<\/p>\n

2012:\u00a0B<\/u><\/em>unuimhreacha, Orduimhreacha is Maoluimhreacha \u2014 A Thiarcais!\u00a0<\/em><\/a>(Oh my!)<\/em><\/a>\u00a0Posted on 25. Dec, 2012<\/p>\n

2013: Speaking of Pigeons (Col\u00fair)<\/em><\/a> Posted\u00a0on Dec 14, 2013<\/p>\n

(<\/em>C\u00e9 Mh\u00e9ad Patraisc? C\u00e9 Mh\u00e9ad Drumad\u00f3ir? (or \u201912 L\u00e1 na Nollag\u2019 Redux and an Irish Counting Lesson to boot)<\/em><\/a>\u00a0Posted on 18. Dec, 2013<\/p>\n

2015: The Irish Twelve Days of Christmas Redux Redux with a Blogliography of Other Blogs on the Song<\/em><\/a>\u00a0Posted on Dec 25, 2015<\/p>\n

2016: C\u00e9n s\u00f3rt \u00e9in? C\u00e9n s\u00f3rt crainn? \u2014 Learning Irish from the Christmas Carol \u2018Dh\u00e1 L\u00e1 Dh\u00e9ag na Nollag\u2019 (12 Days of Christmas)<\/em><\/a> Posted\u00a0on Dec 20, 2016<\/p>\n

Ar an 2\u00fa agus\u00a0 an 3\u00fa l\u00e1 den Nollaig \u2013 dh\u00e1 fhear\u00e1n, tr\u00ed chearc fhrancacha (2 turtledoves, 3 French hens, for the 2nd and 3rd days of Christmas)<\/a>\u00a0Posted on Dec 24, 2016<\/p>\n

Ar an 4\u00fa, an 5\u00fa, an 6\u00fa agus an 7\u00fa l\u00e1 den Nollaig (birds, rings, and poultry for the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th days of Christmas) Cuid\/Part 1\/2<\/a>\u00a0Posted on Dec 27, 2016 (as it turned out, it’s really Part 1 of 3)<\/p>\n

Ar an 4\u00fa, an 5\u00fa, an 6\u00fa agus an 7\u00fa l\u00e1 den Nollaig (birds, rings, and poultry for the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th days of Christmas) Cuid \/ Part 2: Some Pronunciation Tips<\/a>\u00a0Posted \u00a0on Dec 29, 2016\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

(le R\u00f3isl\u00edn) Now that we’ve reviewed a few general pronunciation tips for “Dh\u00e1 L\u00e1 Dh\u00e9ag na Nollag” (The 12 Days of Christmas, blagmh\u00edr 12\/29), let’s look at dial\u00f3g na ng\u00e9anna as shown in the illustration\u00a0from 12\/27 (naisc do na blaganna th\u00edos).\u00a0 For this post, I’ve separated out each goose with its own speech balloon, so…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":8764,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3898],"tags":[390730,5343,13368,306262,474734,13365,474763,474762,6273,6274],"class_list":["post-8760","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-irish-language","tag-12-days-of-christmas","tag-ge","tag-geanna","tag-geese","tag-ghe","tag-goose","tag-goose-flesh","tag-gooseflesh","tag-nollag","tag-nollaig"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8760","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=8760"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8760\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10003,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8760\/revisions\/10003"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8764"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8760"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8760"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8760"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}