{"id":8981,"date":"2017-02-28T05:55:50","date_gmt":"2017-02-28T05:55:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/?p=8981"},"modified":"2017-03-16T20:45:23","modified_gmt":"2017-03-16T20:45:23","slug":"a-glossary-for-the-irish-in-neacha-neamhshaolta-trishuileach-three-eyed-or-otherwise-part-cuid-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/a-glossary-for-the-irish-in-neacha-neamhshaolta-trishuileach-three-eyed-or-otherwise-part-cuid-3\/","title":{"rendered":"A Glossary for the Irish in ‘Neacha Neamhshaolta’\u00a0 (Tr\u00edsh\u00faileach \/ Three-eyed, or Otherwise), Part \/ Cuid 3"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

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Lately we’ve\u00a0been looking at some vocabulary from the recent blogposts on the theme of “neacha neamhshaolta<\/strong>” (aliens from outer space).\u00a0 We’ve looked at how many eyes a creature might have (tr\u00ed sh\u00fail, mar shampla<\/strong>) and how to say “antennae” for “aliens” as opposed to an antenna for radio and TVs (i.e. aerial), and yes, they are two different words (aint\u00e9in\u00ed vs. aer\u00f3g, gan a bheith ag tr\u00e1cht ar “chluasa coin\u00edn,” ach caithfidh m\u00e9 a admh\u00e1il n\u00e1r chuala m\u00e9 an nath cainte B\u00e9arla sin le fada<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

Our third main choice for description, as shown in the recent illustrations, is “opposable thumbs,” and this will be the last in our mionsraith<\/strong> for a while. \u00a0I know, I know, I could have chosen many other features like the following (with the aistri\u00fach\u00e1in<\/strong> available th\u00edos<\/strong>): gainn\u00ed, braiteoga, s\u00faile ar ghais, amharc x-gha, baill an bh\u00e9il, rubaill, cosa scamallacha, eiseachn\u00e1mharlaigh<\/strong> and on the more abstract side, cumhachta\u00ed teileapaiteacha agus cumhachta\u00ed teilichin\u00e9iteacha<\/strong>.\u00a0 But “opposable thumbs” looked like fun, plus it gives us a chance to review the basic “ord\u00f3g<\/strong>” (thumb). Also, it reminded me of Sissy Hanshaw in Even Cowgirls Get the Blues<\/em>, with her outsized thumbs, making them even more “opposable” than the standard set that most of us are born with.\u00a0 And according to some predictions of the near future, thumbs will evolve to grow larger (for texting, etc.), while our arms and legs\u00a0may shrink.<\/p>\n

Tricky thing, though, is that Irish has a fairly lengthy phrase for the opposable aspect, not a succinct compound adjective like “opposable” (from the Latin opp\u014dnere<\/em>, to put, place or set against < ob<\/em>-, against, on + p\u014dnere<\/em>, to put, place, or set ).\u00a0\u00a0 The word has been used in English to describe thumbs since 1833, but I’ve only seen the Irish phrase in relatively recent years.\u00a0 Of course, as it happens, I don’t know any Irish-speaking *pr\u00edomhacheolaithe<\/strong>, whose conversation would no doubt hinge more on the opposability of thumbs than my everyday comhr\u00e1<\/strong> would.\u00a0 As a rule of thumb, of course.<\/p>\n

Let’s dispense with “to oppose” first, as the basis of the English adjective “opposable.”<\/p>\n

Among the Irish words for “to oppose” are “cur i gcoinne<\/strong>,” “cur in \u00e9adan<\/strong>,” and “cur in aghaidh<\/strong>,” each of which is a phrasal verb (in these cases, three-word phrasals), basically meaning “to put against.”<\/p>\n

The Irish for “opposable thumb,” as you can tell from the caption in the graphic above, is “o<\/strong>rd\u00f3g is f\u00e9idir a chur i gcoinne na m\u00e9ar<\/strong>,” lit. a thumb that [it is] possible to put against the fingers,” more of a descriptive phrase than a concise equivalent, I’d say.<\/p>\n

And now for the “thumb” part: ord\u00f3g<\/strong>.\u00a0 Here are some of its basic forms:<\/p>\n

an ord\u00f3g<\/strong>, the thumb<\/p>\n

na ord\u00f3ige, of the thumb<\/p>\n

na hord\u00f3ga, the thumbs<\/p>\n

na n-ord\u00f3g, of the thumbs<\/p>\n

As for na hord\u00f3ga thuas sa ghrafaic<\/strong>, here are the creatures, person or alien to whom they belong, answering the question “C\u00e9 leo iad<\/strong>?” (also in the graphic):<\/p>\n

1) mionsiompansa\u00ed<\/strong>, bonobo, lit. mini-chimpanzee<\/p>\n

2) apasam Virginia<\/strong>, Virginia opossum<\/p>\n

3) c\u00f3\u00e1la<\/strong>, koala<\/p>\n

4) siompansa<\/strong>\u00ed, chimpanzee<\/p>\n

5) neach neamhshaolta d\u00e9mh\u00e9arach d\u00e9ladhrach<\/strong>, two-fingered, two-toed\u00a0alien from outer space, lit. otherworldly or unearthly being; and yeah, I’m the one interpreting those fingers as opposable. \u00a0If I were an alien from outer space with only two fingers per hand, I’d sure as Camazotz want to make sure that those two digits were opposable.<\/p>\n

6) Abraham Lincoln, agus staidi\u00fair<\/strong> (a pose) mhachnamhach air<\/strong><\/p>\n

So, sin na hord\u00f3ga sna s\u00e9 phicti\u00far thuas<\/strong>. \u00a0Sometime soon maybe we’ll segue from neacha neamhshaolta<\/strong> to L\u00e1 Fh\u00e9ile P\u00e1draig<\/strong>, given that some of those neacha neamhshaolta<\/strong> could be the infamous “fir bheaga ghlasa<\/strong>,” previously discussed briefly in this blog \u00a0(nasc th\u00edos, sa bhlag faoi na b\u00e9igil<\/strong>).\u00a0 Daichead imir den ghlas do mh\u00ed an Mh\u00e1rta<\/strong>, and all that.<\/p>\n

Now that we can imagine a neach neamhshaolta<\/strong> tr\u00edsh\u00faileach le dh\u00e1 aint\u00e9ine agus le hord\u00f3ga is f\u00e9idir a chur in gcoinne na m\u00e9ar<\/strong>, perhaps someone would like to design their own alien from outer space and describe it here for others to read.\u00a0 And remember, if you want to describe some other features, there are some suggestions in the glossary below. \u00a0There are also some links below, for previous blogposts in this mini-series.\u00a0 And finally, because they’re such amazing situations, I’ve included two extra links, one to America’s national “What If Cats and Dogs Had Opposable Thumbs Day” (held annually on March 3rd), yep, d\u00e1ir\u00edre<\/strong>, and scond, a cat with a seeming opposable thumb. \u00a0Who knows when I’d ever have another chance to mention those again and still be on topic. \u00a0On that note, SGF — R\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/strong><\/p>\n

A. Naisc d’iarbhlagmh\u00edreanna<\/strong>:
\nA Glossary for the Irish in \u2018Neacha Neamhshaolta\u2019 (Tr\u00edsh\u00faileach \/ Three-eyed, or Otherwise), Part \/ Cuid 2<\/a>\u00a0Posted by r\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/a> on Feb 26, 2017 in Irish Language<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

A Glossary for the Irish in \u2018Neacha Neamhshaolta\u2019 (Tr\u00edsh\u00faileach \/ Three-eyed, or Otherwise), Cuid \/ Part 1<\/a>\u00a0Posted by r\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/a> on Feb 24, 2017 in Irish Language<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Design Your Own \u2018Neach Neamhshaolta\u2019 and Describe It in Irish, or, What\u2019s the Gaeilge for \u2018I Have Two Antennae, or Three Eyes or Four Opposable Thumbs\u2019?<\/a>\u00a0Posted by r\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/a> on Feb 22, 2017 in Irish Language<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Cine\u00e1lacha Frasa\u00edochta (Irish Terms for Types of Precipitation: Rain, Snow, Sleet, Hail)<\/a>\u00a0Posted by r\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/a> on Feb 16, 2017 in Irish Language<\/a>\u00a0(for the original inchinn neach neamhshaolta<\/strong> in this mionsraith ad hoc<\/strong>).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

B\u00e9igil: Uaine n\u00f3 Glas? (Which Type of \u2018Green\u2019 for Bagels?)<\/a>Posted by\u00a0r\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/a>\u00a0on Mar 27, 2013 in\u00a0Irish Language<\/a><\/p>\n

B. Naisc faoi mhadra\u00ed agus faoi chait:<\/strong><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.petcentric.com\/02-28-2010\/what-if-cats-and-dogs-had-opposable-thumbs-day\/<\/p>\n

and an apparently real-life cat with a sort of opposable thumb, which turns out to be an example of poladachtaile<\/strong>:
\nhttps:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=2hngBzDDyFE\u00a0 (Amazing Cat Gives Thumbs Up). \u00a0Or is this cat a product of CAD — diabhal a fhios agam<\/strong><\/p>\n

gluais<\/strong>: gainn\u00ed (scales), braiteoga (tentacles), s\u00faile ar ghais s\u00faile (eyes on stalks), amharc x-gha (x-ray vision), baill an bh\u00e9il (mouth parts), rubaill (tails), cosa scamallacha (webbed feet), eiseachn\u00e1mharlaigh (exoskeletons), cumhachta\u00ed teileapaiteacha (telepathic powers), cumhachta\u00ed teilichin\u00e9iteacha (telekinetic powers)<\/p>\n

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(le R\u00f3isl\u00edn)                           Lately we’ve\u00a0been looking at some vocabulary from the recent blogposts on the theme of “neacha neamhshaolta” (aliens from outer space).\u00a0 We’ve looked at how many eyes a creature might have (tr\u00ed sh\u00fail, mar shampla) and how to say “antennae” for…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":8987,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3898],"tags":[298633,489226,4577,489229,4981,489228,202308,306971,474888,489227,489225,474891,489230,489224,3576,218853],"class_list":["post-8981","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-irish-language","tag-alien","tag-bonobo","tag-cat","tag-chimpanzee","tag-dog","tag-koala","tag-lincoln","tag-neach","tag-neamhshaolta","tag-opossum","tag-opposable","tag-ordog","tag-outer","tag-poladachtaile","tag-space","tag-thumb"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8981","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=8981"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8981\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9001,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8981\/revisions\/9001"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8987"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8981"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}