Posts tagged with "Lochlannach"

Cultacha Samhna don Bhliain 2011

Posted by róislín No Comments
Oct 18 2011

(le Róislín)

As some of you may recall, last year we did a little vocabulary match-up with Halloween costumes.  Let’s try it again for 2011.

Each costume name has two words or phrases in Irish, one in Colún A and the other in Colún B.  One thing to remember is that word order in Irish is frequently the reverse of the English, so Colún A may not come first in English!

Nóta eile: Chuir mé comharthaí athfhriotail (“ …”) thart fá dhá théarma anseo mar ní dóigh liom gur gnáthchomhfhocail iad. 

Colún A:                                   Colún B

1) “Coslampa”                        a) gairdín

2) feairín                                 b) Gryffindor

3) róba                                    c) Uigingeach (Lochlannach)

4) laoch                                   d) zombaí

5) “stocamhoncaí”               e) Scéal Nollag

“Stocamhoncaí,” an ea?  ‘Sea, tá a leithéid sin de chulaith ann, agus cineálacha eile stocamhoncaithe freisin.  Tagann an “gnáthstocamhoncaí” i méideanna do naíonáin go daoine fásta agus tá leagan  “sassy” de ann freisin, do mhná fásta, le gúna agus loirgneáin theolaí!

“Coslampa”?  Sin focal nach gcloisfidh tú go minic ach is cuid de phopíocónagrafaíocht Mheiriceánach anois é, ó 1983 nuair a tháinig an scannán faoi “Ralphie Parker” amach.  Cé hé an “Ralphie Parker” sin?  Leagan ficseanach d’údar an bhunscéil, Jean Shepherd, faoina óige.

Céard fútsa, maidir le cultacha Samhna? Cén chulaith is fearr leat, nó cén chulaith ab fhearr leat nuair a bhí tú óg?  Nó an ea nach ndeachaigh tú amach agus culaith Shamhna ort?  Ní dhéantar é in áiteanna.

An ceann ab fhearr liomsa, ceann a chuir mé féin le chéile as rudaí sa teach agus péint spraeála liath ná “mactíre i gcraiceann na gcaorach.”  Fiosrach?  Níos mó eolais an chéad uair eile.  SGF, ó Róislín

Gluais: amhras, doubt; comhfhocal, compound word; cos, leg (also means “foot” but not here); fásta, grown; feairín, gnome; gnáth-, ordinary; leagan, version; Lochlannach, Scandinavian, sometimes “Viking;” loirgneán teolaí, leg warmer (pl. loirgneáin theolaí, with the adjective lenited because of the plural ending of “loirgneáin,” created by inserting the letter “i”); dála an scéil, focal eile orthu: lóipíní); moncaí, monkey (pl: moncaithe); Uigingeach, Viking (related to the surname “Ó hUiginn” / Higgins)

Freagraí: 1e) Coslampa Scéal Nollag, 2a) feairín gairdín, 3b) róba Gryffindor, 4c) laoch Uigingeach (Lochlannach), 5d) stocamhoncaí zombaí

Nóta: má tá aon amhras agat faoi stocamhoncaithe mar chultacha Samhna: http://www.buycostumes.com/Zombie-Sock-Monkey-Child-Costume/800412/ProductDetail.aspx

 

Frásaí Eile leis an bhFocal “Lochlannach”

Posted by róislín No Comments
Jan 20 2010

Recently we discussed various usages of the word “Lochlannach,” which can be translated in various ways, including “Scandinavian” and “Norse.”  It’s used for Norway Spruce (sprús Lochlannach) and for Swedish goosefoot (blonagán Lochlannach).  I promised at least one more example, tastily potable, if it can be found to exist!  That was before the géarchéim happened in Haiti.  Today, there was an iarchrith, so I may return to the subject, but for now, back to “an bheoir Lochlannach.”  So how would we know if it tastes good if it might not exist?  Lean ort ag léamh!  Read on!

 

First the legend, in brief, then the term.  Between about 1000 and 2000 years ago, depending on whether your version of the legend concerns Vikings/Danes or Picts, the recipe for “beoir Lochlannach” was well-known to a certain tribe.  However that tribe was defeated and almost entirely killed in battle.  The last marthanóir who knew the recipe refused to yield it up, leading to his death and the loss of the oideas (recipe).  For those of you who know the story, I’m deliberately leaving out the emotional tension of the story, to avoid spoilers. 

 

By the time the legend as we know it had evolved, this “beoir” had acquired mythical stature, as fantastic as the fountain of eternal youth or ambróise Oilimpeach.   It may well have continued to be produced in remote areas, but it didn’t evolve into a commercial product.  If you haven’t read the legend before, there are many versions online and in print, including Robert Louis Stevenson’s. 

 

Now, to the téarmaí.  There are at least two names in Irish for this beverage: beoir Lochlannach and leann fraoigh.  The latter is literally “ale of fraoch, heather.  In English, this beverage is generally referred to as “heather-ale,” not a “beoir” and not using any ethnic reference in its name.  “Beoir” normally means “beer,” though we’ll have reason to question that here, as you’ll see. 

 

I imagine all you grúdairí baile and *símeoirí out there might have something to say about using “beoir” for “ale,” which is normally “leann.”  I can only say that I didn’t invent the term, and that the second phrase, “leann fraoigh,” does use the word for “ale.” 

 

But there’s an interesting twist to this story. You can read more about the possible derivation of the use of the word “beoir” in this context at http://zythophile.wordpress.com/2008/07/23/heather-ale-scots-or-irish/. The author proposes that “beoir Lochlannach” isn’t really beer OR ale as we know it, but rather a sweet mead, which would be “meá” in Irish.  If you need to clarify it as being sweet, you could say “meá mhilis,” but I’ve never heard of a mead that wasn’t sweet, so that might be iomarcach (redundant). 

 

And of course, if the beoir/leann/meá (beer/ale/mead) is really Pictish, then we shouldn’t be using “Lochlannach” at all, but rather “Piochtach” or “Cruithneach.”  But scéal na bPiochtaí, nó scéal na gCruithneach, sin scéal eile.  Ábhar blag eile.

 

For the final assessment, we’re almost at the 25th anniversary of the commercial revival of heather ale.  You can check it out further and, if you’re in An Ríocht Aontaithe (UK, mainland only, the site says) order some at http://www.williamsbrosbrew.com/ which also has ales made with feamainn, péine, and caor throim (seaweed, pine, and elderberry).  The website http://www.beermenus.com/beers/fraoch-heather-ale lists pubs in Nua-Eabhrac, Filideilfia, and Siceagó that stock Fraoch Heather Ale. 

 

*Zymurgists.  Sadly, I can’t find any actual existing Irish term for zymurgy or its partner term, zymology.   But, to boldly coin a term where no one has coined before (fad m’eolais), we could have something like “símeoiracht” for the art or process of fermenting, based on “miotalóireacht,”  the art or process of metallurgy.  And we could have “símeolaíocht” for “zymology,” based on “miotaleolaíocht,” metallurgy as a field of study.  A parallel coinage would be “síomáis,” based on “zymase,” the enzyme which is the root of all these terms.  All these, and the word “enzyme” itself seem to be based on the Greek “zumē” (leaven).  But I’ll leave that to the blagálaithe Gréigise. 

 

Nótaí: géarchéim [gyayr-hyaym] crisis; iar-, post-; iarchrith [EE-ur-HRIH, silent c and t] aftershock; fraoch [freekh or frookh, depending on dialect] heather; fraoigh [free] of heather; grúdairí baile, home-brewers; fad m’eolais [fahd MOHL-ish] AFAIK.

 

Do watch out for the word “meá” since it has dhá chomhainm (two homonyms): “meá” (a scale, measure, or weight) and “meá” (fishing-ground).  All are pronounced the same, with the initial “m” like “mute” or “muse.”    

Tragóid i Háití: An Crith Talún

Posted by róislín No Comments
Jan 15 2010

Before returning to the ábhar éadromchroích I had planned for following up on “Lochlannach,” I want to introduce some terms for discussing na himeachtaí i Háití. 

 

Mostly this will just be in list format, since I find the situation almost too overwhelming,

especially so close on the heels of other disasters around the world, to weave much of a text around it.  But perhaps some of you would like to send some smaointe using these frásaí in to the comments section.   

 

an t-adhlacadh [un TELL-uk-uh, both “dh’s” silent]: the burial

an bás (pl. na básanna): the death, the fatality

an brablach: the rubble

an Criól: the Creole (language)

an crith talún [krih TAL-oon] (pl: na creathanna [KRA-hun-nuh] talún): the earthquake

an daonra: the population

an deor (pl. na deora): the tear

an t-eipealár: the epicenter

an éasclíne [AYSK-LEEN-yeh]: the fault line (éasc, m, fault, in the geological sense + líne, f, line; since “líne” is feminine, the compound word éasclíne is feminine)

an leathsféar thiar: the western hemisphere (leath + sféar)

an méid [maydj]: the magnitude (also, “amount,” in general)

an t-oibrí cabhrach [KOW-rukh]: the aid worker

an t-olladhlacadh [un TOLL-ell-uk-uh]: the mass burial

an riosca seismeach [SHESH-makh]: the seismic risk

an tír is boichte [un tcheer iss BWIH-tcheh]: the poorest country (“boichte” is from “bocht,” poor.  “Bocht” has a broad “ch,” like the German and Yiddish sounds we’ve discussed previously.  “Boichte,” the superlative form, has a slender “ch,” meaning it’s very breathy, but not in the throat like “bocht” is.  You might know the slender “ch” also from words like “oíche” [EE-hyeh] or “fiche” [FIH-hyeh], “night” and “twenty” respectively.  The sound is like the initial “h” in words like “hew,” “Hugh,” and “humid.”  It’s not easy to represent in Roman letters.  In IPA, the sound would be represented by /x’/.  IPA is a great tool for learning Irish if you use a book that uses that transcription system such as the Foclóir Póca.  If you decide to learn IPA for Irish, remember that the Foclóir Póca uses “Irish-modified” IPA, which is a bit of a saga unto itself, so Á.B.E. (ábhar blag eile).

 

Coiste Idirnáisiúnta na Croise Deirge: the International Committee of the Red Cross

Crois Dhearg na hÉireann: the Irish Red Cross Society

scála Richter: Richter scale

 

ag caoineadh, ag gol: crying, weeping; caoineadh coscrach, heart-rending lamenting

ag sileadh na ndeor: shedding tears (as the subject of a sentence, deora is the plural, but here the plural form drops the final “-a,” for a combination of two reasons – it’s definite in Irish (na ndeor) though not in English, and it follows a verbal noun).   

ar iarraidh: missing

marbh: dead; na mairbh: the dead (as a noun)

 

an Háitíoch (pl, as noun: na Háitígh) [HAWTCH-eee, the last syllable drawn out just a tad longer than normal]: Haitian

 

Háití: There’s not too much difference in the spelling of Haiti in English and in Irish, except that the Irish has the two long vowels.  While many country names in Irish are preceded by the definite article (An Spáinn, An Fhrainc, An Bholaiv, an tSeapáin), some, like Háití and many others (Meicsiceo, Ceanada, Cúba, Eacuadór, Lucsamburg), are not.  “Háití” is feminine, as are many country names, but with no definite article and no lenitable consonant at the beginning of the word, it’s almost impossible to predict the inscne (gender).

 

“Tá ár bhféiniúlacht caillte againn.  Ní eisim.”  Sin dhá abairt choscracha ó mharantóir a bhí ar an nuacht agus a bhfuil Gaeilge curtha agam orthu. 

 

Nótaí: féiniúlacht, identity; caillte, lost; abairt, sentence; coscrach, heart-rending; eisim [ESH-im], I exist, in the philosophical sense; marantóir, survivor.  There are at least two more ways one could say “I don’t exist”—Níl mé ann (lit. I’m not in it, i.e. in existence) or “Níl mo leithéid ann,” a twist on the well-known expression “Ní bheidh ár leithéidí arís ann” (the likes of us will not exist again”), but here expressed in the present tense, giving it some added poignancy.  Hmm, maybe a fourth way, “Is neamhdhuine mé,” (I’m a non-entity/non-person).   

 

Nótaí deiridh: éadrom, light (adj); croíoch, -hearted; imeacht, going; imeachtaí, events

 

 

 

 

Deireadh Shéasúr na Nollag – faoi dheireadh!

Posted by róislín No Comments
Jan 9 2010

Bhuel, here are the last few terms I can eke out before we’re totally báite i dtéarmaí Vailintín.  Perhaps you can save them for an Nollaig seo chugainn (next Christmas). 

 

an páipéar beartán, the wrapping paper

 

an chloch guail, the lump of coal (for the stockings of all ye buachaillí agus cailíní dána, otherwise known as “bold brazen articles”). 

 

an sprús Lochlannach, as in the 76-foot high tree which was taken down yesterday from Lárionad Rockefeller i Nua-Eabhrac after its réimeas [reign] cúig seachtainí, overlooking Sráid Daichead a Naoi agus Sráid a Caoga i meánbhaile Mhanhattan. 

 

And finally, three different names for Epiphany or Three Kings’ Day (January 6):

 

Eipeafáine, Epiphany

 

Nollaig Bheag, Little Christmas, a term also found in some other languages like Gailísis (Nadalinho) and Fionnlainnis (pikkujoulu).  This term can lead to some confusion, though, in Irish, since it can also mean New Year’s Day (which is normally Lá Caille, lit. “Day of the Caileann or “Calends”).  So I’d recommend using either the formal term (Eipeafáine) or “Nollaig na mBan” for January 6th.

 

Nollaig na mBan, lit. the Christmas of the Women, so-called because, supposedly, men did the obair tí and women got to relax and socialize together.  “Lá amháin sa bhliain ag déanamh obair an tí, a fheara?” a deirimse.  What about the other 364?  A chuid is a chomhroinn do gach aon duine, whether we want it or not. 

 

As “Twelfth-day,” we also have the terms “Lá Chinn an Dá Lá Dhéag” (day of end/head of the twelve days).  Note that this phrase doesn’t literarlly use the adjective “twelfth,” which would be composed of “dara” or “dóú” plus “d(h)éag,” as in “an dara duine dhéag” (the 12th person) or “an dóú bord déag” (the 12th table).  Instead, we have “an dá lá dhéag,” which is literally “the two (and) ten days.”  “Twelfth-night” is “Oíche Chinn an Dá Lá Dhéag”

 

Nótaí: faoi dheireadh [fwee YERzh-uh] at last, lit. “under end;” bhuel [wel] well, just as in English; meánbhaile [MYAWN-WAHL-yeh] midtown (note: bhí orm cor a bhaint as [to tweak] an gcomhfhocal seo mar ní bhfuair mé aon réamhshampla [precedent] dó); Mhanhattan [wan-HAT-an], the possessive form of “Manhattan” in Irish, with lenition; a fheara! [uh AR-uh] men! (in direct address); comhroinn [koh-rin] equal part.

 

“Sprús Lochlannach,” this is literally “Norwegian spruce,” not “Norway spruce,” as the English specifies. Irish does the same for “Canada goose” (gé Cheanadach).  I’ve actually never understood why we don’t use the adjective forms in English (or at least we’re not supposed to, though I’ve heard “Canadian” for geese often enough). 

The Ins and Outs of Immigration and Emigration Terminology – Inimirce agus Eisimirce i nGaeilge

Posted by róislín No Comments
Jul 5 2009

We recently had a ceist (question) about some terms having to do with inimirce (immigration).  Seo samplóir téarmaí: 

 

port eisimirce, emigration port, mar shampla, An Cóbh, Contae Chorcaí.

 

port inimirce, immigration port, mar shampla, Filideilfia, Pennsylvania

 

A similar term is “longphort iontrála,” lit. ship-port of entry

 

That last term introduces “long,” the word for “ship.”  A few samples with “long” or its possessive form “loinge”:

 

lastliosta loinge, ship’s manifest (lit. “cargo-list of ship”)

 

Can you figure out what types of ships these are?  See clues below.

 

long chogaidh, long fhada, long Lochlannach, long sholais, cathlong, and lastlong

 

Getting back to the word “port,” it’s quite well established in Irish.  It shows up clearly in a variety of place names, such as Port an Dúnáin (Portadown), Port Láirge (Waterford), and Port Stíobhaird (Portstewart), to name just a few. 

 

Slightly disguised, it also appears in words and phrases like:

calafort, harbor, based on “caladh” (landing place, port) and “phort” (lenited form of “port”). Yes, the phrase is almost an athluaiteachas rófhoclach (redundant tautology) but no more so than “salsa sauce” (“salsa” meaning sauce) or “chicken pollo” (“pollo” meaning chicken).

Tollán Chalafort Bhaile Átha Cliath, Dublin Port Tunnel,

aerfort, airport, based on “aer” (air) and “phort” (lenited form of “port”),

Aerfort na Sionainne, Shannon Airport, and,

Aerfort Iarthar Éireann, Cnoc Mhuire, Ireland West Airport Knock, in County Mayo. 

 

And, by the way, if you’re talking about birds, that’s “imirce” (migration).  A migratory laborer, in the Irish context, is a spailpín, as immortalized in the folksong, “An Spailpín Fánach.”  That song, in turn, has lent its name to a gift shop specializing in Irish-language t-shirts, toys, and gifts, www.spailpin.com, located in the heart of the Conamara Gaeltacht, an Spidéal.  More formally, a migratory laborer would be called an “oibrí imirceach.” 

 

Leideanna (clues):

cogadh, war; fada, long; Lochlannach, Viking; solas, light; cath, battle; lasta, cargo

 

Leideanna fuaimnithe:

ceist [kesht], Cnoc Mhuire [knuk WIR-eh], eisimirce [ESH-IM-irk-yeh], long chogaidh [lung KHUG-ee], long sholais [lung HOL-ish], mar shampla [mahr HAHMP-luh].  A final note, to pronounce the word for ship, “long,” it may look just like the English word “long” (in length), but isn’t pronounced quite the same.  It’s closer to English “lung,” and probably best described as halfway between English “lung” and “long.” 

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