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Post by skyscape on May 12, 2008 8:40:27 GMT -5
This thread is for anyone who has ever wondered what certain Gaelic words, phrases, songs and song titles in Enya's repertoire actually mean. I would like to be able to throw some light on these if there are questions
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Post by Treecat on May 12, 2008 8:56:41 GMT -5
Thanks very much, Sky. I'll revisit some of the Gaelic songs. I know I'll have questions for you. Let's see.. I'll have to go back before Amarantine....
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Post by riene on May 12, 2008 21:58:50 GMT -5
If you're willing to play language-teacher, Sky, I'd like to learn a few basic words of Gaelic. A pronunciation key would be most helpful as well! Gaelic looks quite confusing....all those silent letters and combinations that change the sound.
How do you say basic phrases such as hello, goodbye, good morning, goodnight, please, thanks, you're welcome, yes, no?
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Post by skyscape on May 13, 2008 3:35:46 GMT -5
Sure Riene:
hello - Dia Dhuit (jee-ah ditch)
goodbye - Slán (Slaaaahn)
good morning - Maidin mhaith (Mah-jeeen why)
goodnight - Oíche Mhaith (eeh-hya why)
please - Le do thoil (Luh daw hull)
thanks - Go raibh maith agat (Gurra mwy aggit)
you're welcome - Tá fáilte romhat (Tah fwaltcha row-hat)
yes, no? Tá (Tah) / Níl (Nyee-ool)
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Post by bigwiglaf on Jun 10, 2008 19:41:29 GMT -5
Many thanks for the Irish tutorial, sky.....
I've an Enya-related query....I have a copy of The Duggans and Friends cd here, and was curious as to a translation and brief history behind the song 'Baidin Fheidhlimidh', as well as the correct pronunciation of this song title...
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Post by skyscape on Jun 11, 2008 6:41:42 GMT -5
Many thanks for the Irish tutorial, sky..... I've an Enya-related query....I have a copy of The Duggans and Friends cd here, and was curious as to a translation and brief history behind the song 'Baidin Fheidhlimidh', as well as the correct pronunciation of this song title... Well I'm no expert but I think Báidín Fheidhlimigh' means 'Phelim's Little Boat' and should be pronounced 'Baw-jeen Ell-imm-ee'....all I can remember is a few lines (it's a bit like a nursery rhyme): "Báidín Fheidhlimidh, d'imigh go Gabhla Báidín Fheidhlimidh, is Feidhlimidh ann" "'Phelim's Little Boat left for Gola Island" "Phelim's Little Boat' and Phelim in it"Gola is a little island off Gaoth Dobhair which used to be inhabited.
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Post by riene on Jun 11, 2008 8:19:43 GMT -5
*blinks* I thought Welsh was hard. Gaelic pronunciation has nothing to do with the consonants or vowels, apparently!
Thank you for the handful of words above, Sky!
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Post by Treecat on Jun 11, 2008 9:52:47 GMT -5
Does Gaelic have vowels? The way that words are separated but pronounced as if they're run together makes pronunciation hard, too. Thanks for breaking the pronunciation down, Sky. Are there any simple rules of pronunciation you could pass on to us? Such as, "..aidin" seems to be pronounced "jeen". Is that always the case?
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Post by skyscape on Jun 11, 2008 15:15:53 GMT -5
Yes there is a logic to the sound system.
Basically, Irish like Welsh and other Celtic languages contains a lot of mutations so there are two main types of mutation:
Aspiration (adding a 'h' after the consonant which changes the sound) Example: croí = heart, but "mo chroí" = my heart. Therefore 'mo' aspirates the following word. But, only where the follwoing letter is mutable i.e b,c,d,f,g,m,p,s,t,
Eclipsis (adding a brand new letter to the start of a word which changes the sound) Doire = Derry but 'in Derry' is 'i nDoire'. Therfore 'i' causes eclipsis of the following word if that word begins with a mutable letter: b,c,d,f,g,p,t
(I'm rushing this so maybe there are a few omissions)...
@tc: Simple Rules for pronunciation....let me see, um, ah........none that spring to mind!!!
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Post by bigwiglaf on Jun 11, 2008 16:06:33 GMT -5
Wow....who'd have thought learning Irish could be difficult for a non-speaker.... And thanks for your translation, sky....I must say, it's interesting to hear Leo sing it, too, Baidin Fheidhlimidh....even though it's only part of the song he sings....
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Post by Treecat on Jun 11, 2008 16:19:07 GMT -5
.. @tc: Simple Rules for pronunciation....let me see, um, ah........none that spring to mind!!! LOL! I had a feeling! But what you just provided is interesting, and something for me to chew on as I look at song lyrics and such. You'll get more questions, I know. General query: how much does Gaelic differ between one geographical region and another in Ireland? Are there more differences beyond accents? Do words and spellings change from one area to the next? Big, Leo's CD is great. I've played it often, and everytime I do send a thank you to the kind person who sent it to me.
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Post by ardens on Jan 13, 2011 15:56:49 GMT -5
The Brennans seem to be pretty good language ambassadors. Being a tutor for students who start learning Irish at my university, I asked some of them why they wanted to learn the language. "I heard Enya/ Clannad singing in Irish and fell in love with the language" was one of the most popular answers next to "I love Ireland" and "I study English and thought I could learn another dialect....".
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Post by Moe on Jan 13, 2011 19:17:41 GMT -5
The Brennans seem to be pretty good language ambassadors. Being a tutor for students who start learning Irish at my university, I asked some of them why they wanted to learn the language. "I heard Enya/ Clannad singing in Irish and fell in love with the language" was one of the most popular answers next to "I love Ireland" and "I study English and thought I could learn another dialect....". That's very cool, ardens. I didn't know you tutored Irish - sounds like a fun job!
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Post by ardens on Jan 17, 2011 16:55:02 GMT -5
Yes, it is fun indeed. Some students are quite enthusiastic and I profit a lot from teaching because I have to repeat a lot of grammar.
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Post by Moe on Jan 20, 2011 15:00:56 GMT -5
Yes, it is fun indeed. Some students are quite enthusiastic and I profit a lot from teaching because I have to repeat a lot of grammar. Do you have any sense of how much interest there is in learning Irish these days?
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