Re: Irish Gaelic is evil!

Hey!

Yesterday, we talked about the "Gaeltacht" and the Irish
language, which is according to our teacher "very difficult
to learn as for pronounciation. Imagine, every consonant
letter exists twice in pronounciation, there's a so-called
slender and a broad version. The grammar is a good deal
different as well, but still there are people who want to
learn this language" (Obligatory question: "Why?"). We got
some sheets with comic-style drawn scenes taken from
everyday life which are entirely in Gaelic with a
"fowna-LO-dzha-kil" transcription, presumably taken from a
primer or teach-yourself booklet ... Well, even my teacher
said it'd be a pity there's no real IPA transliteration.

Sheet 1: "Ceacht a hAon" (Lesson 1): BEANNACHTAÍ (Greetings)

A man meets a friend at home, but her dog is making things
difficult since it doesn't like the man ...

-- Dia duit. (JEE-ah ditch) Hello.
   Fáilte (FWAL-tche) Welcome.
-- Dia is Muire duit. (JEE-ah iss MWER-ah ditch[1]) Hello!
   (reply)
-- Cad é mar tá tú? (cad ay mar TAW too) How are you?
-- Go maith, go raibh maith agat. (guh moyh, guh roe moyh
   agat) Well, thank you.
-- Go measartha, go raibh maith agat. (guh MASS-ar-ha, guh
   roe moyh agat.) Fair, thanks.

A dog (madra) is biting the man.

-- Imigh leat, a dhiabhail. (im-ee lyat, a yeaw-il) Take
   yourself off, you devil!
-- Tar isteach. (tar iss-TCHAH) Come in.
-- Slán. (slawn) Good-bye.

The woman waves looking out of her "doras".


[1] The sound example from the Encarta 99 says something
like /d_jA "Is "mO4a d_jUt/ IIRC, it's another dialect.


Sheet 2: Ceacht a Dó (Lesson 2): AN AIMSIR (the weather)

It's a "maidin deas" (MA-jen jass, nice morning) and the
"grian" (gree-an, sun) is shining when a man who wears a
"hata" (hat) is walking on the trá (traw, beach), talking
to a woman who is sun-bathing.

-- Tá sé go breá (Taw shay guh braw) It's fine.
-- Tá, cinnte (Taw, KINN-tche) It is, indeed

The man wipes away the sweat on his face with a
"ciarsúr" (KEER-soor, handkerchief). Then it starts to
rain, the woman complains

-- Tá sé ag cur anois." (Taw shay ag kur an-ISH)
   It's raining now.
-- Tá sé damanta fuar (Taw shay DAM-an-ta fuar) It's
   damnably cold.

The waves of "an fharraige" (an AR-ig-e, the sea) are high,
the man freezes due to his wet "léine" (shirt). Then the
sun comes out agian. The woman:

-- Tá sé deas te. (Taw shay jass tcheh) It's nice and hot.

She lies with her towel on the "gaineamh" (GAN-yew, sand)
again.

Then again, clouds come nearer, the man:

-- Tá sé scamallach. (Taw shay SKAM-al-ah) It's cloudy.

Then you see both holding the other in their arms.

-- Oíche mhaith anois. (EE-heh woyh an-ISH) Good night now.


Sheet 3: Ceacht a Trí (Lesson 3): SA TEACH TÁBHAIRNE (In the
pub)

A "fear" (far, man) comes into a pub and asks the barkeeper
for a pint of beer. In front of him, there's a "stól" ...

-- Pionta, le do thoil. (PINN-ta le duh hull) A pint,
please.

The "fear an tí" (man of the house) gives him his beer.

-- Punt, le do thoil (punt, leh duh hull) £1, please!
-- Go raibh maith agat. (guh roe moyh agat) Thanks.

The barkeeper gives the man a "gloine" (glass) of beer.

-- Tá an bheoir iontach deas (Taw an veore EEN-tach jass)
   The beer's very nice.

You can see a "cathaoir" (KAH-eer, chair) standing around.
The man passes another visitor of the pub, who is extremely
drunk (to put it in a nice way):

-- Tá sé ag ól suid mhór (Taw shay ag awl kuj wore) He's
   drinking a lot.

The pissed man apart from a glass of beer a
"toitín" (TOUCH-een, cigarette) in his hand as well.

The man sits down at the fireplace, putting his glass of
beer on a "bord" (table) next to him:

-- Tá an tine te agus tá mé compordach. (Taw an CHIN-ee
   tcheh agus taw may KUMP-ord-ach) The fire's hot and I'm
   comfortable.

He lights a "toit"ing (touch, smoke) "píopa" (PEE-pa, pipe)
and says lifting a finger of his "lámh" (hand)

-- Pionta eile, le do thoil. (pinn-ta ella, lej duj hull)
   Another pint, please.

Then he plays the "muc sheobhaineach fhireann" (muck
hove-in-ach IRR-en, male chauvinist pig), staring at a
naked "cailín deas" (KAYL-een jass, nice girl) on a
calendar at the wall

-- Tá sí iontach deas. (Taw shee EEN-tach jass) She's very
   nice.

The drunken man walks around on the "urlár" (UR-lar, floor)
with a red "srón" (srone, nose). The other man laughs at
him

-- Há! Há! Tá sé ólta. (Taw shay AWL-ta) Ha! Ha! He's drunk.


Sheet 4: Ceacht a Ceathair (Lesson 4): AN CARR (The car)

-- Luach ceithre phunt de pheitreal, le do thoil.
   (£4 worth of petrol, please)

[Next to the wheel of the car is written "roth" (wheel)]

-- Tá an peitreal istigh. Ceithre phunt, le do thoil.
   (The petrol is in. £4, please.)
-- Seo duit. Cúig phunt.
   (Here you are. Five pounds.)
-- Seo duit an briseadh. Punt.
   (Here's the change. A Pound.)
-- Ba mhaith liom uisce freisin.
   (I'd like water, too.)
-- Seo an t-uisce. Maith go leor?
   (Here's teh water, OK?)
-- Tá an cailín seo ag dul go Cill Áirne.
   (This girl's gioing to Killarney.)
-- Tá mé ag dul go Luimneach.
   (I'm going to Limerick.)

The woman is carrying a "mála" (bag)

-- Tá garda ag teacht go dtí an carr.

It's a "carr deas" (a nice car).


We had to do the first three sheets in groupwork and had all
very much fun, however, trying to figure out pronounciation
and playing the scenes out in front of the class. Some of
us said it'd sound remotedly like French or somesuch, but I
think since nobody of us knew how to pronounce Irish, we
all read said it in a rather harsh voice, which reminded me
*personally* sometimes rather of Klingon mixed with
Japanese actually. At least our English teacher seemed to
know how to pronounce the dialogue of the last sheet.

Cheers,
Carsten

--
Edatamanon le matahanarà benenoea eityabo ena
15-A7-58-11-2-12-36 ena Curan Tertanyan.
» http://www.beckerscarsten.de/?conlang=ayeri

Replies