A seasonal look at language

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BHUEL a chairde, tá an tEarrach linn. Tá plandaí ag fás, tá an spéir geall agus tá Seachtain na Gaeilge corr a bheith linn. Leis sin, ba mhaith liom amharc ar na séasúir i nGaeilge.

Spring has sprung. The plants are growing, the sky is bright and Seachtain na Gaeilge is almost upon us. With that, I want to look at the seasons in Irish.

Na Séasúir—Nah shay-sureThe Seasons
An tEarrach—Ann charr-ackSpring
An Samhradh—Ann sou*-roo Summer
An Fómhar—Ann fourAutumn
An Geimhreadh—Ann gev-rooWinter
*The ‘ou’ in ‘sou’ would have the same pronunciation as the ‘ou’ in house

San Earrach bíonn plandaí, bláthanna agus crainn ag fás, bíonn linbh ag roinnt ainmhithe agus tagann ainmhithe eile amach as geimhriú.

Planda—Plan-daPlant
Bláth—BlahFlower
Crann—KrannTree
Plandaí—Plan-deePlants
Bláthanna—Bla-hannaFlowers
Crainn—KrinnTrees
Linbh—Lin-ivBabies
Ainmhithe—An-vee-haAnimals
Leanbh—Lean-ooBaby
Ainmhí—An-veeAnimal
Geimhriú—Gev-rooHibernation

An important aspect to note is that the word ‘geimhreadh’ meaning winter and the word ‘geimhriú’ meaning
hiberation sound exactly the same. This does cause some confusion amongst learners, therefore it is always important to take in the context of a word.

Sa Samhradh, bíonn sé níos teo agus bíonn laethanta saoire againn de gnáth. Glacaimid turais agus itheann muid taobh amuigh.

Te—ChayHot
Níos teo—Niece chawHotter
Laethanta saoire—Lay-han-ta seer-aHolidays
Turas—Turr-asTrip
Turais—Turr-ishTrips
Taobh amuigh—Teev am-weOutside

San fhómhar, titeann na duilleoga de na crainn, éiríonn an aimsir níos fuaire arís agus tá Oíche Shamhna ann. Déanann ainmhithe réidh don gheimhriú, ag bailiú bia agus ag socrú áit le codladh.

Titeann—Titch-inn fallLeaves fall
Duilleog—Dill-yogLeaf
Duilleoga—Dill-yogaLeaves
Aimsir—I’m-shirWeather
Fuar—FoorCold
Níos fuaire—Niece foor-ehColder
Bailigh—Bwall-yeeCollect
Ag bailiú igg—Bwall-you—Collecting
Socraigh—Sock-reeSort
Ag socrú—Igg sock-rooSorting

Sa Gheimhreadh, codlaíonn ainmhithe, faigheann plandaí bás agus tá sé sioctha fuar. In amanna, bíonn sneachta ann agus bíonn daoine ag ceiliúradh an Nollaig.

Codladh—Caw-looSleep
Codlaíonn—Cod-lee-onDo sleep
Bás—BwassDie
Sioctha—Shuck-haFreezing
Sneachta—Sh-knock-taSnow
Ag ceiliúradh—Igg kell-ir-ooCelebrate

Le Seachtain na Gaeilge ag teacht tá a lán rudaí go fóill ag tarlú ar line i mbliana. Tabhair cuairt ar Seachtain na Gaeilge: March 1-17, 2022 (snag.ie). Le dea-ghuí, Clíodhna

Clíodhna Campbell is a teacher, language enthusiast and mother. If you would like to get in touch with her with any linguistic queries, e-mail: cliodhnamorgan@live.co.uk or follow her on Twitter: @cccliodhna

PIC: SERGEY SHMIDT