Sea, is féidir linn!

pog it

Woo! Okay so in that other thread on 'Is féidir linn' it was in Teach na nGealt when I saw it so I said 'an féidir libh labhairt as Gaeilge le bhur dtoil' as I didn't realise that it was just stopping off at Teach na nGealt on its way from After Hours and on to this forum.. should have realised it was all in English because it was in After Hours (wonder why they moved it from AH in the first place?.. )

But anyway why aren't people saying 'Sea, is féidir linn'? 'Is féidir linn' doesn't work on its own unless you are replying directly to a question beginning with 'an féidir leat/libh' etc. and even the English version Obama uses is 'Yes we can', not 'We can'.

Just wondering how the 'is féidir linn' on its own got through.

dlofnep

Sea doesn't mean yes really though. There is no specific Irish word for yes. You don't have to reply to a question to use "Is féidir". I mean, you can just use it in mid-conversation..

An gal gréine

Yeah, I dont think the 'sea' is necessary either.

keane2097

"Is ea" means "it is".

pog it

But you can't have 'is féidir linn' as a stand alone sentence, any more than you can have 'we can'.

The is ea (sea) is actually correct here as it is mirroring the 'is' (copula also) in 'is féidir linn'.

Can you imagine people shouting 'We can'. It's incorrect, just like 'is féidir linn'.

montreal2011

Because "Yes we can" and "Is féidir linn" both contain 3 words it matches better but it is also a very suitable translation.

dlofnep

pog it wrote: »

But you can't have 'is féidir linn' as a stand alone sentence, any more than you can have 'we can'.

We can.

pog it

dlofnep wrote: »

Sea doesn't mean yes really though. There is no specific Irish word for yes. You don't have to reply to a question to use "Is féidir". I mean, you can just use it in mid-conversation..

You could say 'is féidir' and stop/pause alright in the same way that you could say 'I suppose....' and leave the rest unsaid but when you have a mantra such as Yes we can, it needs to be more affirmative.

It's not that I'm putting in the 'sea' to translate the 'yes' part of 'yes we can', it's because it completes the phrase and is correct here to best of my knowledge. (I realise to answer the equivalent of 'yes' you have to answer with the verb normally.... or mirror what's in the question').

pog it

dlofnep wrote: »

We can.

The thing is this is a crowd rousing affirmative phrase, Yes we can! Saying 'We can' does not resonate in the same way and would not have caught on, so we have 'Yes we can'.

That's the sense we want to translate into Irish (and isn't a literal translation for the sake of it).

dlofnep

That was a wee joke btw

pog it

dlofnep wrote: »

That was a wee joke btw

I got it

An gal gréine

"Is" is affirmative and can be emphasised if needs be.
I think a "sea" before "is féidir linn" would take from it.

pog it

An gal gréine wrote: »

"Is" is affirmative and can be emphasised if needs be.
I think a "sea" before "is féidir linn" would take from it.

No probs, I do see what you mean about how it might take away from it, it's the added length really isn't it. But often the translation in Irish is necessarily longer than the English version.

An gal gréine

There's always a need to be pithy with catch-phrases like this and after our guest uachtarán, I think it's caught on.

Krusader

pog it wrote: »

The thing is this is a crowd rousing affirmative phrase, Yes we can! Saying 'We can' does not resonate in the same way and would not have caught on, so we have 'Yes we can'.

That's the sense we want to translate into Irish (and isn't a literal translation for the sake of it).

the english sounds really affirmative, if you literally translate 'is féidir linn' it shows how cynical or wary us irish are through our own language.

Is féidir linn - It's possible with/to us


What bout 'Thig linn' for the Nordies

Grudaire

Is é fadhb an idirlíon fadhb an Gaeilge freisin. "Grammer Nazi's"

The real question is what it symbolises and if the point is got accross? The truth of the matter is everyone knows what is meant. Indeed dictionaries translate can to féidir, and then féidir to it is possible. The meaning is exactly the same.

If everyone understands what is being communicated then why do we have Gaelgeoirs being such killjoys? Many people are turned off the language by purists who insist on every úrú and fada. We should rejoice that for once Irish has a place of prominence for a good reason in the media.

Pointless off-topic post - sorry Póg It

pog it

Cliste wrote: »

Is é fadhb an idirlíon fadhb an Gaeilge freisin. "Grammer Nazi's"

The real question is what it symbolises and if the point is got accross? The truth of the matter is everyone knows what is meant. Indeed dictionaries translate can to féidir, and then féidir to it is possible. The meaning is exactly the same.

If everyone understands what is being communicated then why do we have Gaelgeoirs being such killjoys? Many people are turned off the language by purists who insist on every úrú and fada. We should rejoice that for once Irish has a place of prominence for a good reason in the media.

Find that a bit mean Cliste, as in 'killjoy' and 'grammar nazi'. Who else but me could you be levelling that at. I mean what's wrong with discussing this? Or indeed any grammar question? How else are you going to improve your Irish without looking at things and questioning things?

It's okay if you don't want to engage in these things, but please don't have a go at others who do. I'm not having a go at people for not giving a crap about correct Irish on sign posts, etc. so don't have a go at me.

Grudaire

pog it wrote: »

Find that a bit mean Cliste, as in 'killjoy' and 'grammar nazi'. Who else but me could you be levelling that at. I mean what's wrong with discussing this? Or indeed any grammar question? How else are you going to improve your Irish without looking at things and questioning things?

It's okay if you don't want to engage in these things, but please don't have a go at others who do. I'm not having a go at people for not giving a crap about correct Irish on sign posts, etc. so don't have a go at me.

Apologies Póg it. In a roundabout way I've managed to do exactly what I was moaning about

I completely misread the whole thread (after reading it and everything) and took it to be a moan about the phrase and how it caught on. My post had two aims:

• To have a little rant about grammer nazi's
• To say that I personally think that 'Is féidir linn' is fine

*runs away and hides in a box*

Aard

Nothing is ever translated word-for-word. It's both pedantic and conforming to the patterns of the source language. It's the "spirit" of the word/phrase/sentence/etc that needs to be gotten across. "Yes we can" is short and punchy. "Sea is féidir linn" loses that anthem quality. Also, as has been pointed out, there is no word for "yes" in Irish. "Sea" in this case might emphasise the "is" in "is féidir linn". But the "yes" OTOH isn't really being used in the normal sense of agreement. It's more of a defiant statement against the haters.

pog it

Ah no probs Cliste, you're always in good humour on these forums so that's why I was like what the feck? Anyway I'm nearly sorry I started on this haha, it was just something that struck me and just thought I'd see what people thought really.

EoghanConway

"Ich bin ein Berliner" anyone?

pog it

Aard wrote: »

But the "yes" OTOH isn't really being used in the normal sense of agreement. It's more of a defiant statement against the haters.

Hadn't thought of it that way. Had seen it more of a personal statement to oneself rather than saying f you, yes I can.

So 'gread leat, is féidir linn' or 'gabh go dtí an Deabhal, is féidir linn'

Aard

pog it wrote: »

So 'gread leat, is féidir linn' or 'gabh go dtí an Deabhal, is féidir linn'

I'm lovin' it!

An gal gréine

Crosáidí wrote: »

What bout 'Thig linn' for the Nordies

Smaoinigh mé ar sin, a Chrosáidí, ach is dóiche go bhfuil sé ró-mhall anois.
Beidh mé ag fáil t-léine nó cochall go luath...meas tú an mbeidh ráchairt ar ranganna Gaeilge de bharr seo uilig?

Aard

In Éirinn, ní dóigh liom é. Ach b'fhéidir go spreagfaidh sé Meirceánaigh Éireannacha chun cleachta. Tá an-chuid thall ansin a bhfuil fonn orthu an "mháthairteanga" a fhoghlaim. Ceanada chomh maith, dála an scéil.

montreal2011

Tá Gaeltacht i Ceanada fiú!
http://www.anghaeltacht.ca/
An t-aon Ghaeltacht taobh amuigh den tír ceapaim.

An fear seo a thosaigh é.

whatthefeck

"Originally Posted by Cliste
Is é fadhb an idirlíon fadhb an Gaeilge freisin. "Grammer Nazi's""


This reminded me of Godwin's Law

Ag gáire os ard

Geog ariphic

dlofnep wrote: »

We can.

LOL

Dude popular phrases don't acknowlede grammar rules in any language. That's how it 'got through'.

Geog ariphic

pog it wrote: »

Find that a bit mean Cliste, as in 'killjoy' and 'grammar nazi'. *Who else but me could you be levelling that at*. I mean what's wrong with discussing this? Or indeed any grammar question?

Nothing at all wrong with discussing it, however the highlighted sentence breaks so many ENGLISH grammar rules it's hilarious.
Well, three anyway...:rolleyes:

pog it

Geog ariphic wrote: »

Nothing at all wrong with discussing it, however the highlighted sentence breaks so many ENGLISH grammar rules it's hilarious.
Well, three anyway...:rolleyes:

There was nothing wrong with the sentence of mine you highlighted. I was lucky enough to grow up in rural Ireland surrounded by a rich and varied colloquial language and have a choice now between Hiberno English and a more stricter style - as a lot of Irish people do.

So parse my sentence according to the Irish language and you'll be okay.

Aard

...there's nothing wrong with pog_it's sentence there