Gaeilge Tamagotchi - adopt a word in Irish

Qualitymark

Manchán Magan has suggested that everyone should adopt an endangered word in Irish. He's made up a list of 4,000 offered to good homes, including toirpín (a small, thickset, lumpen figure), nuallóg (a scut of a guy), sceidhtéir (a capricious muppet), tamhadán (a lazy good-for-nothing). You can pick up your word any time between 3.30pm and 6.30pm, September 9th-12th, at Project Arts Centre, as part of Tiger Dublin Fringe.

What word would you choose? I think I'll have giústa, a big-bottomed lazy person http://www.teanglann.ie/ga/fgb/giústa

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Why? Please, why?

kneemos

There's a cause destined for success.

Qualitymark

Plenty of threads dissing Irish - maybe take your comments there. My question was "what word would you choose".

#ThreadCreep

kneemos

Qualitymark wrote: »

Plenty of threads dissing Irish - maybe take your comments there. My question was "what word would you choose".

#ThreadCreep

I reject your question and substitute my own.

Qualitymark

kneemos wrote: »

I reject your question and substitute my own.

The polite thing to do in that case would be to start your own thread.

kneemos

kneemos wrote: »

There's a cause destined for success.

Just like your attitude. Why don't you drop the jaded, apathetic smugness and actually do something useful with your life.

Or are you one of those people that deep down wishes you weren't Irish

Berserker

Another Irish language thread, yay! Would this thread not be better suited to the Irish language forum?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Qualitymark wrote: »

The polite thing to do in that case would be to start your own thread.

Again, why? I got through over 70 years without forcing myself to use Irish and don't understand why I should now adopt a word. This is just more tinkering with the language.

Yamanoto

Manchán Magan is the only travel writer I know of that actually makes me want to stay at home.

Every damned holiday or activity he suggests has to be undertaken in carbon neutral & ethically sourced hummus sandals, preferably while carrying a poorly Llama to a veterinary out station in rural Peru.

Jolie Jealous Scenery

Jolie Jealous Scenery wrote: »

Again, why? I got through over 70 years without forcing myself to use Irish and don't understand why I should now adopt a word. This is just more tinkering with the language.

70 years, wow, congratulations on not dying!

Nobody is forcing you to do anything. This is not tinkering the language, it's a cultural idea which is trying to make people look at Irish differently. If they adopt a word they might have more 'skin in the game' so to speak. At least that is my interpretation of it.

I don't think this is a new plan to 'save Irish' as it were, I think it's just a standalone project.

4zn76tysfajdxp

Deleted User wrote: »

Or are you one of those people that deep down wishes you weren't Irish

Sickening.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Deleted User wrote: »

Just like your attitude. Why don't you drop the jaded, apathetic smugness and actually do something useful with your life.

Or are you one of those people that deep down wishes you weren't Irish

Deplorable attitude. Do you measure pride in being Irish by use of the language? Of someone's contribution to this country by their attitude to the Irish language? How short sighted.

Deleted User wrote: »

70 years, wow, congratulations on not dying!

Nobody is forcing you to do anything. This is not tinkering the language, it's a cultural idea which is trying to make people look at Irish differently. If they adopt a word they might have more 'skin in the game' so to speak. At least that is my interpretation of it.

I don't think this is a new plan to 'save Irish' as it were, I think it's just a standalone project.

I'm not old, so save your smarmy congratulations for the future. This is tinkering with the language. Skin in the game my eye. Then you'll have the nonsense of stats like " 75% of people speak Irish" when they fill in census forms saying they use Irish on a daily basis. It's a gimmick, pure and simple.

_Kaiser_

Felix Pitiful Semifinalist wrote: »

Sickening.

But typical from the Irish lobby.. don't like/support/promote the language - sure you must be a self-loathing "west Brit" wannabe :rolleyes:

What such people fail to realise is that attitude is far more damaging to the language than the apathy it gets from most.

Samaris

Hah, I like toirpín. I'm adopting that one.

And I don't see the harm in it all? What's the big deal - it is a lovely language that most of us don't speak. Although it could definitely do with less deranged collections of consonants. Yeah, it's pretty much a dead language and even if it wasn't, we'd mostly be hard-pressed to find a use for it, but so what?

I don't really see how it's "tinkering" with anything, Srameen. These are all words in the tongue rather than made-up. It's a bit like claiming that learning the odd French word is tinkering with French. It has no effect on the language itself!

Toirpín it is!

Dughorm

Qualitymark wrote: »

Manchán Magan has suggested that everyone should adopt an endangered word in Irish. He's made up a list of 4,000 offered to good homes, including toirpín (a small, thickset, lumpen figure), nuallóg (a scut of a guy), sceidhtéir (a capricious muppet), tamhadán (a lazy good-for-nothing). You can pick up your word any time between 3.30pm and 6.30pm, September 9th-12th, at Project Arts Centre, as part of Tiger Dublin Fringe.

What word would you choose? I think I'll have giústa, a big-bottomed lazy person http://www.teanglann.ie/ga/fgb/giústa

Thanks for this - what a lovely idea!

Is there a link a list of the words that need a good home?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Samaris wrote: »

It has no effect on the language itself!

Exactly.

umop apisdn

Qualitymark wrote: »

Manchán Magan has suggested that everyone should adopt an endangered word in Irish. He's made up a list of 4,000 offered to good homes, including toirpín (a small, thickset, lumpen figure), nuallóg (a scut of a guy), sceidhtéir (a capricious muppet), tamhadán (a lazy good-for-nothing). You can pick up your word any time between 3.30pm and 6.30pm, September 9th-12th, at Project Arts Centre, as part of Tiger Dublin Fringe.

What word would you choose? I think I'll have giústa, a big-bottomed lazy person http://www.teanglann.ie/ga/fgb/giústa

I see the nasty twisted spiteful way of teaching the Irish langauge that was forced on us all hasn't changed much. I don't dislike the Irish langauge, I dislike the twisted way it has been taught in Ireland, a method that has been responsible for its utter failure and rejection. A shame really, a beautiful langauge ruined by the warped.

kneemos

_Kaiser_ wrote: »

But typical from the Irish lobby.. don't like/support/promote the language - sure you must be a self-loathing "west Brit" wannabe :rolleyes:

What such people fail to realise is that attitude is far more damaging to the language than the apathy it gets from most.

The old west Brit supposed total put down.
Any more cliches in your sachel?

_Kaiser_

kneemos wrote: »

The old west Brit supposed total put down.
Any more cliches in your sachel?

No cliches needed at all.... see the bold part below:

Deleted User wrote: »

Just like your attitude. Why don't you drop the jaded, apathetic smugness and actually do something useful with your life.

Or are you one of those people that deep down wishes you weren't Irish

The earlier part of the post is just very "constructive" as well incidentally.

Just because someone doesn't see any value in the Irish language, or doesn't want to engage in any effort to promote/support it, it doesn't make them any less Irish than anyone else.

As I said, it's something the pro-Irish side should bear in mind if they ever actually hope of winning a few converts to the "cause" or put simpler - "you can't win em all!"

Iwasfrozen

What's brain dead? I'll adopt that one as a description of Irish.

Qualitymark

Jolie Jealous Scenery wrote: »

Again, why? I got through over 70 years without forcing myself to use Irish and don't understand why I should now adopt a word. This is just more tinkering with the language.

You're absolutely free not to.

Anyone who adopts a word can do it for fun. No other reason.

Dughorm wrote: »

Thanks for this - what a lovely idea!

Is there a link a list of the words that need a good home?

There doesn't seem to be - you go and pick up your word, chosen from the 4,000 on offer, at the Project Arts Centre 3.30-6.30pm 9-12 September.

GreaseGunner

Cadramán, is breá liom an ceann seo

Qualitymark

It's a tempting link to make: you're not interested in Irish, therefore you're not really Irish. It has historical resonance, since the laws of the plantations, going back at least to the 16th century, tried to force Irish people to dress, eat, play and especially speak in the English manner. At that stage, no Irish person could enter Dublin without a pass, and there are records of people being hanged on the spot if they were caught in Dublin. And any Irish person who was allowed on sufferance to live within the English settlements - Dublin, Youghal, etc - was required to discard the Irish language and speak only English.

So thinking that people who don't want Irish to be spoken are not patriotic is kind of a historic position.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Qualitymark wrote: »

You're absolutely free not to.

I'm absolutely aware of that. Sad world if I wasn't free to make my own decisions in this regard.

Doesn't stop it being a stupid stunt though.

This is a pretty cool idea. Not generally a fan of Manchán Magan and certainly don't agree with any rabid Irish language purists who think that anyone who isn't a fluent Gaeilgóir with flawless grammar is a "West Brit" or some such nonsense. But this seems like a pretty harmless and light-hearted little project. Don't think it really deserves the ire of those who just love to go out of their way to piss all over anything to do with the language. Surely it's much easier to just ignore and not bother commenting if it's of no interest?

It's a shame the list doesn't appear to be online. Might have a bit more outreach and generate more interest if it were.

Iwasfrozen

Deleted User wrote: »

This is a pretty cool idea. Not generally a fan of Manchán Magan and certainly don't agree with any rabid Irish language purists who think that anyone who isn't a fluent Gaeilgóir with flawless grammar is a "West Brit" or some such nonsense. But this seems like a pretty harmless and light-hearted little project. Don't think it really deserves the ire of those who just love to go out of their way to piss all over anything to do with the language. Surely it's much easier to just ignore and not bother commenting if it's of no interest?

It's a shame the list doesn't appear to be online. Might have a bit more outreach and generate more interest if it were.

The internet is far too modern for Magan, he's just getting his head around this television thing.

DivingDuck

As someone who really hated having to learn Irish in school and who would support the removal of it as an official second language/compulsory school subject, I think this is a lovely idea. More incentives like this would make the language feel less like a chore and more like a gift.

A link to the list of words would be helpful, though.

Queenalocin

Tógfaidh mise 'smugairle róin' - jellyfish or to take it literally, 'seal snot'
I love the descriptiveness of the phrase and is a perfect example of what is good about an téanga álainn atá againn.

GreaseGunner

Queenalocin wrote: »

Tógfaidh mise 'smugairle róin' - jellyfish or to take it literally, 'seal snot'
I love the descriptiveness of the phrase and is a perfect example of what is good about an téanga álainn atá againn.

Similarly "ag iompar clainne", where being pregnant means literally bearing a family It is wonderful really

Qualitymark

Adding to the thread creep for a moment… sorry… it absolutely enrages me that creepy teachers should deprive us of our lovely language.

Queenalocin

Queenalocin wrote: »

Tógfaidh mise 'smugairle róin' - jellyfish or to take it literally, 'seal snot'
I love the descriptiveness of the phrase and is a perfect example of what is good about an téanga álainn atá againn.

If you're on Twitter there's a cool account @TheIrishFor that tweets Irish words/phrases and their translations. Some words in Irish have very odd backgrounds! And there are little quirks like the word "faigheann" (the present tense of the verb "to get/receive") being so similar in pronunciation to "faighin", which means "vagina"!

Or these two, which are pronounced identically:

"Ár n-athair" - "Our Father"
"Ár nathair" - "Our snake"

Qualitymark

My favourite has to be "taithníon tú liom" for "I like you" - literally "you shine for me", like "tá an griann ag taithneamh" - "the sun is shining".

uch

Where's the link, I want mo focal féin

uch

Deleted User wrote: »

If you're on Twitter there's a cool account @TheIrishFor that tweets Irish words/phrases and their translations. Some words in Irish have very odd backgrounds! And there are little quirks like the word "faigheann" (the present tense of the verb "to get/receive") being so similar in pronunciation to "faighin", which means "vagina"!

Or these two, which are pronounced identically:

"Ár n-athair" - "Our Father"
"Ár nathair" - "Our snake"

Nah Vagina is Faighean