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Greeting as Geailge

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  • 10-05-2011 9:59pm
    #1
    Daithi2004
    Registered Users Posts: 60 ✭✭


    I was just wondering that when you say hello to someone in Irish you say "Dia duit" (Literally: God to you.) and their reply to you is "Dia's Muire duit” (Literally: God and Mary to you.)

    Now, here is the question, if you are a non Christian, would this not be seen as being offensive? We do live in an Ireland with so many other religions and cultures. Are there no other non religious greeting phrases to greet people....

    The only one that I can come up with "Conas atá tú ?"


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    #2
    JBnaglfar
    Registered Users Posts: 841 ✭✭✭JBnaglfar


    Maybe 'Cad é an scéal/craic?'

    Haven't really spoken Irish since school, so not sure if the grammar is correct :o. You should get the idea tho.


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    #3
    Nuggles
    Registered Users Posts: 476 ✭✭Nuggles


    Offensive? No. Sure it doesn't specify which god, covering most religions. Leave out the muire bit if you like. And I honestly doubt atheists give a crap about it if they've any sense. Which they do.
    :D


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    #4
    Insect Overlord
    Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 30,857 Mod ✭✭✭✭Insect Overlord


    Nuggles wrote: »
    Offensive? No. Sure it doesn't specify which god, covering most religions. Leave out the muire bit if you like. And I honestly doubt atheists give a crap about it if they've any sense. Which they do.
    :D

    This sums it up nicely. I've been agnostic since my mid-teens, but I always say "Dia is Muire duit" if someone says "Dia duit" to me. It's convention, I guess.

    "Bhuel?" works nicely in an informal way, as do "Conas atá tú?" and "Cén caoi 'bhfuil tú?" I know the last one there is technically Connacht Irish, but I use it very often anyway.


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    #5
    dlofnep
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,759 ✭✭✭✭dlofnep


    I've never once said it - I typically say "bhuel".. I don't care about convention, the language is evolving and I'm evolving with it.


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    #6
    1huge1
    Registered Users Posts: 6,171 ✭✭✭1huge1


    Know exactly what you mean, I've been an atheist for years, and one of my friends knows this and when I said ''Jesus'' in a sentence which most Irish people do everyday for one reason or another as in talking the ''lords name in vain'', he actually said I wasn't allowed to say it as I wasn't Christian, I had to laugh.

    Point is, I don't think anyone really looks at the religious aspect when saying hello in Irish.


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    #7
    An gal gréine
    Registered Users Posts: 941 ✭✭✭An gal gréine


    It has it's roots in history...even in the Gaeltacht "helló" is widespread now.
    When Gorbachev met the Pope in the 80's the greeting, as Gaeilge of course, was said at the time to be "Marx dhuit" and the reply "Marx is Lenin dhuit"!!


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    #8
    nbrome
    Registered Users Posts: 69 ✭✭nbrome


    Don't forget "goodbye" comes from "God be with you". We don't bother about that do we?


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    #9
    Aard
    Registered Users Posts: 4,905 ✭✭✭Aard


    nbrome wrote: »
    Don't forget "goodbye" comes from "God be with you". We don't bother about that do we?
    The Irish version is far more overt though.


    OP: It doesn't bother me, areligious heathen that I am! I guess it's cos when spoken, it all blends into one garbled word. It's only when writing it down do I realise, oh right there's a "Dia" in there.


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    #10
    Daithi2004
    Registered Users Posts: 60 ✭✭Daithi2004


    nbrome wrote: »
    Don't forget "goodbye" comes from "God be with you". We don't bother about that do we?



    As far as I am aware, it is the only language that has it saying based on religious believes. All I am saying is people of other religions whether they are other Christians or Muslim or Jewish would not hold Mary in the same reverence as Catholics do. I do accept the first part can be any god but it is the response "Mhuire Dhuit" that I don’t really understand the relevance in today’s society. As regards "Goodbye", I thought that was Slan Leat - "Your good health" of "safe well being".


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    #11
    Aard
    Registered Users Posts: 4,905 ✭✭✭Aard


    He meant "Goodbye" in English! Not the Irish translation.


    It's not unusual for a language to have a religious element to their greetings. These are just some off the top of my head:

    Austrian German: Grüss Gott (greet God)
    French: Adieu (to God)
    Hebrew: Shalom (a word for God)




    Tbh, you're translating waaaay too literally. You gotta be descriptive, not prescriptive, with language -- always. My translations for "Dia dhuit" / "Dia's Muire dhuit" would be "Hello" / "Hello to you too".


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    #12
    Nuggles
    Registered Users Posts: 476 ✭✭Nuggles


    Yeah, people who speak Irish don't see that as "God and Mary be with you". It's seen as hello. Nothing else. You're reading too much into it. Taking translations too literal.


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