'S mise/ it's me

[Níall Beag]

I hijacked this thread aig clarsach.

You don't really want "aig" here. It's not a physical thing and it can't be passed between people, so it can't be "aig" someone.

If you consider it to be like a book, it would be "le Clarsach" ("le" is used like "by" for attributing something to an author, but it's also "with" when linking a radio or TV program to a presenter).

Alternatively, you may need to use a genitive construction if you consider it like an idea or a party. (But I don't remember the rule for putting people's names into the genitive, and even if I did I'm not sure whether Clarsach's a he or a she. And even if I knew that, I'm not sure what I'd be supposed to do if Clarsach was the opposite gender from the gender of the dictionary word "clarsach". It's a minefield, so I'm not going to go there!!!)

This whole internet thing's so new, I doubt the natives have reached a consensus on how to deal with internet threads.

I suppose the best analogy would be "comhradh". If you were hijacking someone's conversation, how would you say that? Anyone?

[Seonaidh]

I'd probably just put owt like "comhradh Nèill" - but that might just be the Welsh influence (we use less of the "aig", "le", "de" etc. thingies and more of genitive-by-position. m.e. an àite "an leabhar aig Daibhidh" bhiodh nas nàdarraiche a ràdh "llyfr Dewi").

[akerbeltz]

There are grey areas... to me, an t-snàith aig Clàrsach doesn't sound off. It's not really inalienable in the Gaelic sense I'd say.

[IainDonnchaidh]

LOL, no worries, Iain. I'm enjoying the conversation.

There was actually a thread not too long ago among the members of the Historical Novel Society about whether to use authentic or anglicized names. I like to be as historically accurate as possible in my writing, but I did go with anglicized names so people could pronounce them in their heads. A few, like the soft g/ hard g mentioned above, doesn't ruin anything for me, either, but you can at least get pretty close on that. Some of the long strings of syllables or consonants, with no clue what they mean would be distracting for me throughout a book.

Even so, I've been amazed at how many of my readers have asked me how to pronounce Niall!

Well, look how many crazy anglish variations there are of Irish and Scottish names

Part of the fun of history and fantasy novels is the strange names, nach eil?

I couldn't pronounce half the names in Lord of the Rings

But if anyone asks me how to pronounce "Gowann", I should just say "Smith"

[clarsach]

Well, look how many crazy anglish variations there are of Irish and Scottish names

Part of the fun of history and fantasy novels is the strange names, nach eil?

I couldn't pronounce half the names in Lord of the Rings

But if anyone asks me how to pronounce "Gowann", I should just say "Smith"

My daughter has one of those crazy Irish names with the original spelling. It's a great conversation starter for her!

Niall, I am a she; no idea what gender clarsach is in the dictionary. I should go look that up.

[GunChleoc]

clàrsach is feminine according to the Stòr-Dàta and masculine according to Colin Mark, and Dwelly says "sm Harp, is sf in some parts". Ho hum.

[Thrissel]

FWIW: Angus Watson's dictionary has it as feminine as well, and I got 65 Google hits for "ceòl na clàrsaich" but none for "ceòl a' chlàrsaich".

[Seonaidh]

I got 65 Google hits for "ceòl na clàrsaich" but none for "ceòl a' chlàrsaich".

You'd find similar, I reckon, for "ceòl na mara" and "ceòl a' mhara" (from "muir"), but it does not mean that "muir" is always feminine.

How many hits for "ceòl na clàrsaiche"?

[Thrissel]

Duilich, bha mi san obair...

"Ceòl na clàrsaiche" - 0
dìreach "na clàrsaiche" - 3
dìreach "na clàrsaich" - 303
dìreach "a' chlàrsaich" - 98 (mostly, but not only, datives, "Càrn a' chlàrsaich" & "Mairi a' cluich a' chlàrsaich")

But as I was saying in another thread, I realise that Gaelic as used on the Net proves next to nothing (btw "na chlàrsaich" - 1), unless you take into account what sources you're looking at,* that's why I put there the "FWIW" in the first place...

* Come to think of it, just the other day I was googling some expression to find out whether it's permissible - and hit a post by yours truly, Thrissel...

[IainDonnchaidh]

My daughter has one of those crazy Irish names with the original spelling. It's a great conversation starter for her!

Cool! Or ... meadhanach fuar

It may or may not have been a good thing that I wasn't learning Gàidhlig 24 years ago when our twin daughers were born

[GunChleoc]

Cool! Or ... meadhanach fuar

Fionnar

[akerbeltz]

Abair cailc

[clarsach]

It may or may not have been a good thing that I wasn't learning Gàidhlig 24 years ago when our twin daughers were born

LOL, cha robh mi.... ionnsachadh Gàidhlig [then.] Fhuirich mi [at the time] anns an Eire agus chuala mi an t-ainm agus s' toil leam e. Tha mi duillich a' marbh an canan.

[apologies for slaughtering the language-- figured it's better to at least try than not. I'm trying to say: I wasn't studying Gaelic then. I was living in Ireland at the time and heard the name and liked it.]

[IainDonnchaidh]

Cool! Or ... meadhanach fuar

Fionnar

'S e facal an latha agam

Abair ruidegin coltach:

FINN-are

no

FYOHN-are

[GunChleoc]

FYN-are

Sorry, don't know how to do in English spelling