Tá an post seo mar chuid dár Scéim Tionscnaimh Taighde do 2023-2024.

This post is part of our Research Initiation Scheme for 2023-2024.

(ENGLISH SUMMARY PROVIDED BELOW)

Frásaeimí & frásaíocht

“Hidden Gems: Phraseology and Culture in Irish” cé a dhiúltódh níos mó a fhoghlaim faoin teideal mealltach seo? Ní mise cibé ar bith!

Katie Ní Loingsigh ó Choláiste na hOllscoile, Corcaigh a nocht na seoda ar 31 lá Eanáir agus í ag plé na nasc idir cúrsaí cultúir agus nathanna na Gaeilge ó thaobh na frásaíochta agus réimse na teangeolaíochta. Ar Chearnóg chlúiteach ilteangach Ollscoil na Banríona i mBéal Feirste a chruinnigh idir mhic léinn a dhéanann staidéar ar an mhodúl, An Béal Beo (CEL3001), agus roinnt léachtóirí Spáinnise, Gaeilge, Portaingéilise agus Fraincise. Ócáid iltíreach!

Cé nach bhfuil mórstaidéar cuimsitheach déanta go fóill ar an dlúthcheangal idir cúrsaí cultúir agus nathanna, glactar leis go forleathan go bhfuil tábhacht ar leith ag baint leis an chultúr san anailís a dhéantar ar nathanna. Ábhar dochtúireachta aon duine?

De réir Piirainen, ‘Current studies… regard culture as a fundamentally acknowledged constant in phraseology. They have highlighted the fact that phrasemes (idioms in particular) are not only units of a sign system, language, but also carriers of cultures, pointing out the necessity for modern idiom research to turn to cultural phenomena’ (Piirainen 2012: 47).

Bhain muid go léir an-sult as an chur i láthair ón Dr Ní Loingsigh. Shimpligh sí ábhar casta agus rinne é seo le fonn. Mhínigh sí a thábhachtaí atá na seanfhocail agus na cora cainte sa Ghaeilge. Dá mbeadh orm cur síos a dhéanamh ar an chaint in aon fhocal amháin, fíorspéisiúil d’úsáidfinn, más ceadmhach dom an comhfhocal.

Meastar go bhfuil an LuathGhaeilge ar cheann de na teangacha is sine sa litríocht in Iarthar na hEorpa. Tá stair dhomhain agus traidisiún láidir ag an Ghaeilge. Tá na mílte cora cainte agus seanfhocail le fáil inti. Ár gcara Piirainen arís, ‘In languages with a literary tradition, there are thousands of idioms that go back to once-influential texts. Many seemingly “natural” concepts to be found in the figurative lexicon do not go back to people’s direct experiences or observation of nature but to conceptualizations found in works of literature, legends, folk narrations, classical and biblical texts, cinema films, and other old or modern texts’ (Piirainen 2012: 58).

Aithnítear an ról tábhachtach a imríonn téacsanna liteartha i dtaca le sanasaíocht nathanna, is é sin, gur minic a aimsítear bunbhrí nó bunús natha i mórthéacsanna liteartha a raibh tóir orthu agus a raibh meas ag pobail labhartha áirithe orthu ag tréimhsí éagsúla sa stair. 

Dhírigh Ní Loingsigh ar an tábhacht atá le tréimhsí ar leith i litríocht na Gaeilge, mar is léir ón chor cainte ‘ó Shamhain go Bealtaine’, cur i gcás. Úsáidtear an cor cainte seo nuair nach mbíonn deireadh intuartha nó nuair a ghlacann rud éigin cuid mhór ama le críochnú; sealbhú teanga mar shampla. ‘Scéal ó Shamhain go Bealtaine’ a úsáidtear nuair a insíonn duine scéal fada scaoilte, mar shampla eile. Cloistear ‘Cleamhnas ó Shamhain go Bealtaine’ do thréimhse ghealltanais fhaidréiseach. Sampla eile den chor cainte é ‘Gnó ó Shamhain go Bealtaine’ nuair a ghlacann tasc níos mó ama ná mar a shíltear…cora cainte ag teacht ar an tsaol, déaraimis… Mhínigh Ní Loingsigh áfach go bhfuil ‘dorn san aer’ a d’úsáideadh Rónán Mac Aodha Bhuí ar cheann de na samplaí is fearr le frásaeim neamhbhriathartha a léiriú. Is ionann frásaeim neamhbhriathartha agus frásaeim a shamhlaítear gan focail a lua, cumarsáid neamhbhriathartha. 

Is leor nod don eolach a Rónáin Mhic Aoidh Bhuí.

English summary:

Dr Katie Ní Loingsigh of University College Cork (UCC) delivered a seminar entitled ‘Hidden Gems: Phraseology and Culture in Irish’ on 31 January 2024. The seminar was attended by a range of scholars with expertise in Irish, French, Portuguese, and Spanish.

Dr Ní Loingsigh’s seminar highlighted that the cultural underpinnings of phraseology remain understudied. As one of the oldest literary languages in Europe, the Irish language holds a wealth of idioms. These idioms appeared throughout history both in the literary tradition and within vernacular speech.  

One example of an idiom that has developed over time in Irish-language literature is: ‘ó Shamhain go Bealtaine’ [from November to May]. This expression can be used when the end is not predictable or when something could take a long time to finish. ‘Scéal ó Shamhain go Bealtaine’ [A story from November to May] is used when someone tells a long drawn-out story. ‘Cleamhnas ó Shamhain go Bealtaine’ refers to a prolonged engagement, while ‘Gnó ó Shamhain go Bealtaine’ [literally, work from November to May] indicates a task that takes more time than expected. Dr Ní Loingsigh contends that these phraseological expressions demonstrate a cultural worldview, as ‘the period of time cited in the above expressions is not directly related to the Gregorian months; or rather, the expression ó Shamhain go Bealtaine functions as a generic temporal reference emanating from an alternative conception or perception of time’ (2023).

The presentation was followed by a lively discussion.

Tagairtí/References:

Ní Loingsigh, K. (2023) ‘Mapping Meaning.’ In: O’Sullivan, J.(ed.) Computers & Culture, Issue 2. December 2023. Available at: https://cora.ucc.ie/server/api/core/bitstreams/1603988d-fdcf-4730-8787-3a20e11c12d9/content

Piirainen, E. (2012). Widespread Idioms in Europe and Beyond: Toward a Lexicon of Common Figurative Units. New York: Peter Lang.

Tuairisc le hAlana Ní Chiaráin, Fochéimí sa Ghaeilge agus An Spáinnis

Report by Alana Ní Chiaráin, final-year undergraduate in Irish and Spanish