Copulating with the Copula 1
The typical way of expressing “I am a teacher” (for example) would be to use the copula: Is múinteoir mé – iss MOON-chore may
You would use this form if you are a teacher, if teaching is your career, your profession, and part of how you define yourself and your life. That is part of what the copula does: it defines what a person or thing is (think of it like a linguistic equals sign =).
I am an administrative assistant. It is not what I want to be doing; it is simply a job that I have, a position that I currently find myself in. I would thus use the fancy “tá (subj) i (poss.pron.) (positon) construction.
Tá mé i mo chuntóir riarthach. - taw may imoh KHOON-tore REE-ur-hukh- I am an administrative assistant.
You would also use this construction to describe your current position in comparison to your past or future:
Tá Seán ina fhreastalaí anois, ach lá amháin beidh sé ina aisteoir
Taw shawn inuh RASS-tuh-ee uh-NISH, ukh law a-WAWN bayshay in ASH-chore
John is a a waiter now, but one day he will be an actor.
Chríochnaigh mé sé bliana staidéir, agus is anois atá mé i mo dhochtúir
KHREEKH-nuh may shay BLEE-uh-nuh STAH-jayr, ogus iss uh-NISH uh-TAW may imuh GHOKH-toor
I finished six years of study, and now I am a doctor.
To get a feel of how this construction is formed, here are the sentences above translated literally:
I am in my administrative assistant
John is in his waiter now, but one day he will be in his actor
I finished six years of study, and it is now that I am in my doctor
People with dirty minds might start imagining several naughty scenarios at this point, but this is how the Irish language expresses these ideas. >:D
Maidhc said,
October 9, 2007 @ 5:02 am
Cén fáth nach deirtear “Chríochnaigh mé sé *mbliana* staidéir…” ?
Tomas said,
January 5, 2008 @ 1:48 pm
Instead of – Is múinteoir mé
could you not have – múinteoir is ea mé?
numealinesimpetar said,
April 1, 2008 @ 3:51 pm
Maidhc said,
October 9, 2007 @ 5:02 am
Cén fáth nach deirtear “Chríochnaigh mé sé *mbliana* staidéir…” ?
Freagra: The numbers from seven upwards are NOUNs. Just as we could say “a score OF mockers” or a dozen OF eggs” we say in Irish “a seven of years” ie “seacht mbliana”. But from 3-6 we have a regular plural: sé bliana. In the standard dialect this use is confined to the word ‘bliain’, which is used very frequently with numbers. In the trad. Munster dialect it is retained with any noun.
Irish is the only modern European language that retains the DUAL number: dhá chapall but trí (etc) capaill. The dual is identical in form with the dative. In the Standard Grammar only a small handful of words keep the dual: mo dhá láimh: also ag an láimh [dative]. But in the standard grammar, the dual form has invaded the numbers up to six: trí chapall where the older (and Munster) was trí capaill.
The dative shows up only in the Second declension. It is ‘optional’ in the standard grammar, but I don’t seeanyone still using it: fuinneog, a window, but ag an bhfuinneoig, at the window. Also, dhá fhuinneoig, two windows.
William Hooper said,
August 25, 2009 @ 1:29 pm
Very interesting blog – thank you!
Just a small point: while the dual number is indeed a rare phenomenon, Irish is not the only European language to retain it. Slovenian also have the dual number.