Irish Translation Forum

Are both male and female wolves referred to as "mac tíre" or does a she-wolf get to be "iníon tíre"? Also a question about expressing coat color in animals...I know one uses "rua" to refer to red hair, but "dearg" to express "red" in other instances...is red animal fur "rua" or "dearg"? Basically, what I want to know is, as a lady Redwolf, am I:

Mac tíre rua
Mac tíre dearg
Iníon tíre rua
Iníon tíre dearg (and should there be lenition here with "tíre"?)

or am I something else entirely?

Go raibh maith agat,

Redwolf (or whatever)

Redwolf wrote:Are both male and female wolves referred to as "mac tíre" or does a she-wolf get to be "iníon tíre"? Also a question about expressing coat color in animals...I know one uses "rua" to refer to red hair, but "dearg" to express "red" in other instances...is red animal fur "rua" or "dearg"? Basically, what I want to know is, as a lady Redwolf, am I:

Mac tíre rua
Mac tíre dearg
Iníon tíre rua
Iníon tíre dearg (and should there be lenition here with "tíre"?)

or am I something else entirely?

Go raibh maith agat,

Redwolf (or whatever)

You're

Mac tíre rua

As far as the color, "rua" is the term for red hair or complexion on humans or any other living thing. A fox, for example, is a "Maidrín rua," a little red dog

On a similar note, you use "glas" for "green" on living things, but "uaine" for everything else.

As for the gender, I really don't think Irish words change for gender like in Romance languages. For example, both a female and male cat are "cat."

The "mac" in this words seems to be a fossilized element. "Iníon tíre" is right out.

I'd probably go with "Mactíre Rua

oisin718 wrote:As far as the color, "rua" is the term for red hair or complexion on humans or any other living thing. A fox, for example, is a "Maidrín rua," a little red dog

On a similar note, you use "glas" for "green" on living things, but "uaine" for everything else.

As for the gender, I really don't think Irish words change for gender like in Romance languages. For example, both a female and male cat are "cat."

The "mac" in this words seems to be a fossilized element. "Iníon tíre" is right out.

I'd probably go with "Mactíre Rua

me too

Go raibh maith agaibh!

Mac tíre Ru-ru-row-aaaawooorua! (sorry...it's a wolf thing! )

Another name for wolf is Faolchú, which neatly sidesteps the boy/girl issue.