A’ Challaid

By Simon

Mo challaid phriobaid / M'fhál pribhéad / My privet hedge

Tha callaid phriobaid i mo ghàrradh agus bha i a’ fàs ro ard agus ro bhagaideach, mar sin dheth ghearr mi i an dé. Ba mhath leam cuidhteas a fhaigh dhith gu léir, ach s’e obair mòr mòr a th’ann, agus tha mi a’ dèanamh sin beag air bheag.

Bha seisean math nam thaigh an-diugh, agus bha triùir againn ann an t-seachdain seo, a chor ‘s gun sheil aonar gun robh é DiLuain an-diugh, agus cha do ràinig é. Sin iomrall furasta a dhèanamh.

Tá fál pribhéad i mo ghairdín agus bhí sé ag fás ró-ard agus ró-mhothrach, mar sin ghearr mé í inné. Ba mhaith liom é a chur díom go hiomlán, ach is é sin obair an-mhór, agus tá mé ag déanamh beagán ar bheagán.

Bhí seisiún maith ann i mo theach inniu, agus bhí triúr againn ann an tseachtain seo, mar shíl duine amhain go raibh sé Dé Luain inniu agus níor tháinig sé. Sin botún éasca a dhéanamh.

There’s a privet hedge in my garden and it was getting too high and overgrown, so I gave it a trim yesterday. I’d like to get rid of it all together, but that’s a very big job and I’m doing it little by little.

We had a good music session in my house today, and there were three of us this week, because one of us thought it was Monday today and didn’t turn up. An easy mistake to make.

Cearcall còmhraidh iol-chainnteach

By Simon

Mo ukulele ùr / Mo ucailéile nua / My new ukulele

Bha ceathrar againn ann ann an cearcall còmhraidh iol-chainnteach an-raoir, fiù balach às an t-Suain a bhith Suainis, Beurla agus Innis Tìlis fileanta aige, agus a bhith ag ionnsachadh cànanachas. Bhruidhinn sinn mu dhéidhinn na cànain Lochlannaiche agus iommadh rud eile.

An-diugh thàinig mo chlàirneid air ais an-déidh càiridhean, agus tha i fada nas fheàrr nís. Bha mi a’ smaoineachadh air i a’ reic, ach chan eil mi cho cinnteach mu dhéidhinn sin nís. Thàinig mo ukulele ùr an-diugh cuideachd – ukulele tenor a tha ann agus tha i cho àlainn agus tha fuaim uabhasach math oirre.

Bhí ceithre againn ann sa ciorcal comhrá ilteangach aréir, lena n-áirítear buachaill as an t-Sualainn atá Sualainnis, Béarla agus Íoslainnis liofa aige, agus atá ag déanamh staidéar ar an teangeolaíocht. Labhair muid faoi na teangacha Lochlannacha, agus faoi go leor rudaí eile.

Tháinig mo chláirnéid ar ais inniu i ndiaidh ollchóiriú, agus tá sí i bhfad níos fearr anois. Bhí mé ag smaoineamh faoi í a dhíol, ach níl mé chomh cinnte faoi sin anois. Tháinig mo ucailéile nua freisin inniu – ucailéile teanóir atá ann agus tá í go hálainn agus tá fuaim iontach uirthi.

There were four of us in the polyglot conversation group last night, including a lad from Sweden who speaks Swedish, English and Icelandic fluently, and who is studying linguistics. We talked about the Scandinavian languages, and about many other things.

My clarinet came back today after being serviced and repaired, and it’s much better now. I was thinking about selling it, but I’m not so sure about that now. My new ukulele also arrived today – an electro-acoustic tenor that’s beautiful and has a great sound.

Orientating oneself

By Simon

When visiting an unfamiliar place in order to find you way around it helps if you work out where you are in relation to particular landmarks and in which direction you’re facing. In order to use a map you need to know where north is so that you can hold the map the right way round. This process is known as getting ones bearings or orientating / orienting oneself. The verb orient(ate) means to to face or arrange things to face the east (orient) and comes, via French, from the Latin word orient (the eastern part of the world, the part of the sky in which the sun rises, the east, the rising sun, daybreak, dawn). These days we usually orientate ourselves by finding out where north is, so why do we use orient(ate)?

Recently I discovered, in On The Map: Why the world looks the way it does by Simon Garfield, that the use of orient(ate) comes from the the medieval practice of placing Jerusalem in the centre of maps, so lining them up involved making them face towards Jerusalem in the east.

The northern equivalent of orient is boreal (from the Greek βορέας – god of the north wind), so to ‘orientate’ oneself towards the north might be borealate – this word doesn’t exist, but the word borealize (to adopt northern manners or pronunciation) does.

There is also a verb occident, which means “to turn or direct towards the west; to place (a church) with the chancel at the western end.” The southern equivalent of orient is austral, and the verb to australize (to point southward) was once used in English, though no longer.

Source: Oxford English Dictionary

Cuisleanan-bhinn

By Simon

Mo chuisleanan-bhinn / Mo fhliúteanna Shasanach / My recorders

Sheinn mi cuisleanan-bhinn ri mo chairdean madainn an-diugh, agus sheinn sinn fuinn clasaigeach, agus fuinn a Alba, às a’ Ghearmailt agus a Hawai’i. An-déigh lòn sheinn mi fuinn clasaigeach air mo ghiotàr, dh’fheagair mi puist-dhealain, agus chuir mi òran agus alt ùr air mo làrach-linn. Tha mi a’ dul chun an cearcall còmhraidh iol-chainnteach anochd.

Sheinn mé fliúiteanna Shasanach le mo chairde maidin inniu, agus sheinn muid foinn clasaiceach, agus foinn as an Alban, an Ghearmain agus Hawai’i. I ndiaidh lón sheinn mé foinn clasaiceach air mo ghiotár, d’fhreagair mé ríomhphoist, agus chuir mé amhrán agus alt nua ar mo shuíomh Gréasáin. Tá mé ag dul chun an ciorcal comhrá ilteangach anocht.

I played recorders with my friends this morning, and we played classical tunes, and some folk tunes from Scotland, Germany and Hawai’i. After lunch I played some classical pieces on my guitar, answered some emails, and addded a new song and a new article to my website. I’m going to the polyglot conversation group tonight.

The Speculative Grammarian Essential Guide to Linguistics

By Simon

The Speculative Grammarian Essential Guide to Linguistics

The good people at the Speculative Grammarian, the premier scholarly journal in field of satirical linguistics, sent me a review copy of their book, The Speculative Grammarian Essential Guide to Linguistics, and asked me if I could write a review. This is what they said:

“Of course, we think the book is quite funny, though you aren’t necessarily expected to agree. Much of our “Advance Praise” for the book is insulting, non-committal, or backhanded, so we aren’t particularly averse to such comments, especially if they are amusing. In fact, as a special offer to the most desirable reviewers, we’re willing to accept a mildly amusing (including insulting, non-committal, or backhanded) review without you having read any of the book.”

This is my, not entirely serious, review:

The Speculative Grammarian Essential Guide to Linguistics book contains 360 pages, some with writing on, some blank, so if you read one page a day it would take almost a year to get through. I don’t have that time to devote to the fine and neglected field of satirical linguistics, so I skimmed through it, reading bits here and there, and looking at the pictures. I even got some of the jokes.

The articles are a selection of the best ones from the Speculative Grammarian website brought together in one place for your convenience, with extra introductions, appendices and other bits. The articles cover all aspects of satirical linguistics from definitions of linguistics (inconclusive) to field linguistics (what to pack, etc), and also linguistic love poetry and a guide to mytholingual creatures. Some articles should be approached with extreme caution only by highly trained stunt linguists. You have been warned!

DiDòmhnaich ciùine

By Simon

Cha do rinn mi móran an-diugh. Rinn mi beagan obair sa mhadainn, agus an déidh lòn chaidh mi chun an oll-mhargadh, agus leugh mi labhar inntinneach mu dhéidhinn mapichean. Tha a’ ghrian a’ deàrrsadh a-nis agus tha mi a’ dol air chuirt.

Ní dhearna mé móran inniu. Rinne mé beagan obair sa mhaidin, agus i ndiaidh lón chuaigh mé go dtí an ollmhargadh, agus léigh mé leabhar suimiúil faoi léarscáileanna. Tá an ghrian ag soilsigh anois agus tá mé ag dul ag spaisteoireacht.

I didn’t do a lot today. I did a bit of work in the morning, and after lunch I went to the supermarket, and read a interesting book about maps. The sun’s shining now and I’m going for a wee walk.

An rathad lùbach gu Cemaes

By Simon

An raoir chaidh mi gu seisean òran ann taigh-samhraidh ann an gàrradh taigh caraid. Bha sinn a’ tionnsgnadh òrain ùr, agus a’ seinn òrain a sgrìobh mise, agus òrain eile tha sinn eòlach aca. Bha spòrs is mireadh againn.

An-duigh chaidh mi gu seisean òran ann an Cemaes faisg air Machynlleth. Bha daoine ann as còraichean ann an Machynlleth, Dolgellau, Aberystwyth, Bangor agus àitichean eile, agus sheinn sinn òrain ann am Beurla agus òrain as a’ Chongo agus as Afraga a Deas. Bha craic math dha-rìreabh ann.

Aréir chuaigh mé chuig seisiún amhránaíocht i dteach samhraidh sa ghairdín teach carad. Sheiftigh muid amhráin, agus chan muid amhráin a scríobh mise, agus amhráin eile atá ar eolas againn. Bhí an-oíche againn.

Inniu chuaigh mé chuig ceardlann amhránaíochta i gCemaes, in aice le Machynlleth. Bhí daoine ann as cóir i Machynlleth, Dolgellau, Aberystwyth, Bangor agus áiteanna eile, agus chan muid amhráin as Béarla agus amhráin ó Chongó agus an Afraic Theas. Bhí sé go hiontach.

Yesterday evening I went to a singing session in the summer house in a friend’s garden. We improvised songs, and sang some of the songs I’ve written, and other songs we know, and we had a great time.

Today I went to a singing workshop in Cemaes near Machynlleth. There were people there from choirs in Machynlleth, Dolgellau, Aberystwyth, Bangor and other places, and we sang songs in English, and songs from Congo and South Africa. It was a very enjoyable day.

The Nadgery Road to Cemaes

By Simon

On the way to a singing workshop in Cemaes today the word nadgery was used to describe the road. From the context I guessed that it meant winding, but as I hadn’t heard the word before I checked, and was told that it’s a dialect word from the north east of England. It doesn’t appear in the OED or in any other dictionary I’ve looked in, but is used online, often in reference to roads. Have you heard it before, or used it? Do you have others words to describe winding roads?

The Nadgery Road to Cemaes could be the title of a tune and/or a song. Maybe I’ll try to write one using it. There is a song called The Rocky Road to Dublin, after all.

Na Ruisich

By Simon

Bha i a’ dòrtadh feasgar an-dé, agus thàinig na Ruisich air ais gu moch. Bhruidhinn sinn ri chéile gu ceann greise, agus an-sin chaidh sinn gu taigh-òsda an Tap & Spile agus dh’ith sinn dinnear an-siud. As déidh sin chaidh sinn gu taigh-òsda eile chun mo chàirdean anns an còmhlan còmhraidh Fraingise a choinneachadh. Cha do bhruidhinn sinn móran Fraingis a dh’innse na fìrinn, ach bhruidhinn sinn gu beag-nithe ann am Beurla mu dhéidhinn an Ruis agus iomadh rudan eile.

Bhí sé ag stealladh báistí inné, agus tháinig na Rúisigh ar ais go luath. Labhair muid le cheile ar feadh tamaill, agus ansin chuaigh muid go dtí teach tabhairne an Tap & Spile chun dinnéar a fháil. I ndiaidh sin chuaigh muid go teach tabhairne eile agus bhuail muid le mo chairde sa ghrupa comhrá Fraincise. Ní labhair muid a lán Fraincis i ndáiríre, ach labhair muid as Béarla den chuid is mó fá dtaobh de an Ruis agus a lán rudaí eile.

It poured down yesterday afternoon, and the Russians came back early. We chatted for a while, then went to the Tap & Spile for dinner. After that we went to another pub to meet my friends in the French conversation group. We didn’t actually speak much French, but chatted in English about Russia and various other things.