I am wondering how one would say "toothless granny"? Is it "mamó mantach", or "mantach mamó", or something else?
I am still very much a beginner, as I've said, and I don't understand how Irish adjectives are applied, if they aren't just used "directly".
(The reason I'm asking is a long story and is sort of a "you had to be there" kind of a thing...)

The word order would be the other way round.
Mamó is feminine so adjective would be lenited.

Mamó mhantach

There's probably a more idiomatic way of saying it though.

(Message edited by asarlaí on May 12, 2005)

Howabout:

mantachán seanmhná

Howabout:

seanmheirdreach

That would be abusive. (Meirdreach is a harlot)

I like Séan a Chaipín's version.

mantachán seanmheirdreach?

Tuige go leanann tú le masla nuair a chuirtear ar do shúile gur masla atá ann. Is ionann meirdreach agus striapach. (Ós rud é gurbh cosúil nach eol duit cén sort rud é harlot)

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=harlot

or sorry, I thought it was like harlequin

So, what does putting the "án" on the end do to the word "mantach"? Does "mantachán seanmhná" translate roughly to "toothless old woman"?

mantach - gapped (adjective), particularly of teeth

mantachán - adding án turns it into a noun - "gapped one"

mantachán seanmhná - "gapped/toothless one who is an old woman" or more literally "gapped one of an old woman"

So, yes, "mantachán seanmhná" translates roughly to "toothless old woman"?

Grma Aonghus,
So, is it common to turn adjectives into nouns in this way?
And if the adjective is slender or ends with a vowel?

Not it's not common. Mostly the noun is identical to the adjective:

noun: éireannach
adjective: éireannach

noun: homaighnéasach
adjective: homaighnéasach

There are a long list of these kinds of "án" nouns applied to people. Sometimes the (e)ach ending is dropped.(amaideach, amadán springs to mind) I'm not sure what happens when the adjective ends slender or with a vowel, I'll have a look.

An Béal Beo has several pages of names to call people, most of which are formed in this way!

Interestingly, the Irish name for Wicklow, Cill Mhantáin, came about when one of St Patrick's followers had his tooth knocked out by the wild Irish and was thereafter known as Mantán! (Another form of mantachán).

I have a vague feeling that "án" denotes a definite person, and "ach" a member of a class/group

i. Éireannach (Irish person), but cancrán (Crank).

Perhaps because in the first case "duine" is implied.

But this is vague so don't build on it.