A chairde,

I was wondering how people answer the phone in Irish, and if there is lots of ways to do it that are acceptable. I want to start doing it, at least on my cell phone.
Thanks.

Beir bua agus beannacht.

Personally, I only answer the phone in English until I know who I'm talking to because, living in England, that's usually the language of my caller.

I was going to suggest, until I saw from your profile that you're in the US, that you give Oideas Gael in County Donegal a ring because they usually answer in Irish. Another company in Ireland who usually answer the phone in Irish is the publisher of the monthly newspaper "Saol". But from the US such a call would be expensive.

Failing that, a simple "Dia duit" might meet your requirement.

A Larry,

Asking the all of you is loads cheaper than calling Ireland and seeing what happens, as fun as that would be. I know that none of my callers will speak Irish back to me, so this is just for my own self to practice with and what not. Would it really be correct to answer a casual phonecall with Dia dhuit, I mean that is a bit formal, it has a real meaning unlike when we all just say hello or hi or what have you. Correct me if I'm wrong and I'd love any comment on how to do this.

Beir bua agus beannacht.

It comes down to a matter of style. I've heard people answer with "X anseo" or simply "X" when they answer giving their name. I've also heard people repeat their phone number, in Irish, letting the caller know that they've dialled the correct number and yes, I've been greeted with "Dia duit" on more than one occassion. As in English, there are thousands of ways in which you can greet a caller.

I agree that "Dia duit" is a bit formal, but I don't believe that you could be criticised if you wanted to give somebody a nice greeting :)

A Riona,

Excellent question! I've always wondered how to properly answer the phone in Irish, and also what to record for my answering machine when I'm not home.

Here's a story I'd like to relate regarding my cell phone and answering in Irish. A few years ago, the day after I got my cell phone, I started receiving phone calls from someone, speaking in Spanish, who would ask for Raoul. I first tried to explain to him that he had the wrong number, but he would keep asking for Raoul. Since I know a little Spanish, I then tried to tell him in Spanish that he had the wrong number. Eventually he would hang up. This scenario would repeat itself every so often over the course of a year. One day I got the bright idea to answer the cell phone as Gaeilge. He kept asking for Raoul in Spanish and I kept answering him as Gaeilge. "Nil Raoul anseo. Nil Bearla agam." This went on for a few minutes. All of a sudden, he broke into English! I kept on as Gaeilge......

Finally, out of desperation he says in perfect English.... "Dude... I don't speak Chinese!"

So, for my personal answering machine which only my family and friends have the number for, I would like to leave an Irish-only greeting for all the telemarketers of the world to enjoy! I can just imagine what language they're going to think it is!

That's ever so funny. So many people in America have no idea that Irish is a language, let alone what it sounds like. I'm afraid I don't understand what the x means, like does it stand for something or what. Saying my phone number would probably take me too long and everyone here might hang up before I'd finished, though if I had practice I'd probably get to saying it quick like.

Beir bua agus beannacht

For "x" substitute a person's name, as in "Riona anseo" :)

I work in an Irish-speaking office and most people around here answer the phone with "X anseo".

And yes, they do substitute their actual name for X. Never heard anyone say "ecs anseo" :-)

Sure and I knew that noone would achtually say "x", haha. I guess I'll try saying my name with anseo. since it seems to be the general concensus.
Go raibh maith agaibh.

Beir bua agus beannacht.

Actually, majority of speakers speak i nGaeilge. "As Gaelainn" although possible is predominantly Munster form which has been spread through textbooks as being "easier"

Finally, out of desperation he says in perfect English.... "Dude... I don't speak Chinese!"


Dude ain't English, a chara, it's Irish; even if it's a literal English dúd.

Dúd, al. dúid
a numbskull, a dolt.

Though he sounds like a generic dúd to me.

quote:

Dude ain't English, a chara, it's Irish;

From www.dictionary.com we have:

Dude:
Informal. An Easterner or city person who vacations on a ranch in the West.
Informal. A man who is very fancy or sharp in dress and demeanor.
Slang. A man; a fellow.
dudes Persons of either sex.

Slang. To dress elaborately or flamboyantly: got all duded up for the show.

interj. Slang
Used to express approval, satisfaction, or congratulations.

[Origin unknown.]
Our Living Language Cowboys and the Wild West are indelibly set in the minds of many as typical of American association borne out by several common Modern English words that originated in the speech of the 19th-century western United States. One is dude, now perhaps most familiar as a slang term with a wide range of uses (including use as an all-purpose interjection for expressing approval: “Dude!”). Originally it was applied to fancy-dressed city folk who went out west on vacation. In this usage it first appears in the 1870s. The origin of the word is not known, but a number of other cowboy terms were borrowed by early settlers from American Spanish. These include buckaroo, corral, lasso, mustang, ranch, rodeo, and stampede. Buckaroo, interestingly, is an example of a word borrowed twice: it is an Americanized form of Spanish vaquero, which also made it into English as vaquero, a cowboy.

I don't see any evidence of the word "dude" originating as an Irish word

student,

you won't. dancas is under the impression that every word in american english has irish roots - the dictionaries lie to you in a massive conspiracy to deny irish its true credit.

alright, that's half tongue-in-cheek, but my impression from his posts is that what appears to be a similarity to him carries all the weight and dictionary etymologies carry none, so don't bother looking it up and posting it for it'll do you no good.

on a note of balance, it is interesting to look at the word lists in his previous posts...and i have little doubt that there are irish-rooted words that have been missed by the dictionaries, at least due in part to an anti-gaeilge bias that has (and may yet) exist in some linguistic circles...but the majority of those lists seem to be more coincidence than actual etymology

Thanks Antaine for the advice. I did have fun looking it up though, as I got a better idea of its origin, even if it isn't Irish.....sob, sob. :)

But back to Riona's original post, if I may add a question - could someone suggest a message for an answering machine, such as:

"Hi, this is X, thanks for calling. I'm not here to take your message, so please leave your name and number and I'll call you back as soon as possible."

Of course, if your name isn't Xavier, then change the letter X to something else - just kidding Riona. :)

Sure and maybe I'm not the cleverest creature, but I honestly didn't understand at the time, hahahahaha. After someone answers the previous question of Student Of Irish, I'd very much like to know from Antaine how the chess set is going.

Beir bua agus beannacht

Riona,

I think you're very smart and your participation in this group has a positive and refreshing effect on many of us. I often miss things like "X anseo" myself, so I hope you don't mind me making light of it.

Le meas, Student of Irish

Riona a chara
dont let them get you down
the "x" threw me for a sec too
keep up your very intresting and
insightful postings!

I enjoy it when the all of you tease me, its fun.

At one point I had so many people leaving messages for me in Irish, (mar Hey a Colleen, Rath anseo, A Chailín a chara, Liam anseo . . . )that my flatmate who didn't know Irish and was checking the machine for her own messages said to me, 'How many people are in that Shaw family, anyway?

I found that using Irish on telemarketers worked wonderfully in the US. I got the same 'Speak English!' frustrated response from some of them before they finally gave up, but I think I got crossed off of some of the call lists which is a good thing, as I got quite a few unsolicited calls like this per week. It was also a great learning exercise, as I listened to whatever they said and answered their questions back appropriately in Irish.

quote:

'How many people are in that Shaw family, anyway?

That's hilarious a Chailindoll! I also like your idea of answering their questions in Irish. I try doing the same thing at times, but I'm not versed enough to answer all their questions appropriately. I guess it will come with practice. I'm also waiting for the day that some telemarketer calls that knows Irish and "calls" my bluff. It may take twenty years or so, but it's bound to happen!

By the way, anyone got an idea on what to leave in Irish for the outgoing message on my answering machine?

That's the challenge you need, a Stude, but they won't know if you make a mistake. If you run into difficulty write down what you had wanted to say and park that phrase on a list to ask here in the forum or the next time you get a chance to chat with someone who would know. Often the things you'd like to say to a telemarketer involve more complex structures, for phrases like, even if I had all the money in the world I would, on principle never choose to give it to someone who called looking for it at dinnertime! I know, wouldn't that be great to get a telemarketer with Irish calling the States? I'd let my dinner go cold if that happened!

quote:

the challenge you need, a Stude

Cuir aoibh an gháire air, a Cholleen. Fág an -e ar lár.

Ag fáil réidh le telemarketers i Meiriceá:
Oibríonn sé seo go hiontach. https://www.donotcall.gov/default.aspx Ní raibh telemarketer ag glaoch ar ár dteach le fada an lá anois ó chuireamar ár ainm ar an liosta. Ach má tá tú ag baint craic as labhairt leo i nGaeilge, ar aghaidh leat is bíodh spraoi ‘at!
C

Student of Irish,

How about something along the lines of...

"X anseo. Tá brón orm ach táim as baile faoi láthair. Tabhair dom d'ainm agus d'uimhir gutháin agus glaofaidh mé ar ais ort go luath."

quote:

"X anseo. Tá brón orm ach táim as baile faoi láthair. Tabhair dom d'ainm agus d'uimhir g[h]utháin agus glaofaidh mé ar ais ort go luath."

This is good. You might consider dropping the "ort", however.

"Glaofaidh mé ort" can mean "I will invoke you, I will call upon you".

Dennis,

Off topic, and purely out of interest, but would you be the same Dennis K who once posted an article somewhere on the internet called something like "Cúpla Focal" with a guide to pronunciation? I'm going back a few years here and it's entirely possible that I'm mistaken...

I think there's just the one Dennis King who has been messing about with Irish on the net. Years ago I concocted two guides, one to Old Irish pronunciation, and one to Modern Irish. They're still up, under "Features", at the old "Focal an Lae" site:

http://w3.lincolnu.edu/~focal/

Fainic! Ba mhaith liom a chreidiúint go bhfuil "The Pronunciation and Spelling of Modern Irish" iontaofa agus úsáideach fós. Níl ann, áfach, ach "broad brushstrokes", agus is fada an lá ó thug mé súil air.

Ceart go leor, a chara. GRMA

Halo, cé atá ag caint?
Is mise Seán. Ba mhaith liom labhairt le Pádraig, le do thoill.
fan bomaite.

(Message edited by pádraig on April 08, 2006)

(Message edited by pádraig on April 08, 2006)

A Larry, A Pháraig, A Dennis, a chairde

Thanks for the help! Tá mé ar laethanta saoire, so I'll have to work on this when I get back.

A Chaitriona, a chara,

Thanks for the info on blocking telemarketers. I almost wish I never blocked them in the first place, because I miss talking to them in Irish. :)

I wonder how many sub-forums there will be here when I return. :) Maybe we'll need one of those store directories like you find at the malls! :)


Slán go fóill

I havn't had the chance to try answering in Irish yet, but my dad says that whenever I visit at his house I'm welcome to answer in Irish because the people who call on the main line are either looking for me or are telemarketers. I wish I knew enough to answer their questions in Irish correctly. I hope the foreign language will be enough to make them not bother calling anymore because we get a crap load of them calling.

Beir bua agus beannacht.

Tús Maith recommends saying:

Haló. Cill Dara 78897122. Liam Ó Dochartaigh ag caint.

A chairde,

I've been very much enjoying this thread.

I use Irish with telemarketers, too. Politely, may I add.
Works like a charm.

I've been thinking of recording a bilingual outgoing message.
The English version contains the phrase "...please wait for the beep."
Does anyone know the Gaeilge for beep?

I work in Manhattan, and last week I was very aggressively proselytized by a fellow who followed me down the block with his spiel.
I said a very firm, "Tá brón orm ach níl aon English agam ar chór ar bith," which I repeated several times. I thought using the word "English" rather than "Béarla" would help. It did.

Gaeilge abú!
Paul

You could use the word "ton" as an equivalent word for "beep" I suppose...

"I work in Manhattan, and last week I was very aggressively proselytized by a fellow who followed me down the block with his spiel."

Great one for charity workers too.

as for beep, with so many words with vowel /i:/ in englsih been /e:/ in Hiberno-Englsih and Irish, perhaps 'bép' would be the besht