I notice that the Irish word for "princess" is "banphrionsa" and that it's a masculine word.

Ceist 1: Why is it masculine? The obvious, possible answer is that it's derived from "prionsa," which is the Irish word for "prince."

Ceist 2: If the answer to Ceist 1 is the obvious, a related question is that I notice that the word for "abbess" in Irish is "ban-ab," and that it is a feminine noun. So, why the inconsistency between the gender of the nouns for princess and abess?

Ceist 3: Why isn't there a fada over the "a" in "ban?" I notice that the prefix "bán" does have a fada. Is ban and bán two different prefixes?

Ceist 4: prionsa looks a little like riona. Is there any connection?

Just curious about the etymology of bán becoming ban and certain nouns that describe feminine persons as being masculine in the language. And I'm also curious about the possible "ri, riona, prionsa" connection.

Go raibh maith agaibh.

Ní hionann "ban-" (female) agus "bán-" (white).

ceist 1. Words are categorised along the lines of grammatical rules. A word for a female person or thing does not have to have the grammatical gender 'feminine'

For example, Cailín, a girl, is masculine. Words ending in the suffinx 'ín' just happen to be so. Compare German where Fraülein is Neuter Gender.

Ceist 2. Ab: same reasoning as at 1 above, Im afraid.

Ceist 3. Ban is related to 'bean' (woman) and conveys the sense of the female to a word which otherwise describes a male occupation or description.

It does not have the lengthening of the vowel 'a'.

Bán, which does have the lengthening of the vowel means 'white', 'fair'

Ceist 4. Fágaim chugatsa a Riona! I leave this to Riona!

Scíobh Pangur Dubh: Ceist 2. Ab: same reasoning as at 1 above, Im afraid

I can see the reasoning for Pangur Dubh's answer to Ceist 1, but I don't see how ban-ab becomes feminine since "ab" (abbot) is masculine to begin with. So following the reasoning used in Ceist 1, I would think ban-ab would remain masculine.

Ban is related to 'bean' (woman) and conveys the sense of the female to a word

Oh, now it makes sense to me. ban is a shortened form of bean which doesn't have a fada in it either. Pangur Dubh's answer helps me to understand words like banaltra (woman of fostering or nursing?) and banríon (queen).

Regarding Ceist 4: I should have written "ríon" (queen)instead of ríona.

Observation: It's interesting that both "banríon" and "ríon" mean queen. If "ríon" already means queen, why would we need to put "ban" in front of it to mean queen? It seems that the "ban" in this case is redundant, nach ea?

Go raibh maith agaibh a Dennis agus Phanguir Dubh.

Focal an Lae: ionann. Feicim an focal sin i gcónai ach ní thuigim é sin riamh.

FRC - GRMA

ionann [aidiacht]
(leis an gcopail) ar aon dul le, díreach cosúil le (is ionann an dá cheann).
ionann is (beagnach (tá sé ionann is (a bheith) críochnaithe)).

---

It seems that the "ban" in this case is redundant, nach ea?

Sea, ach...treise arís.

Sorry, Mac Léinn. I couldn't get back to you sooner. I've been in further Spain, and, post car problems, on my return here my ISP was/is giving me grief with bandwidth issues. Is mar siúd an saol! Nuisances never come singly.

Banríon.... If memory serves, I do believe I have come across Ríon used on its own. But it would be unusual. I imagine it is related (cognate) with Regina (Latin & Italian), Reine (French), Reina (Spanish). And don't forget Bandia - goddess. :-)

quote:

I've been in further Spain

An bhfuil Further Spain cosúil le Outer Mongolia nó Transalpine Gaul?

Is léir go bhuil tú siúlach. An bhfuil tú scéalach chomh maith?

Maidir le sanasaíocht "banríon", tá an ceart ar fad agat. Is féidir "ríon" a úsáid leis féin, ón tSean-Ghaeilge "rígain". Tá an méid seo le rá ag an Léxique étymologique de l'irlandais ancien:

"C'est le féminin indo-européen du nom du roi conservé en sanskrit rájñî."

Go raibh maith agaibh a Phanguir Dubh agus a Dennis - an suimiúl!

Scriobh Dennis: An bhfuil Further Spain cosúil le Outer Mongolia nó Transalpine Gaul?

Nil fhios agam, ach sílim go mbeadh sé Farther Spain.

go mbeadh sé = it would be?

What I was trying to say above is "I think that it would be "Farther Spain," and I know that I need the copula to link "it" and "Spain" but I don't know how to do it for the future tense "would be."

FRC-GRMA

quote:

Nil fhios agam, ach sílim go mbeadh sé Farther Spain.

go mbeadh sé = it would be?

Tá cuid den cheart agat. Is féidir a rá:

... go mbeadh sé fuar / anseo / ag obair.

Ach sa chomhthéacs seo, tá syntax (comhréir i nGaeilge) eile ag teastáil. Mar shampla:

Sílim gurb é Farther Spain a bheadh uirthi.

Sílim gurb é FS an leagan ceart.

Sílim go mbeadh FS níos fearr.

Maidir leis an mBéarla, níl a fhios agam!

Go raibh maith agat a Dennis. Cen fath a usáid tú é i na shamplaí thuas? Mar shampla, "Sílim gurb é."

Is it an idiomatic reason that you use "é" instead of "í?" I ask the question because I notice that you use the feminine form "uirthi" evidently to match the gender of "Spain."

I enjoyed all your examples above and they will help me in understanding the use of the copula in conjunction with the word "would."

Le meas,

Mack

FRC-GRMA

"An bhfuil Further Spain cosúil le Outer Mongolia nó Transalpine Gaul? "

In áiteacha, d'fhéadfadh sé bheith ina ghaineamhleach atá ag tosú! Mar sin... Agus níl an Sahara ró-fhada uaidh ach oiread. Agus is annamh an bháisteach.

Is fada go leor an turas ó mo dhoras-sa go hAlicante, 800km agus fós píosa mór. Ach deinim an turas ar mhotarshlí agus tá sin i bhfad níos fhusa ná mar a bheadh ar ghnáth-bhóthar.

Tá na radharcanna go hálainn an turas go léir. Ón Languedoc taistilim thart fá Bhaile Charcassonne, áit stairiúil ar fad. As sin, 25 neomaid go dtí Narbonne ar chósta na Meánmara. Ansin casann an motarshlí ó dheas agus díríonn sí ar an Spáinn. Ach ar dtús caitear dul thart fá Perpignan (Perpinyà sa Chataláinis agus in Occitáinis), agus ó shin amach éiríonn an bóthar go hard sna sléibhte. Ach fé dheire shroicheann tú Le Perthus atá i limistéir idirnáisiúnta, atá roinnte idir an Fhrainc agus an Spáinn.

Ach aire! Ní Spáinnis a labhraítear anseo. Seo an Chatalóin, agus tá a príomhchathair, Barcelóna, gar go leor. D'fhoghlaim mé roinnt Chatalóinis - cúpla focal - chun le do thoil (sis plau) agus grma (Gracies) a rá. Is mór an tioncar a bhíonn ag na focail sin, mar is daoine an-uabharaigh iad ar fad, agus faraoir. Ná habair gur Spáinnigh iad riamh! Labhraítear an Chatalóinis, nó canúintí di síos go Murcia.

Agus Barcelona ar fágtha i do dhiaidh, shroicheann tú Delta an Ebro. Chun an fhírinne a rá, is mó an tSionainn ná an Ebro, agus í (an Ebro) ar tí shleamhnú isteach sa bhfarraige. Ansin, go hobann, tá tú i dTarragóna. De ghnáth, caithim an oíche anseo. Tá a lán fothracha Rómhánacha le feiscint, Amharclann na gCladheamhadóirí (Gladiators) go háirithe san áireamh.

Tar éis Tarragóna feictear dhuit go bhfuil an tír an-tirim. Agus is lom agus fiáin iad na sléibhte. Mar sin, gar do Valencia, fáiltíonn na súille roimh na crainn le duilleoga glasa agus na horáistí geala ar crocadh orthu. Tá siad ar fun na háite, comh fada le bun na spéire.

Beagánín níos fuide síos an bóthar tagann tú ar Saguntum. Cathair de chuid na gCairtigíneach í. Agus díreach ina diaidh tá Valencia féin. Méadaíonn an trácht go mór ar an mbóthar agus tá géarghá le cúram fé leith. Ansin, feicear ó bharr an chnoic gur áit ghránna í, mar tá scamall toitcheoach san aer ós a cionn. Níor bhac mé ríamh dul isteach inti, mar sin, ní chóir dhom breithiúnas a thabhairt uirthi, is dóigh liom.

Uair a'chloig nó mar sin níos déanaí agus sroichim ceann scríbe. Ach roimhe sin is fiú bualadh isteach i mbaile Gandia. Ba as an baile seo a tháinig na Pápaí Borja, nó Borgia. D'ól mé té ann uair amháin, ach ní raibh nimh ann áfach! Tá mé ann fós. LOL Níl sna scéalta úd ach ráflaí, déarfainn - b'fhéidir. :-)