I saw this sentence some while back in one of the older Irish books and I have been thinking about it ever since:
Dá dheise don sliabh é, ba amhlaidh ba bhoichte an talamh.

And after much effort I actually got to grips with it!

This was given as an example of the economy and elegance of natural Irish compared to all too literally translated English, right?

After even more effort I believe I have managed to construct a sentence in the same mould: Dá fhaide ón bhfadhb tú, is amhlaidh is fusa duit a fuascailt.

(Please correct grammar, if necessary.)


OK, my one is a little too aphoristic for everyday use but the first one cited is actually something you would say, or write, in a report.

My question is: would people still use, or even understand, this type of construction? I mean, of course, ordinary Gaeltacht people and competent learners outside - I know that it should be no problem to the professionals and academics.

I understand it.
I'm not sure I've read a similar sentence in any more recent writing, but I'm not sure whether that is beacuse people don't master the idiom, or that style has changed.

People tend to be more direct:
Is fusa fadhb a réiteach má tá tú i bhfad uaidh.
Except I'd probably say
Is fusa fadhb a réiteach agus tú neamhpléach/beag beann air
I don't think the distance metaphor works too well

They doesn't mean exactly the same thing as your sentences.


Dá fhaide ón bhfadhb tú, is amhlaidh is fusa duit a fuascailt.

=The further you are from the problem, the easier it is to solve.

Dá dheise don sliabh é, ba amhlaidh ba bhoichte an talamh.

=The nicer the mountain was, the poorer was its earth/soil.



I learnt these constructions at the university and you can find them in Ó Siadhail's 'Modern Irish', so I think it is still in use, at least by older speakers whose speech is less influenced by English.

There are other structures, for example Ó Siadhail heard in Gaoth Dobhair something that would give:

Más faide ón fhadhb thú, más fusa duid a fuascailt.
Más deise an sliabh, más boichte an talamh.

Tá tú ar strae, a Lughaidh

deas eile atá i gceist

deas [ainmfhocal ]


de dheas do ((in abairt) in aice (le)).
i ndeas do ((in abairt) in aice (le)).

---

Dá dheise don sliabh é, ba amhlaidh ba bhoichte an talamh

The closer that the land was to the mountain, the poorer its soil.

(Message edited by aonghus on May 07, 2009)

Maidir le

quote:

They doesn't mean exactly the same thing as your sentences.


Dá fhaide ón bhfadhb tú, is amhlaidh is fusa duit a fuascailt.

=The further you are from the problem, the easier it is to solve

Is fíor dhuit, dar ndóigh. Cé go bhfuil amhras orm fós faoi "faid" sa chomhthéacs seo.

An nath a ritheann liom ná
Dá fhaide an lá, sé dán na hoíche teacht.

Níor chuala/léigh mé nath le Más ..., Más ...
Spéisiúl.