Does anybody have any knowledge of Irsh swear words.
If so please send me whatever you'v got so long as it isn't any of those anglicised terms. Feel free to learn from each other.
Do Chara Uasle,
Seamas91

A Sheamás, faigh an leabhar "500 Mallacht" le Breandán 'ac Gearailt.

An eascaine í "Mionnaigh," nach í?

FRCGRMA

Seamás91,

Swearing is a little tricky in the Irish language. The reason you see so many anglicised words is that the Irish have a different mentality when it comes to swearing.

While there are some words that can be found, you have to go looking for them. For example, the word "cac" has the same value in Irish as "shit/Scheiß" does in English/German, or "merda" does in Italian. It seems that the use of excriment as a means of swearing was abundant across early Europe.

And there is a whole list of words that mean "slut" or "fool." We did a whole list of them a few months ago here. Although "striapach" and "amadán agus óinseach" are the most commonly used for these purposes.

But the concept of swearing is not universal. For example, in some cultures vulgarity can be created with the use of single word. (F**ker, A**hole, D**khead...)

In Irish, a witty negative remark could be better than swearing. For example, "D'anam don diabhal" (Your soul to the Devil) may not seem like swearing to modern English speaker, but if an angry Irish person were saying this to you, they might as well have said "I hope you eat sh** and die." It carried a similar weight to them.

What I think is starting to happen today is that there is a new slang revolution. Irish is adopting both swear words and concepts of swearing. And they are adapting it to modern Irish.

That's why you are seeing the anglicised words lik "fec" for "fuck." Or expression like "imigh leat" which means "off with you" as an equal to "fuck off."

But this is a topic that the natives would have a better grasp of than me. They are going to have a better understand of what is vulgar in Ireland today.

There's a very effective swear word in north Mayo: Smaladh air / Smalú air. I don't know what it means but it is something very bad.

Smoladh atá ann a Thaidhgín. (blight)
Smoladh / smaladh a bhuailfeadh barr préataí.

(Féach foscadh, fascadh, boladh, baladh, folamh, falamh, srl.)
Tá 'seal fascaidh' beo i mBéarla Liatroma anseo - lá fén dtor' ó dheas - le haghaidh: we'll 'have a break'.

quote:

For example, the word "cac" has the same value in Irish as "shit/Scheiß" does in English/German

I have heard this lots over the years and even said it myself 'you are talking cac' without actually realising the literal translation, I always just thought it was like saying you are talking rubbish.

Anyhow, I have heard previously (not sure of the irish translation) that one could say 'May your fire never burn'.

I also was told in school once a long time ago by someone raised in Irish at home and taught at primary school level in Irish, now this may be childish, but the translation was 'may 7 buckets of hens shit fall on your head' and it went something like 'do diite seacht mbuicéad cac cearca ar do ceann'.

quote:

An eascaine í "Mionnaigh," nach í?

Ní hea. Sin "swear (an oath)"

"go dtite seacht mbuicéid cac chirce ar do cheann" atá i gceist agat, a Damian.

Remember if you want to say it 'it is shit' you have to say (in ulster anyway) - tá sé fá chác'.

quote:

"go dtite seacht mbuicéid cac chirce ar do cheann" atá i gceist agat, a Damian.

A Aonghus, this is just something that has stuck in my head for years, was told it when I was about 14. I remember asking him Irish swear words and he told me that, maybe he just thought that was funny and being immature we thought it was funny. However, out of curiousity I will ask him the next time I see him as I do meet him often. I have always wondered if he made it up or it actually was something that was said.

It is certainly similar to some of the colourful curses that Breandán 'ac Gearailt collected.

http://www.cic.ie/product.asp?idproduct=411&variables=

Enjoy:

http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/gaeilge/donncha/focal/features/mallacht/

Go dtachta cúnna ifrinn do chuid infheistíochta!

quote:

Ní hea. Sin "swear (an oath)"

Ní raibh ann ach leithéis a Aonghuis.

Tuigim (anois - ní raibh an focal leithéis agam, go raibh maith agat!)

---

Some of my favourites, if I were given to cursing:
Marbhfháisc ort! (May you be wrapped in your shroud)
Lá breá ag do chairde - dod adhlacadh (May your friends have a fine day - burying you)
In ainm Chroim (In the name of Crom - a pagan, bloodthirsty God)
Snaidhm bundúin ort (May your anus be knotted)

And then there are teh gems Dennis collected, some of which are easily modernised

http://www.sengoidelc.com/category/1/3

Gurab feis ag faolchoin do chorp!
http://www.sengoidelc.com/node/381

My favourite is -

Nár fheice tú an lá

may you not see the light of day [dead by morning]

nár fhaighir slí i gcaiseal - may you not get a Christian burial.

Agus an t-inneall mallachtaí:

http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/gaeilge/donncha/focal/features/mallacht/

quote:

Snaidhm bundúin ort (May your anus be knotted)

Beautiful. I don't know if I can deliver that one without laughing.

"Swear" is a hard definition. There are catagories of this stuff. There is the oath (closer to "swearing"), there is profanity (off-color language, "cussing"), there is cursing (like above), and there is blashphemy, which is different from the oaths above.

I am sure there is a lot of creativity in this category!

Snaidhm bundúin ort (May your anus be knotted)
Sin é uafásach, nach bhfuil? Ha, ha, ha, srl.

So Aonghus,
I REALLY liked this one.."May you be wrapped in your shroud"
Marbhfháisc ort! So how do you pronounce that...
Mar-WAHSC urt ?

Jeannette

/mɑrə'vɑ:ʃkʹ ort/

More blessings and curses here

http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/gaeilge/donncha/focal/features/bam.html

Uascán = moron

I learned that on a book called ''Taisce focal''

http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/gaeilge/focloiri/daoine/lorg.php?tairg=Lorg&facal=uasc% C3%A1n&seorsa=Gaidhlig

Tá a lán ainmneacha maslacha eile le fail ansin!

Do bhuail sé seacht gcineál difriúla de cac as. (He beat seven different types of shite out of him)

An exaggeration I'm sure but is it Irish?

Member
Username: Jeannette

Post Number: 45
Registered: 01-2005

Posted on Thursday, November 05, 2009 - 01:36 pm:


Re: pronouncing Aongus' Irish phrase.. "Marbhfháisc ort!"
only answer i got was from Timd....but I have NO idea how his answer..
mɑrə'vɑ:ʃkʹ ort/
is pronounced.

quote:

Do bhuail sé seacht gcineál difriúla de cac as. (He beat seven different types of shite out of him)

An exaggeration I'm sure but is it Irish?

I doubt it. The wonderfully alliterative phrase "he beat seven shades of shite out of him" is commonly heard. I would say it's a translation from the English.

Jeanette,

I don't do pronunciations. If you can't read IPA (which is what TimD gave you) the best thing is to put the phrase into the synthesizer at http://www.abair.ie