No.Originally Posted by sparkey321
Can you understand the difference between forcing individuals to constantly call themselves by a different name, at the expense of a name which actually has meaning (although this point is largely irrelevant), and putting down the Irish alternate of his name in a roll book?
Did anyone suggest to hillmahunter jnr that he should only be known by that name from now on?
If Worthington-Smythe was translated into Gaelic in the morning, what would it add to the sum of human knowledge?
Nothing!, I would suggest. Nor would it help any child in the study of the language
Then why do it.
Well first of all it is a ruse brought in by a bigoted establishment with a chip on it's shoulder.In the dark recesses of these peoples minds old scores are being settled.
This organization, after getting close to 90 billion euro [at todays value] out of the state since it's foundation is now farther away than ever from achieving it's goals.
The second reason it is important to them is for the very same reason the Prods want to march down the Garvahey road. Coat trailing, pure and simple.
Well, if you translated a name Worthington Smythe to a phonetic/semantic equivalent of Burdaintean Mac an Ghabhainn, it would inform them that there is no stand alone 'w' sound in Irish. It would at least inform them of the fact that 'o' in English is more similar to an Irish 'u', that th in English is not the same as 'th' in Irish and is better represented by an Irish hard 'd' sound, since the voiced dental fricative represented by 'th' in English no longer exists in Irish. It would inform them of caol le caol leathan le leathan rules since the -o-i-o- sequence (where the dashes represent consonants or consonant groups) is impossible in Irish. It would also show them that -ainn sound it Irish can be pronounced as an ing sound. It may even show the existence of the schwa, that vowels when unstressed are pronounced differently from when stressed, as is the case with 'ton' becoming 'tean' in Irish without too much alteration of pronunciation. Not to mention the fact that it would show the child that Smythe comes from the word Smith, meaning someone who works with metal in a forge, and that the Irish for such a person is Gabha gen. Gabhainn.
Happy?
All seven year olds please copy.
And promptly loose all interest.
Most people if they know their names in Irish, will know them for life. The information could gradually seep out.
Oh I've decided to change the translation to De Bhurdainntean Mac an Ghobhainn, give the impression better that Worthington is a place. Hence by translating it, they'd actually learn a bit more about their name in English. Strange that, isn't it?
Riadach, I admire your scholarship but not your common sense.
I'm not surprised that you place no value on common sense.
Just as a matter of curiosity, what is the Irish for Alan? It was used on me in primary school but for the life of me I cannot remember it.
Last edited by Cato; 1st February 2010 at 05:29 PM.
"We are such stuff
As dreams are made on; and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep." - The Tempest, Act 4, Scene 1
Ailean, usually.
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