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Message board > Celtic languages
Celtic languages
yanogator
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Celtic languages
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Hi, all,
In a recent post, Sylvie explained that the Breton language in northern France has one word for both blue and green (related to the word for "sea"). Since that is a Celtic language (if I understand correctly), I �m wondering if this is true of other Celtic languages. Can any of you help me?
Thanks,
Bruce |
21 Oct 2010
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almaz
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Bruce,
As far as I �m aware, there are distinct words for �blue � and �green � in Scottish Gaelic. I �m not a native speaker although my surname is Gaelic. However, even in the lowlands we still have many place names which reflect our Gaelic past, the obvious one being Glasgow (glas - green + chu - place). In the highlands, Cairngorm (the mountain and the range) refers to the blue (gorm) hill. That doesn �t mean to say they �re not interchangeable when the occasion arises (esp. re the sea).
Then again, in the words of the late, great Scottish linguist, Jim McCawley, I �ve already told you more than I know about this.
Piseach!
Alex |
21 Oct 2010
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stexstme
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Hi Bruce,
I �ve read that the distinction between colours is not the same in English & in Celtic languages. For example, in Welsh glas means blue ( it can refer to the sea, grass or silver). In Breton, glas means 1/ blue, 2/ green when it �s a �natural � colour ( eg sea). [ when it �s artificial, the word is gwer].
In Irish, glas means green - & gwrm means dark blue. I found an example of Scottish Gaelic too, with gorm ( colour extending from dark blue to dark green.)
Just these few examples - there are many other ones.
There are lots of �other � languages that do not distinguish blue, green or even black.
I �m not a specialist, though, but I find these notions highly interesting, & that �s what I meant the other day : When someone is asking for what seems to us a very �easy & simple � translation, that notion might not exist in his/her own language...My example of colours comes from a former colleague of mine ( now retired) who told me she had lots of difficulties at school when a kid, because she �d been brought up by her grandparents who could only speak Breton ;eg the girl did not understand the difference between the 2 French words : Bleu & vert. (Blue & green )...She could only see one colour...
Kenavo! ( Bye )
Sylvie |
21 Oct 2010
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yanogator
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Thanks, Alex and Sylvie, for your very thorough answers.
Bruce |
21 Oct 2010
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