HIYAZ, Gael and Gall and here’s a hearty welcome to the Bluffer’s Guide to Irish.
This week past, the Bluffer has made use of most of modhanna cumarsáide - the means of communications that have sprouted up thanks to the new technology.
Zúmáil - zooming is now part of the everyday Irish lexicon as we try to compensate for in the lack of flesh meetings with our fellow daoine daonna - human beings.
The Bluffer quite likes Zoom and invested in a leabhragán úr - a new bookcase to give a false sense léann - learnedness to anyone on the other end of the video connection.
Bhí sí ag caint le hÁine ar Zoom - she was talking to Áine on Zoom or if you are working from home, bhí cruinniú Zoom agam leis an fhoireann - I had a Zoom meeting with the team.
For those who remember putting four pennies into a red telephone box way back in antediluvian times, the means at our disposal if we want to get in touch with others are breathtaking.
Déan teagmháil liom means get in touch with me but nowadays you have to ask how.
Scairt gutháin is a phone call - remember those but now we actually see who we are talking to, something which heretofore was only seen in James Bond movies.
We can use Skype, Facetime, Microsoft Teams, Google’s Hangouts or Meet, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and others.
Or someone might just say to you cuir ríomhphost chugam - send me an e-mail or seol teachtaireacht téacs chugam - send me a text message.
The idea that you can be in a conversation with someone on the other side of the world is incredible.
It’s free(ish) so the phrase “reverse charges” or “person-to-person” or “operator, can you put me through to Bunbeg 168?) no longer are needed.
Of course, the purposes of your correspondence will call for different forms means of communication.
Tá cuireadh ort chun na bainise - you are invited to the wedding is not something you’d say in a text message.
Tabhair isteach bainne - bring in milk is something you could text or you could write it on a Post-it.
There are still litreacha gnó - business letters where you need to put in writing some important aspect and letters are still important in my spheres of life but it got the Bluffer if people still write litreacha lámhscríofa - handwritten letters to their nearest and dearest about their daily experiences and thoughts?
Are cairde pinn - pen pals still a thing?
The Bluffer was never much of a letter writer - his handwriting was never great and the Basildon Bond paper had so many mistakes blacked out that it looked more like a QR code than a beautifully composed missive.
And now he doesn’t have to go to the post office to buy a stamp.
I’m sure that people still
write personal letters but they send them via e-mail because of the speed and because it eliminates the chances that your billet doux or whatever will get “lost in the post.”
CÚPLA FOCAL
Zúmáil(zoomaal) - zooming
daoine daonna (deenee dayna) - human beings
leabhragán úr (lyoragaan oor) - a new bookcase
léann(layan) - learnedness
Bhí sí ag caint le hÁine ar Zoom(vee she eg kiyntch le hanya ar zoom) - she was talking to Áine on Zoom
bhí cruinniú Zoom agam leis an fhoireann(vee crinyoo zoom ugum lesh un irin) - I had a Zoom meeting with the team
Déan teagmháil liom (jaan chagwaal lum) - get in touch with me
scairt gutháin(scartch goohaan) - a phone call
cuir ríomhphost chugam(ker reeoofust hugam) - send me an e-mail
seol teachtaireacht téacs chugam(shawl chakhterakht chayks hugam) - send me a text message
Tá cuireadh ort chun na bainise(taa curoo ort hun na banisha) - you are invited to the wedding
Tabhair isteach bainne(tore ishtyakh baanya)- bring in milk
litreacha gnó(litchraha graw) - business letters
litreacha lámhscríofa (litchraha laowshcreefa) - handwritten letters
cairde pinn(carja pin) - pen pals