Seancharr ach carr nua?

Saoirse · **Posted:** Fri 16 Mar 2012 12:09 am

The old comes before car, but the new comes after it.

Cen fáth?

I have often wondered about this, but never thought to ask.

Bríd Mhór · **Joined:** Sun 28 Aug 2011 9:29 pm **Posts:** 1451

It's the same in Welsh.

Why, I don't know.

Redwolf · **Posted:** Fri 16 Mar 2012 12:22 am

"Sean" is just one of those adjectives in Irish that can act as a prefix...no idea why.

Redwolf

Bríd Mhór · **Joined:** Sun 28 Aug 2011 9:29 pm **Posts:** 1451

I bet Breandán or Lughaidh will know.

Saoirse - This could be another long thread....

Saoirse · **Posted:** Fri 16 Mar 2012 12:28 am

Bríd Mhór wrote:

I bet Breandán or Lughaidh will know.

Saoirse - This could be another long thread....

Edited as I thought this smilie might be more suitable if it starts to get too technical.
:bolt:

Breandán · **Posted:** Fri 16 Mar 2012 12:39 am

Bríd Mhór wrote:

I bet Breandán or Lughaidh will know.

Redwolf wrote:

"Sean" is just one of those adjectives in Irish that can act as a prefix...no idea why.
Redwolf

Saoirse · **Posted:** Sat 14 Apr 2012 12:02 am

Any more knowledge floating around out there on this one? Are there other prefixxy adjectives (to use the technical term)?

Lughaidh · **Joined:** Thu 15 Sep 2011 1:06 pm **Posts:** 1429

Yes, sean- is an adjective that is prefixed, normally, as droch- and some others.
Why? I think there's no explanation, it's the way it is (it's like, why do you say "men" in English and not "mans" :-) )

As Bríd said, it's the same in Welsh with hen-, in Breton with hen- (in placenames etc, you don't use it anymore to say "old"), in Gaelic with seann- etc. It was already a prefixed-only adjective in Common Celtic, I think.

Saoirse · **Posted:** Sat 14 Apr 2012 12:17 am

Lughaidh wrote:

why do you say "men" in English and not "mans" :-)

We never refer to man in the plural as we can only cope with one at a time! :mrgreen:

Lughaidh wrote:

Yes, sean- is an adjective that is prefixed, normally, as droch- and some others.

I should have thought of droch. Are there many others?

mhwombat · **Joined:** Mon 29 Aug 2011 4:36 am **Posts:** 170

Níl anseo ach tuairimíocht, ach... recall that úr is a sysnonym for nua, and it is prefixed. Maybe nua came into the language much later, and as a loan-word, wasn't handled in the usual way.

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