DCU launch collection of Irish-language COVID-19 terminology
DCU researchers have launched an online collection of Irish-language COVID-19 terminology in order to provide the Irish speaking community with accurate and up to date vocabulary concerning the global pandemic.
The project developed in response to a perception in the Irish-speaking community that official communication concerning the pandemic was taking place almost exclusively in English and that much of the Irish information that did exist was not kept up to date.
Led by the Gaois research group at DCU’s Fiontar & Scoil na Gaeilge, it is hoped that this comprehensive terminology resource will ensure that relevant stakeholders have access to the technical vocabulary required to communicate clearly and accurately with the Irish-speaking public on the topic of COVID-19.
Dr Gearóid Ó Cleircín, Gaois, Fiontar & Scoil na Gaeilge and project PI, explains,
“Like everyone else we spent the early months of the pandemic familiarising ourselves with new technical concepts related to COVID-19. We were fascinated to see how these concepts would be adopted into the Irish language and we thought it would be interesting to catalogue the various terms in general use as well as to identify concepts for which no Irish term yet existed.”
The project is part of DCU’s COVID-19 Research and Innovation Hub (R&I Hub), launched in May to work exclusively on addressing the challenges of COVID-19. The hub leverages Dublin City University’s research expertise, in collaboration with national and international stakeholders, to develop solutions that can be implemented and deployed within a three to six months time frame.
Researchers at Gaois highlight that the glossary is a descriptive collection rather than a prescriptive one, emphasising that the goal was to list all terms in common use for a particular concept rather than to assign one particular term as the ‘correct’ one.
For this reason more than one term is often listed under the same entry. For example, both coróinvíreas (the standard term) and víreas corónach (widely used in the Irish-language media) are listed as Irish equivalents of the term ‘coronavirus’ while the Irish equivalents of ‘cocooning’ include clutharú, cocúnú and neadú.
Irish terms were found primarily in the media and in government and European Union publications.
“The Irish-language media have played a vital role in disseminating COVID-19 terminology throughout this crisis and it has been really interesting to see certain terms become established through their regular use in both the traditional media and on social media,” said Ó Cleircín.
The glossary is available to view at https://www.gaois.ie/en/terminology/covid-19/
Feedback can be submitted via the @gaois_ie Twitter account or by emailing gaois@dcu.ie.
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Seolann DCU bailiúchán de théarmaí Gaeilge COVID-19
Clutharú, COVID marthanach agus gruaimscrolláil mar chuid den ghluais nua
Tá bailiúchán de théarmaí Gaeilge COVID-19 seolta ag taighdeoirí DCU, agus é de sprioc aige eolas cruinn, cothrom le dáta i dtaobh fhoclóir na paindéime a sholáthar do phobal na Gaeilge.
Cuireadh tús leis an tionscadal agus tuairim fhorleathan ann i measc lucht labhartha na Gaeilge go raibh an chumarsáid oifigiúil i dtaobh na paindéime á déanamh trí Bhéarla go príomha, agus nach raibh an beagán eolais a bhí á fhoilsiú i nGaeilge cothrom le dáta.
Grúpa taighde Gaois in Fiontar & Scoil na Gaeilge, DCU, a bhí i gceannas ar an tionscadal. Tá súil acu go gcinnteoidh an acmhainn chuimsitheach téarmaíochta seo go mbeidh fáil ag cách ar an stór focal teicniúil is gá chun cumarsáid chruinn shoiléir a dhéanamh le pobal na Gaeilge i dtaobh COVID-19.
Tá an Dr Gearóid Ó Cleircín, Gaois, Fiontar & Scoil na Gaeilge, ina phríomhthaighdeoir ar an tionscadal agus seo mar a mhínigh sé an scéal:
“Fearacht gach duine eile, chaitheamar míonna tosaigh na paindéime ag dul i dtaithí ar na coincheapa nua teicniúla a bhaineann le COVID-19. Ba dhíol mór spéise dúinne conas mar a ghlacfaí leis na coincheapa seo sa Ghaeilge. Mheasamar gurbh fhiú na téarmaí éagsúla a bhí i ngnáthúsáid a thiomsú, chomh maith le coincheapa nach raibh a macasamhail le fáil i nGaeilge go fóill a aithint.”
Tagann an tionscadal faoi scáth Mhol Taighde is Nuálaíochta COVID-19, DCU, a seoladh i mí Bealtaine, chun aghaidh a thabhairt ar dhúshláin COVID-19. Tá saineolas taighde DCU, i gcomhar le páirtithe leasmhara náisiúnta agus idirnáisiúnta, á thabhairt le chéile leis seo chun teacht ar réitigh a chuirfí i bhfeidhm laistigh de thréimhse trí nó sé mhí.
Ní cnuasach saintreorach é seo ach ceann tuairisciúil, a deir lucht taighde Gaois, agus é i gceist acu na téarmaí go léir a bhí i ngnáthúsáid le haghaidh coincheapa faoi leith a liostáil seachas téarma ‘ceart’ amháin a cheapadh do gach coincheap faoi seach.
Dá bhrí sin, is minic níos mó ná téarma amháin liostáilte faoin iontráil chéanna. Cuir i gcás an téarma ‘coróinvíreas’ féin, arb é an téarma caighdeánach é, agus an téarma ‘víreas corónach’ a bhíonn in úsáid go minic ag na meáin Ghaeilge, nó go deimhin na téarmaí malartacha ‘clutharú’, ‘cocúnú’ agus ‘neadú’ ar cocooning an Bhéarla.
Is sna meáin chumarsáide, i bhfoilseacháin rialtais agus i bhfoilseacháin Eorpacha a fuarthas na téarmaí Gaeilge go príomha.
“Ghlac na meáin Ghaeilge ról lárnach i scaipeadh théarmaíocht COVID-19 le linn na géarchéime seo agus bhí sé fíorshuimiúil téarmaí áirithe a fheiceáil á bhfréamhú sa teanga de bharr a ngnáthúsáide sna meáin thraidisiúnta agus ar na meáin shóisialta,” a dúirt Ó Cleircín.
I gcás eochairchoincheap áirithe, chuaigh sé de na taighdeoirí téarma Gaeilge a bhí in úsáid go forleathan a aimsiú. Sna cásanna seo, rinneadh teagmháil leis an gCoiste Téarmaíochta i bhForas na Gaeilge agus iarradh orthu téarma nua a mholadh. I measc na dtéarmaí nua a cruthaíodh le linn an tionscadail tá ‘COVID marthanach’ (long COVID), ‘gruaimscrolláil’ (doomscrolling) agus ‘beannú uillinne’ (elbow bump).
Chuimsigh an tionscadal chomh maith obair mhór chun sonraí a thiomsú agus iontrálacha a dhréachtú in Terminologue, an córas bainistithe téarmaíochta foinse-oscailte arna fhorbairt ag grúpa taighde Gaois. Chuir taighdeoirí sonraí breise isteach, ar nós lipéid réimse, sainmhínithe, samplaí úsáide, foinsí agus eolas gramadaí.
“Creidimid go bhfuil an cnuasach COVID-19 sách cuimsitheach mar atá,” arsa an Dr Ó Cleircín, “ach is maith is eol dúinn go bhféadfadh téarmaí nó coincheapa áirithe ar cheart iad a bheith san áireamh a bheith fágtha ar lár againn, agus chuirfimis fáilte roimh mholtaí ón bpobal.”
Tá an ghluais le fáil ar https://www.gaois.ie/ga/terminology/covid-19/
Is féidir aiseolas a thabhairt ach teachtaireacht a chur go dtí an cuntas Twitter @gaois_ie nó go dtí an seoladh ríomhphoist gaois@dcu.ie.