cén chaoi

Irish

Alternative forms

• cia an chaoi (obsolete)

Pronunciation

• (Aran) IPA^(key): /ceːnˈxiː/
• (Cois Fharraige) IPA^(key): /cɛˈxiː/

Adverb

cén chaoi (followed by the indirect relative a)

1. (Connacht) how (interrogative)

   Synonyms: (Ulster) cad é mar, (Munster) conas

   • 1899, Franz Nikolaus Finck, Die araner mundart [The Aran Dialect], volume II (overall work in German), Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 21:

     ḱē n xȳ ə wil tū, ə æhŕ̥?

     [Cén chaoi a bhfuil tú, a athair?]

     How are you, father?

     could be addressed to one's own father or to a priest, as in English

Derived terms

• cén chaoi a bhfuil tú?

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “cé”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Nashimoto, Kuninao (2020) “cén chaoi”, in ニューエクスプレスプラス アイルランド語 [Nyūekusupuresu Purasu Airurando-go, New Express Irish] (in Japanese), Tokyo: Hakusuisha, →ISBN, pages 17–19