ceist orm agaibh

[BruceB]

In the Daltaí na Gaeilge seanfhocail section there is this

Ná bris do loirgín ar stól nach bhfuil i do shlí.

http://www.daltai.com/proverbs/relationships-dealing-with-others/na-bris-do-loirgin-ar-stol-nach-bhfuil-i-do-shli/

What I want to understand is loirgín, shin. Would, could, someone help me understand this word. I am guessing that it is a form particular to one of the dialects, but I cannot find it using Ó Dónaill or Dinneen. Ó Dónaill, on page 797, gives us “loirgíní spl Thin shins.” “Spl,” according to Wong (P.20), “= substantive plural, i.e. a substantive that is used only in this plural form,” which suggests that a singular form should not exist, but there it seems to be: loirgín. While I am not going to loose any sleep over this, I do want understand this, since this is a seanfhocail that I want to memorize. Any insight is appreciated.

Go raibh maith agat.
Bruce

[padraiginrua]

De Bhaldraithe gives Lorga (Anat) as the singular shin

[Wee_Falorie_Man]

This has nothing to do with any particular dialect; -ín is just a diminutive suffix that can be used with almost any noun, in all dialects.

loirgín – little shin

[BruceB]

This has nothing to do with any particular dialect; -ín is just a diminutive suffix that can be used with almost any noun, in all dialects.

loirgín – little shin Thanks. That helped. I found this in Stenson’s INTERMEDIATE IRISH:
A GRAMMAR (p.143):

Some suffixes signal smaller or larger than usual size. The main diminutive
suffix is –ín.

bóthar road boithrín lane
duilleog leaf duilleoigín leaflet
teach house teachín small house, cottage

Almost any noun can take this ending, to refer to a smaller version of the
thing, but sometimes words ending in -ín do not have corresponding
unsuffixed forms, e.g., caipín ‘cap’, cailín ‘girl’

[Author]

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