Ade and CaoimhínSF,

Thank you so much for your help in this. I really do appreciate it.

It's kind of an exchange of customs in the scene as Jonathan comes from a background that when one talks and walks with their senior or superior, they assume the "rank to the right" and in this case, Gittan, being an officer, and Jonathan being a Warrant Officer, she would be his superior in this manner of military customs. So, Gittan would be on his right, as he is falling back onto Host Nation Protocols dictating the behavior of his service-even if the Host Nation is Oz.....

It's not shown in the excerpt, but Jonathan had saluted Gittan just prior to this exchange.

Ade and CaoimhínSF, if you would be so kind, I'd like to email directly. I again appreciate everyone's help here.

Very respectfully,

James
jwkrych@n2net.net

I'm getting the impression that translations into or from Irish aren't the aim here. OP seems to want to know how an Irish person would phrase things in English. Unless I'm mistaken, it's not a translation or etymology check which is being looked for.

OP, I wouldn't advise relying on just me, you stand to gain more from the combined wisdom of the whole forum. By all means PM me if you have any questions I can answer, but I'd suggest opening the discussion to everyone here.

It actually seems to have more to do with Irish military protocol than anything else. I'm still baffled as to why the character is supposed to be Irish, even though she doesn't have an Irish name ("Nora" is used in Ireland, but also in several other countries, and "Gittan" is Scandinavian) and is apparently from Oz. Who decided that she is Irish, and for God's sake, why?

Redwolf

If it's military protocol, it certainly isn't Irish. I don't know of anyone in the Irish military who does that. And I don't remember anything like that from my reading of the Early Irish battle tails.

That's what he's asking about, though, when you read through it. If it would be natural for an Irish character to care what side someone stood on.

Well, as OP has the Irish character acting baffled, I'd say it's spot on. It certainly threw me.

Yes, that was the point. I want Gittan's responses to be accurate. I could have left as is, but that isn't how I like to do things. Especially if the story does make it over the pond.

It's Oz. Prior to the Magic Barrier being enchanted and preventing people from discovering it, it had existed for thousands of years. It would make sense that different people groups could find their way into it. And besides, just like my African-American character, and my Jewish Character, there has never been, as far as I know in the original 14 Baum and 26 later books that make up the "Famous Forty", a character with an Irish background.

And, I want her to be accurate.

I am fully aware that most characters in the Oz universe have puns for names, but I guess it's the military in me that refuses to treat someone of her status and position like that. And, as I have other books planned, her character will grow and develop more.

She is a rare bird in Oz anyway being the Leader of Glinda's Finest Forty. In a land where the military is very much viewed with suspicion. Ditto for Jonathan and his shipmates who are referred to as "Newcomers" for most of the story.

And I will continue to discuss things here in the forum.

I have learned something here too. You see, I do have a military background-retired-and having a junior walk to the left of a senior comes naturally to me. Now, what I DIDN'T know and that played very nicely actually is that the Irish culture's views of being on the left. I simply didn't know that.

Very respectfully,

James

I am a retired American officer, Warrant Officer actually.

Looks like her reaction was much more than I could have ever hoped for.

James

Just to clarify, I wasn't meaning to say that treating the left hand as awkward or sinister (which comes from the Latin for "on the left") was a peculiarly Irish thing. I think nearly all cultures have treated left-handedness as somehow "wrong", at least until modern times, since "deviant" minorities often get treated that way.

_________________
I'm not a native (or entirely fluent) speaker, so be sure to wait for confirmations/corrections, especially for tattoos.

Oh, understood.

But, it did help me understand her reactions-even though I didn't have that initially in mind.

Respectfully,

James