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"Craic" ( ), or "crack", is a term for news, gossip, fun, entertainment, and enjoyable conversation, particularly prominent in Ireland.〔Corrigan, Karen P. (2010). ''Irish English: Northern Ireland''. Edinburgh University Press. p. 79. ISBN 978-0748634293〕 It is often used with the definite article – ''the'' craic.〔 The word has an unusual history; the English ''crack'' was borrowed into Irish as ''craic'' in the mid-20th century and the Irish spelling was then reborrowed into English.〔 Under either spelling, the term has great cultural currency and significance in Ireland. ==History== The term ''crack'' is ultimately derived from the Middle English ''crak'', meaning "loud conversation, bragging talk".〔Dolan, T. P. (2006). ''A Dictionary of Hiberno-English''. Gill & MacMillan. p. 64. ISBN 978-0-7171-4039-8〕 A sense of ''crack'' found in Northern England and Scotland meaning "conversation" or "news"〔Oxford English Dictionary "crack (noun)" sense I.5.a〕 produces expressions such as "What's the crack?",〔Else, David (2007). ''British Language and Culture''. Lonely Planet. p. 191. ISBN 978-1-86450-286-2〕 meaning "how are you?" or "have you any news?" The context involving "news" and "gossip" originated in Northern English〔("Crack, Craic" from Hiberno-English dictionary )〕 and Scots.〔("Crak" from the Dictionary of the Scots Language )〕 A book on the speech of Northern England published in 1825 equates ''crack'' with "chat, conversation, news".〔Brockett, John Trotter (1825). (''A Glossary of North Country Words, In Use. From An Original Manuscript, With Additions'' ). E. Charnley. p. 47〕 The Scottish song "The Wark o The Weavers" which dates back to the early part of the 19th century, published by David Shaw, who died in 1856, has the opening line "We're a' met thegither here tae sit and crack, Wi oor glasses in oor hands..."〔(【引用サイトリンク】work=chivalry.com )〕 A collection of folk songs from Cumberland published in 1865 refers to villagers "enjoying their crack".〔Gilpin, Sidney (1865). (''The Songs and Ballads of Cumberland : To Which Are Added The Best Poems In the Dialect; With Biographical Sketches, Notes, & Glossary )'' G. Coward. p. 185.〕 A glossary of Lancashire terms and phrases published in 1869 lists ''crack'' as meaning "chat",〔Morris, James P. (1869) (''A Glossary of the Words and Phrases of Furness (North Lancashire)'' ). J. Russell Smith. p. 22〕 as does a book on the local culture of Edinburgh published in the same year.〔Chambers, Robert (1869). (''Traditions of Edinburgh by Robert Chambers'' ). W & R. Chambers. p. 171〕 Glossaries of the dialects of Yorkshire (1878), Cheshire (1886), and Northumberland (1892) equate ''crack'' variously with "conversation", "gossip", and "talk".〔Castillo, John (1878). ''(Poems in the North Yorkshire Dialect )''. p. 64〕〔Holland, Robert (1886). (''A Glossary of Words Used In the County of Chester ). Trübner. p. 84〕〔Haldane, Harry (1892). (''Northumberland Words'' ). K. Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co. p. 192.〕 These senses of the term entered Hiberno-English from Scots through Ulster at some point in the mid-20th century and were then borrowed into Irish.〔 Early Irish citations from the ''Irish Independent'' relate to rural Ulster: from 1950, "There was much good 'crack'... in the edition of ''Country Magazine'' which covered Northern Ireland"; or from 1955, "The Duke had been sitting on top of Kelly's gate watching the crack." At this time the word was, in Ireland, associated with Ulster dialects: in 1964 linguist John Braidwood said of the term, "perhaps one of the most seemingly native Ulster words is ''crack'' ... In fact the word is of English and Scots origin".〔Braidwood, John, “Ulster and Elizabethan English” in ''Ulster Dialects: An Introductory Symposium'' (1964) Ulster Folk Museum, p. 99.〕 It can frequently be found in the work of 20th century Ulster writers such as Jennifer Johnston (1977): "I'm sorry if I muscled in on Saturday. Did I spoil your crack?"〔Jennifer Johnston: ''Shadows on Our Skin''〕 and Brian Friel (1980): "You never saw such crack in your life, boys".〔Brian Friel: ''Translations''〕 Like many other words over the centuries, ''crack'' was borrowed into the Irish language with the Gaelicized spelling ''craic''.〔 It has been used in Irish since at least 1968,〔See, for example, this newspaper advertisement: 〕 and was popularised in the catchphrase ''Beidh ceol, caint agus craic againn'' ("We'll have music, chat and craic"), used by Seán Bán Breathnach for his Irish-language chatshow ''SBB ina Shuí'', broadcast on RTÉ from 1976 to 1982.〔〔 〕 The Irish spelling was soon reborrowed into English, and is attested in publications from the 1970s and '80s.〔 ''Craic'' has also been used in Scottish Gaelic since at least the early 1990s, though it is unknown if it was borrowed directly from Irish or from English.〔 At first the ''craic'' form was uncommon outside of Irish, even in an Irish context. Barney Rush's 1960s song "The Crack Was Ninety in the Isle of Man" does not use the Irish-language spelling, neither is it used in Christy Moore's 1978 version.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=lyrics: Crack Was Ninety In The Isle of Man ) 〕 However, The Dubliners' 2006 version adopts the Irish spelling. The title of Four to the Bar's 1994 concert album, ''Craic on the Road'', uses the Irish-language spelling as an English-language pun,〔Four to the Bar: ''Craic on the Road''〕 as does Irish comedian Dara Ó Briain's 2012 show ''Craic Dealer''. Now, 'craic' is interpreted as a specifically and quintessentially Irish form of fun. The adoption of the Gaelic spelling has reinforced the sense that this is an independent word (homophone) rather than a separate sense of the original word (polysemy). Frank McNally of ''The Irish Times'' has said of the word, "()ost Irish people now have no idea it's foreign." 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Craic」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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