Elements of Gaelic Grammar Part 8

Names of the heavenly bodies; as, Grian _sun_, Gealach _moon_.

Names of diseases; as, teasach _a fever_, a' ghriuthach _the measles_, a'

bhreac _the small-pox_, a' bhuidheach _the jaundice_, a' bhuinneach, _a diarrhoea_, &c.

Collective names of trees or shrubs are feminine; as, giuthasach _a fir wood_, iugharach _a yew copse_, seileach _a willow copse_, droighneach _a th.o.r.n.y brake_.

Diminutives in _ag_ or _og_; as, caileag _a girl_, cuachag _a little cup_.

Derivatives in _achd_; as, iomlanachd _fulness_, doillearachd _duskiness_, doimhneachd _depth_, rioghachd _kingdom_, sinnsireachd _ancestry_, &c.

Abstract nouns formed from the genitive of adjectives; as, doille _blindness_, gile _whiteness_, leisge _laziness_, buidhre _deafness_, &c.

Many monosyllables in _ua_ followed by one or more consonants are feminine; as, bruach _a bank_, cruach _a heap_, cuach _a cup_, cluas _an ear_, gruag _the hair of the head_, sguab _a sheaf_, tuadh _a hatchet_, tuath _peasantry_.

Almost all polysyllables, whereof the last vowel is small, except those in _air_ and _iche_, already noticed, are feminine.

A few nouns are of either gender; Salm _a Psalm_, creidimh _belief_, are used as masculine nouns in some places, and feminine in others. Cruinne _the globe_, talamb _the earth, land_, are masculine in the nominative; as, an cruinne-ce _the globe of the earth_. Psal. lx.x.xix. 11., xc. 2.--D.

Buchan. 1767. p. 12. 15; an talamh tioram _the dry land_. Psal. xcv. {43} 5. The same nouns are generally feminine in the genitive; as, gu crch na cruinne _to the extremity of the world_. Psal. xix. 4.; aghaidh na talmhainn _the face of the earth_. Gen. i. 29. Acts xvii. 24.

OF DECLENSION.

Nouns undergo certain changes significant of Number and of Relation.

The forms significant of Number are two: the _Singular_, which denotes one; and the _Plural_, which denotes any number greater than one.

The changes expressive of Relation are made on nouns in two ways: 1. On the beginning of the noun; 2. On its termination. The relations denoted by changes on the termination are different from those denoted by changes on the beginning; they have no necessary connection together; the one may take place in absence of the other. It seems proper, therefore, to cla.s.s the changes on the termination by themselves in one division, and give it a name, and to cla.s.s the changes on the beginning also by themselves in another division, and give it a different name. As the changes on the termination denote, in general, the same relations which are denoted by the Greek and Latin cases, that seems a sufficient reason for adopting the term case into the Gaelic Grammar, and applying it, as in the Greek and Latin, to signify "the changes made on the _termination_ of nouns or adjectives to mark relation".[32] According to this description of them, there are four cases in Gaelic. These may be {44} named, like the corresponding cases in Latin, the _Nominative_, the _Genitive_, the _Dative_, and the _Vocative_.[33] The Nominative is used when any person or thing is mentioned as the _subject_ of a proposition or question, or as the _object_ of an action or affection. The Genitive corresponds to an English noun preceded by _of_. The Dative is used only after a preposition. The Vocative is employed when a person or thing is addressed.

The changes on the beginning of nouns are made by aspirating an initial consonant; that is, writing _h_ after it. This may be called the _Aspirated_ form of the noun. The aspirated form extends to all the cases and numbers. A noun, whereof the initial form is not changed by aspiration, is in the _Primary_ form.

The _accidents_ of nouns may be briefly stated thus. A noun is declined by Number, Case, and Initial form. The Numbers are two: _Singular_ and _Plural_. The Cases are four: _Nominative_, _Genitive_, _Dative_, and _Vocative_. The Initial form is twofold: the _Primary form_, and the _Aspirated form_ peculiar to nouns beginning with a consonant.

In declining nouns, the formation of the cases is observed to depend more on the last vowel of the nominative than on {45} the final letter. Hence the last vowel of the nominative, or in general of any declinable word, may be called the _characteristic_ vowel. The division of the vowels into _broad_ and _small_ suggests the distribution of nouns into two Declensions, distinguished by the quality of the characteristic vowel. The first Declension comprehends those nouns whereof the _characteristic_ vowel is _broad_; the second Declension comprehends those nouns whereof the _characteristic_ vowel is _small_.

The following examples are given of the inflection of nouns of the

FIRST DECLENSION.

Bard, mas. _a Poet_.

_Singular._ _Plural._ _Nom._ Bard Baird _Gen._ Baird Bard _Dat._ Bard Bardaibh _Voc._ Bhaird Bharda

Cluas, fem. _an Ear_.

_Singular._ _Plural._ _Nom._ Cluas Cluasan _Gen._ Cluaise Cluas _Dat._ Cluais Cluasaibh _Voc._ Chluas Chluasa

_Formation of the Cases of Nouns of the First Declension._

_Singular Number._

_General Rule for forming the Genitive._--The Genitive is formed from the Nominative, by inserting _i_ after the characteristic vowel, as, bas mas.

_death_, Gen. sing. bais; fuaran m. a _fountain_, g. s. fuarain; clarsach f. _a harp_, g. s. clarsaich. Feminine monosyllables likewise add a short _e_ to the Nominative; as, cluas f. _an ear_, g. s. cluaise; lamh _a hand_, g. s. laimhe[34].

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_Particular Rules for the Genitive._--1. If the nominative ends in a vowel, the genitive is like the nominative; as, tra m. _a time_ or _season_, g. s.

tra; so also beatha f. _life_, cro m. _a sheepfold_, cliu m. _fame_, duine _a man_, Donncha _Duncan_, a man's name, and many others. Except bo f. _a cow_, g. s. boin; cu m. _a dog_, g. s. coin; bru f. _the belly_, g. s.

broinn or bronn.

2. Nouns ending in _chd_ or _rr_ have the genitive like the nominative; as, uchd m. _the breast_, sliochd m. _offspring_, feachd m. _a host_, reachd m.

_statute_, cleachd m. _habit_, beachd m. _vision_, smachd m. _authority_, fuachd m. _cold_, sprochd m. _gloom_, beannachd m. _a blessing_, naomhachd f. _holiness_, earr m. _the tail_, torr m. _a heap_. Except slochd g. s.

sluichd m. _a pit_, unless this word should rather be written sloc, like boc, cnoc, soc.

3. Monosyllables ending in _gh_ or _th_ add _a_ for the genitive; as, lagh m. _law_, g. s. lagha; roth m. _a wheel_, g. s. rotha; sruth m. _a stream_, g. s. srutha. Except agh m. _felicity_, _grace_, or _charm_, g. s.

aigh[35].

4. Monosyllables characterised by _io_ either drop the _o_ or add _a_ for the genitive; as, siol m. _seed_, g. s. sl; lion m. _a net_, g. s. ln; crioch f. _a boundary_, g. s. crch; cioch f. _the pap_, g. s. cche; fion m. _wine_, g. s. fiona; crios m. _a girdle_, g. s. criosa; fiodh m.

_timber_, g. s. fiodha. Except Criost or Criosd m. _Christ_, which has the gen. like the nominative.

5. Many monosyllables, whose characteristic vowel is _a_ or _o_, change it into _u_ and insert _i_ after it; as, gob m. _the bill of a bird_, g. s.

guib; crodh m. _kine_, g. s. cruidh; bolg or balg m. _a bag_, g. s. builg; clog or clag m. _a bell_, g. s. cluig; lorg f. _a staff_, g. s. luirge; long f. _a s.h.i.+p_, g. s. luinge; alt m. _a {47} joint_, g. s. uilt; alld m.

_a rivulet_, g. s. uilld; car m. _a turn_, g. s. cuir; carn m. _a heap of stones_, g. s. cuirn. So also ceol m. _music_, g. s. ciuil; seol m. _a sail_, g. s. siuil. Except nouns in _on_ and a few feminines, which follow the general rule; as, brn m. _sorrow_, g. s. brin; ln m. _food_, g. s.

lin; cloch or clach f. _a stone_, g. s. cloiche; cos or cas f. _the foot_, g. s. coise; brg f. _a shoe_, g. s. brige. So also clann f. _children_, g. s. cloinne; crann m. _a tree_, g. s. croinn. Mac m. _a son_, has its g.

s. mic.

6. Polysyllables characterised by _ea_ change _ea_ into _i_; as, fitheach m. _a raven_, g. s. fithich; cailleach f. _an old woman_, g. s.

caillich[36]. These two suffer a syncope, and add _e_; buidheann f. _a company_, g. s. buidhne; sitheann f. _venison_, g. s. sithne.

Of monosyllables characterised by _ea_, some throw away _a_ and insert _i_; as, each m. _a horse_, g. s. eich; beann f. _a peak_, g. s. beinne; fearg f. _anger_, g. s. feirge. Some change _ea_ into _i_; as, breac m. _a trout_, g. s. bric; fear m. _a man_, g. s. fir; ceann m. _a head_, _end_, g. s. cinn; preas m. _a bush_, g. s. pris; breac f. _the small-pox_, g. s.

brice; cearc f. _a hen_, g. s. circe; leac f. _a flag_, g. s. lice. Gleann m. _a valley_, adds _e_, g. s. glinne. Some add _a_ to the nominative; as, speal m. _a scythe_, g. s. speala. Dream f. _people_, _race_, gean m.

_humour_, have their genitive like the nominative. Feall f. _deceit_, g. s.

foill or feill. Geagh m. _a goose_, makes g. s. geoigh.

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7. Nouns in _eu_ followed by a liquid, change _u_ into _o_ and insert _i_ after it; as, neul m. _a cloud_, g. s. neoil, eun m. _a bird_, g. s. eoin; feur m. _gra.s.s_, g. s. feoir; meur m. _a finger_, g. s. meoir; leus m. _a torch_, g. s. leois. Beul m. _the mouth_, g. s. beil or beoil; sgeul. m. _a tale_, g. s. sgeil or sgeoil. Other nouns characterised by _eu_ add _a_ for the gen., as, treud m. _a flock_, g. s. treuda; feum m. _use_, _need_, g.

s. feuma; beum m. _a stroke_, g. s. beuma. Meud m. _bulk_, beuc m. _a roar_, freumh f. _a fibre_, _root_, hardly admit of _a_, but have their gen. rather like the nom.

8. Monosyllables characterised by _ia_ change _ia_ into _ei_; as, sliabh m.

_a moor_, g. s. sleibh; fiadh m. _a deer_, g. s. feidh; biadh m. _food_, g.

s. beidh or bidh; iasg m. _fish_, g. s. eisg; grian f. _the sun_, g. s.

greine; sgiath f. _a wing_, g. s. sgeithe. Except Dia m. _G.o.d_, g. s. De; sgian f. _a knife_, g. s. sgine.

Piuthar f. _a sister_, has g. s. peathar; leanabh m. _a child_, g. s.

leinibh; ceathramh m. _a fourth part_, g. s. ceithrimh, leabaidh or leaba f. _a bed_, g. s. leapa; talamh m. _earth_, g. s. talmhainn.

The _Dative_ singular of masculine nouns is like the nominative; of feminine nouns, is like the genitive; as, tobar m. _a well_, d. s. tobar; clarsach f. _a harp_, g. s. and d. s. clarsaich; misneach f. _courage_, g.

s. and d. s. misnich.