Everyday Gaelic (eBook)

B

Basic Grammar

This section contains a brief outline of some of the more basic facets of Gaelic grammar. It should not be studied in detail by the faint-hearted ‘dipper’ who could be put off by the seeming complexity of the rules.

Once these rules are learned, however, Gaelic deviates very little into the irregularities and inconsistencies which can be experienced in the learning of other languages.

For ease of reference some grammatical lists have been given in the main body of the book, where particularly relevant. The localities of these lists, and of examples illustrating grammatical points, are given in this section.

1 WORD ORDER

In Gaelic, the verb comes at the beginning of the sentence, whether a question or a statement. The Question form of the verb is not the same as the statement form as is the case in English.

e.g. The house is small = Tha an taigh beag (lit. is + the house + small)

Is the house small? = A bheil an taigh beag? (lit. is? + the house + small)

The word order of a simple sentence, therefore, is verb + subject + object

e.g. The boy hit the dog = Bhuail an gille an cù (hit + the boy + the dog)

The dog bit the boy = Bhìd an cù an gille (bit + the dog + the boy)

Adjectives follow the nouns they qualify e.g. a big house = taigh mòr (a house + big).

2 ASPIRATION (LENITING)

These are terms used to describe how the start of a word is altered when affected by certain other words.

In writing – it means simply that an ‘h’ is added after the first letter of the word.

e.g. a big shoe = bròg mhòr; very good = glè mhath;

my, your, his house = mo, do, a thaigh.

Note however that vowels and the letters l, r, sg, sm, sp and st cannot be aspirated in this way.

In speech – aspiration describes a breathing through the first letter of the word affected.

e.g. big = mòr (more) mhòr (vore)

cold = fuar (foo·ur) fhuar (oo·ur)

Examples of the effect of aspiration on a letter or sound can be seen throughout the book.

3 PERSONAL PRONOUNS

These forms are for both subject and object, i.e. I hit him = Bhuail mi e; He hit me = Bhuail e mi.

Gaelic also makes much use of emphatic and reflexive forms of the pronoun. In English this emphasis could be achieved only by placing vocal stress on the pronoun.

4 NOUNS

All nouns in Gaelic are either masculine or feminine in gender. The gender of nouns is given in any Gaelic dictionary and has to be learned as you go along.

Indefinite Article

There is no indefinite article in Gaelic. The noun alone is used.

e.g. a hat = ad

a man = duine

Definite Article

There are a number of forms of ‘the’ in Gaelic. In the singular, the most common are an, am (before the letters b, p, f, m) and a’, and na in the plural. The correct form depends on the gender, case and first letter of a noun.

The first letter groupings for declension into which regular nouns fall are:

Group 1 b p c m g

Group 2 d t l n r

Group 3 a e i o u

Group 4 f

Group 5 s

A summary of the declension of these noun groups is as follows:

Group 1 e.g. am bàrd – the poet (masculine); a’ bhròg – the shoe (feminine)

Group 2 e.g. an doras – the door (masc); an daolag – the beetle (fem)

This gives the general pattern. Below are given the other Groups (article and start of word only). The main stem of the word follows the above pattern (i.e. singular – adding ‘i’ in the masculine genitive, and ‘i’ and ‘e’ in the feminine genitive, and ‘i’ in the feminine dative. Plural – adding ‘i’ to the nominative masculine and ‘an’ to the nominative feminine).

Some other nouns change internally in declension, e.g.:

fiadh (a deer) > fèidh

bòrd (a table) > bùird

Most Gaelic dictionaries give the declension of a noun.

5 ADJECTIVES

(Examples on pp. 25–27, 31, 54, 57, 80–86, 118–120)

When an adjective qualifies a noun it comes after the noun and agrees with it in gender and case, e.g.:

a big man (masc) duine mòr

a big tree (fem) craobh mhòr

the big boys (masc) na balaich mhòra, na gillean mòra

the big trees (fem) na craobhan mòra

Note that a feminine single noun in the Nominative case (the …) aspirates the adjective(s) which follow(s) it, likewise a masculine plural noun with an included internal ‘i’ ending (balaich, coin bheaga, etc).

Demonstrative adjectives

Note that the definite article is used with the noun.

this = seo; this house = an taigh seo (the house here)

that = sin; that shoe = a’ bhròg sin (the shoe there)

thon/yonder = ud/siud; yonder bus = am bus ud (the bus yonder)

Comparisons

as (adjective) as (noun)...