Graiméar na Gaedhilge/Part II Chapter I
PART II.—ETYMOLOGY.
36. There are nine parts of speech in Irish corresponding exactly to those in English.
CHAPTER I.
The Article.
37. In Irish there is only one article, an, which corresponds to the English definite article, "the."
There is no indefinite article, so that capall means either "horse" or "a horse."
38. In all cases of the singular number the article has the form an, except in the genitive feminine, when it becomes na.
39. The article an had formerly an initial s. This s reappears after the following prepositions, i, in, or ann, in; go, to; le, with; tré, through. Although this s really belongs to the article, still it is usually written as part of the preposition; as ins an leaḃar, in the book; leis an ḃfear, with the man.
INITIAL CHANGES PRODUCED BY THE ARTICLE
Singular.
40. (a) If a noun begins with an aspirable consonant (except d, t, and s),[1] it is apirated by the article in the nominative and accusative feminine and in the genitive masculine, as an ḃó, the cow; an ḃean, the woman; mac an ḟir, (the) son of the man; ceann an ċapaill, the horse’s head (or the head of the horse).
(b) If a noun begins with s followed by a vowel, or by l, n, r, the s is replaced by t, in the nominative and accusative feminine and genitive masculine, and sometimes in the dative of both genders: an tsál, the heel; an tsúil, the eye; teaċ an tsagairt, the house of the priest; mac an tsaoir, the son of the artizan; do’n tsagart, to the priest; ar an tsléiḃ, on the mountain.
Strictly speaking, it is only in the dat. fem. that the s is replaced by t, but custom permits it in the masculine.
(c) If a noun begins with a vowel, the article prefixes t the nominative and accusative masculine, and h to the genitive feminine, as an t‑aṫair, the father; an t‑uisge, the water; an t‑eun, the bird; an t‑uan, the lamb; bárr na h‑uiḃe, the top of the egg; fuaċt na h‑aimsire, the coldness of the weather.
(d) When the noun begins with an eclipsable consonant (except d and t, the article generally eclipses when it is preceded by a preposition, as ar an gcnoc, on the hill; ó’n ḃfear, from the man. After the prepositions[2] do and de aspiration takes place, not eclipsis, as ṫug sé an t‑airgead do’n ḟear, he gave the money to the man; cuid de’n ḟeur, some of the grass.
(e) No change is produced by the article in the singular if the noun begins with d, n, t, l, s (followed by a mute), or r. In Munster d and t are often eclipsed in the dative.
Plural.
(f) If a noun begins with an eclipsable consonant the article eclipses it in the genitive plural, as a ḃean na dtrí mbó, O woman of (the) three cows; Sliaḃ na mban, "the mountain of the women."
(g) If the noun begins with a vowel the article prefixes n to the genitive plural and h to the nom., the acc., and dative plural, as luaċ na n‑uḃ, the price of the eggs; na h‑asail, the asses; ó na h‑áitiḃ seo, from these places.
(h) The letter s is never replaced by t in the plural number under the influence of the article.
- Notes
- ↑ The letters d, t, and s are aspirable in the singular, but not usually by the article.
- ↑ For the effects of gan and the article, see Syntax, par. 606 (b).