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
- ↑ The letters d, t, and s are aspirable in the singular, but not usually by the article.
