Elements of Gaelic Grammar Part 27

Trid; through, by means.

It is evident, from inspection, that almost all these improper Prepositions are compounded; and comprehend, as one of their component parts, a Noun, which is preceded by a simple or Proper Preposition; like the English, _on account, with respect_, &c. The words ceann, aghaidh, lorg, barr, taobh, &c., are known to be real Nouns, because they are employed in that capacity in other connections, as well as in the phrases here enumerated. The case is not so clear with regard to son, c.u.m, or cun, reir, which occur only in the above phrases; but it is probable that these are nouns likewise, and that, when combined with simple Prepositions, they const.i.tute phrases of precisely the same structure with the rest of the foregoing list[86].

Comhair is probably comh-aire _mutual attention_. Dail and cir, in the sense of proximity, are found in their compounds comh-dhail and fochair [fa chir.] Tir, in like manner, in its derivative tireachd, _the act of pursuing_. Dh' fhios, _to the knowledge_, must have been originally applied to persons only. So it is used in many Gaelic songs: beir mo shoiridh le durachd dh' fhios na cailinn, &c., _bear my good wishes with cordiality to the knowledge of the maid_, &c., i.e., _present my affectionate regards_, &c. This appropriate meaning and use of the phrase came by degrees to be overlooked; and it was employed, promiscuously with do chum and dh'

ionnsuidh, to signify _unto_ in a more general sense. If this a.n.a.lysis of the expression be just, then ghios[87] must be deemed only a different, and a corrupt manner of writing dh' fhios.

In the improper preposition os ceann, the noun has almost {124} always been written cionn. Yet in all other situations, the same noun is uniformly written ceann. Whence has arisen this diversity in the orthography of a simple monosyllable? And is it maintained upon just grounds? It must have proceeded either from a persuasion that there are two distinct nouns signifying _top_, one of which is to be written ceann, and the other cionn[88]; or from an opinion that, granting the two words to be the same individual noun, yet it is proper to distinguish its meaning when used in the capacity of a preposition, from its meaning in other situations, by spelling it in different ways. I know of no good argument in support of the former of these two opinions; nor has it probably been ever maintained. The latter opinion, which seems to be the real one, is founded on a principle subversive of the a.n.a.logy and stability of written language, namely, that the various significations of the same word are to be distinguished in writing, by changing its letters, the const.i.tuent elements of the word. The variation in question, instead of serving to point out the meaning of a word or phrase in one place, from its known meaning in another connection, tends directly to disguise it; and to mislead the reader into a belief that the words, which are thus presented to him under different forms, are themselves radically and essentially different. If the same word has been employed to denote several things somewhat different from each other, that does by no means appear a sufficient reason why the writers of the language should make as many words of one[89].

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The use of the _proper Prepositions_ has been already shown in the composition of adverbial phrases, and of the _improper Prepositions_. The following examples show the further use of them in connection with Nouns and Verbs, and in some idiomatic expressions which do not always admit of being literally rendered in English.

Ag, aig.

_At_: aig an dorus, _at the door_; aig an tigh, _at the house, at home_.

_By reason of_: aig ro mheud aighir 's a shlais, _by reason of his great joy and satisfaction_, Smith's _Seann dana_, p. 9; ag meud a mhiann _through intense desire_, Psal. lx.x.xiv. 2, metr. vers.; ag lionmhoireachd, Psal. xl. 5.

Signifying possession: tha tuill aig na sionnaich, _the foxes have holes_; bha aig duine araidh dithis mhac, _a certain man had two sons_; cha n'eil fhios agam, _I have not the knowledge of it, I do not know it_.

Chaidh agam air, _I have prevailed over him_, Psal. xiii. 4, metr. vers.

Joined to the Infinitive of Verbs: ag imeachd, _a-walking, walking_.

Air.

On, upon: air an lar, _on the ground_; air an la sin, _on that day_; air an adhbhar sin, _on that account, for that reason_.

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Denoting claim of debt: ioc dhomh na bheil agam ort, _pay me what thou owest me_, Matt. xviii. 28; cia meud ata aig mo thighearn ortsa? _how much owest thou unto my lord?_ Luke xvi. 57.[90]

Denoting an oath: air m' fhocal, _upon my word_; air laimh d' athar 's do sheanathar, _by the hand of your father and grandfather_.

Tha eagal, mulad, sgos, ocras, &c., air, _he is afraid, sad, fatigued, hungry_, &c.

Thig mo bheul air do cheartas, is air do chliu, _my mouth shall speak of thy justice and thy praise_, Psal. x.x.xv. 28. metr.; thig mo bheul air gliocas, _my mouth shall speak of wisdom_, Psal. xlix. 3, metr. v.; sin cuis air am bheil mi nis a' teachd, _that is the matter of which I am now to treat_.

Tog ort, _rouse thyself, bestir thyself_, Psal lxxiv. 22, metr. v.

Chaidh agam air, _I prevailed over him_, Psal. xiii. 4.; metr.; 'S ann ormsa chaidh, _it was I that was worsted_.

Thug e am monadh air, _he betook himself to the mountain_.

_In respect of_: cha 'n fhaca mi an samhuil air olcas, _I never saw their like for badness_, Gen. xli. 19; air a lughad, _however small it be_.

_Joined with, accompanied by_: mran iarruinn air bheag faobhar, _much iron with little edge_, McIntyre's Songs. Oidhche bha mi 'n a theach, air mhran bdh 's air bheagan eudaich, _I was a night in his house, with plenty of {127} food, but scanty clothing_; air leth laimh, _having but one hand_.

Denoting measure or dimension: da throidh air airde, _two feet in height_.

Olc air mhath leat e, _whether you take it well or ill_.

Ann, ann an, anns.

_In.:_ Anns an tigh, _in the house_; anns an oidhche, _in the night_; ann an dchas, _in hope_; anns a' bharail sin, _of that opinion_.

Denoting existence: ta abhainn ann, _there is a river_, Psal. xlvi. 4, metr.; nach bithinn ann ni 's m, _that I should not be any more_; b'

fhearr a bhi marbh na ann, _it were better to be dead than to be alive_; ciod a th' ann? _what is it?_ is mise th' ann, _it is I_; mar gu b' ann, _as it were_; tha e 'n a dhuine ionraic, _he is a just man_; tha i 'n a bantraich, _she is a widow_[91].

Marking emphasis: is ann air eigin a thar e as, _it was with difficulty he got off_; an aite seasamh is ann a theich iad, _instead of standing (keeping their ground) they fled_; nach freagair thu? fhreagair mi ann, _will you not answer? I have answered_.

As.

_Out of:_ as an duthaich, _out of the country_.

Denoting extinction: tha an solus, no an teine, air dol as, _the light, or the fire, is gone out_.

As an alt, _out of joint_; as a' ghualainn, as a' chruachainn, as an uilinn, &c., _dislocated in the shoulder, hip, elbow-joint_.

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Chaidh e as, _he escaped_.

Cuir as da, _destroy him_, or _it_.

Chaidh as da, _he is perished, undone_.

Thug e na buinn as, _he scampered off_.

Dubh as, _blot out_.

De.

_Of:_ Armailt mhr de dhaoinibh agus a dh' eachaibh, _a great army of men and horses_.

_Off:_ Bha na geugan air an sgathadh dheth, _the branches were lopped off_; thug iad an ceann deth, _they beheaded him_.

Dh' aon run, _with one consent, with one purpose_; dh' aon bharail, _with one mind, judgment_.

A la agus a dh' oidhche, _i.e._, de la agus de oidhche, _by day and by night_. Lat. _de nocte_, Hor.

Saidhbhreas mor d'a mheud, _riches however great_. Psal. cxix. 14, metr.

Do.

_To:_ Tabhair dhomh, _give to me, give me_; thug sinn a bos mn do Dhearg, _we gave her soft hand to Dargo_.

Dh' eirich sud dha gu h-obann, _that befell him suddenly_. Mar sin duinne gu latha, _so it fared with us till day, so we pa.s.sed the night_; ma 's olc dhomh, cha n-fhearr dhoibh, _if it goes ill with me, they fare no better_.

Latha dhomhsa siubhal bheann, _one day as I travelled the hills_; latha dhuinn air machair Alba, _one day when we were in the lowlands of Scotland; on Scotia's plains_.