Elements of Gaelic Grammar Part 9

_Particular Rules for the Dative of Feminine Nouns._--1. If _e_ was added to the nominative in forming the genitive, it is thrown away in the dative; as, slat f. _a rod_, g. s. slaite--d. s. slait; grian f. _the sun_, g. s.

greine, d. s. grein.

2. If the nominative suffered a syncope in forming the genitive, or if the last vowel of the genitive is broad, the dative is like the nominative; as, buidheann f. _a company_, g. s. buidhne, d. s. buidheann; piuthar f. _a sister_, g. s. peathar, d. s. piuthar.

The _Vocative_ of masc. nouns is like the genitive; of feminine nouns is like the nominative; as, bas m. _death_, g. s. bais, v. s. bhais; cu m. _a dog_, g. s. coin, v. s. choin; grian f. _the sun_, v. s. ghaoth. {49}

_Plural Number._

_Nominative._ Masculine nouns which insert _i_ in the gen. sing. have their nom. plur. like the gen. sing.; as, oglach m. _a servant_, g. s. oglaich, n. p. oglaich; fear m. _a man_, g. s. and n. p. fir. Many of these form their nom. plur. also by adding a short _a_ to the nominative singular.

Other masculine nouns, and all feminine nouns, have their nom. plural in _a_, to which _n_ is added, _euphoniae causa_, before an initial vowel[37].

_Particular Rules_ for forming the Nom. Plur. in _a_ or _an_.

1. By adding _a_ to the nom. singular; as, dubhar m. _a shadow_, n. p.

dubhara; rioghachd f. _a kingdom_, n. p. rioghachdan. Under this Rule, some nouns suffer a syncope; as, dorus m. _a door_, n. p. dorsa for dorusa.

2. Nouns ending in _l_ or _nn_, often insert _t_ before _a_; as, reul m. _a star_, n. p. reulta; beann f. _a pinnacle_, n. p. beannta. So ln m. _a marsh_, n. p. lintean.

3. Some nouns in _ar_ drop the _a_, and add to the nom. sing. the syllable _aich_; and then the final _a_ becomes _e_, to correspond to the preceding small vowel; as, leabhar m. _a book_, n. p. leabhraiche; tobar m. _a well_, n. p. tobraiche; lann. f. _an enclosure_, inserts _d_, n. p. lanndaiche.

Piuthar f. _a sister_, from the g. s. peathar, has n. p. peathraiche; so leaba f. _a bed_, g. s. leapa, n. p. leapaiche. Bata m. _a staff_, n. p.

batacha; la or latha _a day_, n. p. lathachan or laithean.

4. Some polysyllables in _ach_ add _e_ or _ean_ to the genitive singular; as, mullach m. _summit_, g. s. mullaich, n. p. mullaichean; otrach m. _a dunghill_, n. p. otraichean; clarsach f. _a harp_, n. p. clarsaichean; deudach f. _the jaw_, n. p. deudaichean. So sliabh m. _a moor_, g. s.

sleibh, with _t_ {50} inserted, n. p. sleibhte. Sabhul m. _a barn_, g. s.

sabhuil, n. p. saibhlean, contracted for sabhuilean.

The following Nouns form their Nominative Plural irregularly: Dia m. _G.o.d_, n. p. dee or diathan; scian f. _a knife_, n. p. sceana or scinichean; sluagh m. _people_, n. p. sloigh; bo. f. _a cow_, n. p. ba.

_Genitive._ 1. Monosyllables, and nouns which form their nominative plural like the genitive singular, have the genitive plural like the nominative singular; as, geug f. _a branch_, g. p. geug; coimhearsnach m. _a neighbour_, g. s. and n. p. coimhearsnach.

2. Polysyllables which have their nominative plural in _a_ or _an_, form the genitive like the nominative; leabhar m. _a book_, n. p. and g. p.

'leabraichean'--When the nominative plural is twofold, the genitive is so too; as 'fear' n. _a man_, n. p. fir, or sometimes feara, g. p. fear or feara.

Cu m. _a dog_ has its g. p. con; caora f. _a sheep_, g. p. caorach; sluagh m. _people_, g. p. sluagh or slogh.

_Dative._ The dative plural is formed either from the nominative singular or from the nominative plural. If the nominative plural ends in a consonant, the dative plural is formed by adding _ibh_ to the nominative singular; as, crann m. _a tree_, n. p. croinn, d. p. crannaibh; mac m. _a son_, n. p. mic, d. p. macaibh. If the nominative plural ends in a vowel, the final vowel is changed into _ibh_; as, tobar _a well_, n. p. tobraiche, d. p. tobraichibh.

2. Monosyllables ending in an aspirated consonant, which have their nominative plural like the genitive singular, form their dative plural like the nominative plural; as, damh _an ox_, g. s. and n. p. daimh, d. p.

daimh, not damhaibh; fiadh m. _a deer_, g. s. and n. p. and d. p. feidh. So sluagh m. _people_, _host_, g. s. sluaigh, n. p. and d. p. sloigh. Nouns ending in _ch_, of three or more syllables, form their dative plural like the nominative plural, rather than in _ibh_; as, coimhearsnach m. _a neighbour_, d. p. coimhearsnaich rather than coimhearsnachaibh; phairiseach m. _a Pharisee_, d. p. phairisich rather than phairiseachaibh. {51}

_Vocative._ The vocative plural is like the nominative plural, terminating in _a_, but seldom in _an_; as, fear m. _a man_, n. p. fir or feara, v. p.

_fheara_; oglach m. _a servant_, n. p. _oglaich_, v. p. _oglacha_. Except perhaps monosyllables which never form their nominative plural in _a_, nor their dative plural in _ibh_; as, damh m. _an ox_, n. p. daimh, v. p.

dhaimh; a shloigh, Rom. xv. 11.

The irregular noun Bean f. _a woman_, is declined thus:

_Singular._ _Plural._ _Nom._ Bean Mnai, mnathan _Gen._ Mna Ban _Dat._ Mnaoi Mnathaibh _Voc._ Bhean. Mhnathan.

SECOND DECLENSION.

Cealgair, mas. _a deceiver_.

_Singular._ _Plural._ _Nom._ Cealgair Cealgaire _Gen._ Cealgair Cealgair _Dat._ Cealgair Cealgairibh _Voc._ Chealgair. Chealgaire.

Clais, fem. _a gully_.

_Nom._ Clais Claisean _Gen._ Claise Clais _Dat._ Clais Claisibh _Voc._ Chlais. Chlaise.

_Formation of the cases of nouns of the second Declension._

_Singular Number._

_General Rule for the Genitive._ The genitive of polysyllables is like the nominative; of monosyllables is made by adding _e_ to the nominative; as, caraid m. _a friend_, g. s. caraid; aimsir f. _time_, g. s. aimsir; tigh m.

_a house_, g. s. tighe; ainm m. _a name,_ g. s. ainme; im m. _b.u.t.ter_, g.

s. ime; craig f. _a rock_, g. s. craige. {52}

_Particular Rules for the Genitive._ 1. Feminine nouns in _ail_ and _air_ drop the _i_ and add _ach_; if the nominative be a polysyllable, _ai_ is thrown away; as, sail f. _a beam_, g. s. salach; dail f. _a plain_, g. s.

dalach; lair f. _a mare_, g. s. larach; cathair f. _a seat_, g. s.

cathrach; nathair f. _a serpent_, g. s. nathrach; lasair f. _a flame_, g.

s. lasrach. To these add cir f. _right_, g. s. crach or cire.

2. Monosyllables characterised by _oi_ drop _i_ and add _a_; as, feoil f.

_flesh_, g. s. feola; tin f. _bottom_, g. s. tna; srin f. _the nose_, g.

s. srine or srna.

3. Monosyllables characterised by _ui_ change _ui_ into _a_ or _o_, and add _a_; as, muir f. _the sea_, g. s. mara; fuil f. _blood_, g. s. fola or fala; druim f. _a ridge_, g. s. droma. Except suil f. _the eye_, g. s.

sula; cuid f. _a part_, g. s. codach or cuid.

4. A few feminine polysyllables in _eir_ form their genitive like monosyllables; as, inneir f. _dung_, g. s. inneire; suipeir f. _supper_, g.

s. suipeire.

5. The following dissyllables seem to have formed their genitive like monosyllables, and then suffered a contraction. Sometimes the characteristic vowel is retained, and sometimes it is thrown away, the final _e_ of the genitive being converted into _a_, when requisite to suit an antecedent broad vowel.

Amhainn, f. _a river_, g. s. aimhne, _contracted for_ amhainne Aghainn } Aghann } f. _a pan_, g. s. aighne, aghainne Banais f. _a wedding_, g. s. bainse, banaise Coluinn f. _the body_, g. s. colna, colla coluinne Duthaich f. _a country_, g. s. duthcha, duthaiche Fiacail f. _a tooth_, g. s. fiacla, fiacaile Gamhuinn m. _a steer_, g. s. gamhna, gamhuinne Gualainn f. _the shoulder_, g. s. guaille, gualainne Madainn f. _morning_, g. s. maidne, madainne Obair f. _work_, g. s. oibre, obaire Uilinn f. _the elbow_, g. s. uillne, uilinne

{53}

6. The following nouns form their genitive by dropping the characteristic small vowel; athair m. _a father_, g. s. athar; mathair f. _a mother_, g.

s. mathar; brathair m. _a brother_, g. s. brathar; namhaid m. _an enemy_, g. s. namhad. Cnaimh m. _a bone_, g. s. cnamha; uaimh f. _a cave_, g. s.