Blair Collection > Argyleshire pronouncing Gaelic dictionary

XIV
RUDIMENTS OF GAELIC GRAMMAR.
1st Rule. Nouns masculine of more
than one syllable, whose last vowel is i or
e, have the genitive like the nominative ;
as, aimsir, /. weather ; gen. in e and aim-
sireach ; cealgair, a hypocrite ; cladhaire,
a coward or hero; gealltair, a coward;
figheadair, a weaver ; aimsreadair, a wea-
ther-glass ; gruagadair, a barber ; briath-
radair, a dictionary ; clachair, a mason ;
crochadair, a hangman ; eunadair, a fowl-
er ; deanadair, a doer or agent.
2d Rule. Words of one syllable add eto
thenom. ; as, ainm, a name, aiiime; aire,
a strait, airce ; aire, an ark, àirce ; claise or
dais, a furrow, claise; bull, result, success-
ful termination, buite ; tuil, ajlood, tuile.
1st Exception, dail, delay, credit, has
dàllach, or dàlach ; sail, heel, sàlach ; lair,
idrach, a mare ; dail, a meadow or plain,
dalach; but sail, salt-water, has saile;
siiil, an eye, has sùla and sulach ; muir, sea,
has tnara ; driom, a back, ridge, has droma ;
cuid, part, has codach ; truid, a starling,
smùid, a column of smoke, cruit, a harp,
follow sometimes the General Rule, and at
other times nom. and gen. are the same.
Feoii, Jiesh, has feòla ; sròin, a nose, srùna,
and sroine ; mòine, peat.moss, mùna, mò-
nach, and mòine ; ton, buttom, ton and tòin.
3d Rule. Feminine nouns of two syl-
lables, in air, change air into rach ; as,
cathair, cathrach, chair, gig; machair,
machrach, a green extensive beach ; saoth-
air, toil, trouble, saoithreach ; nathair, a
terpent, nathrach; faighir, a fair, faigh-
reach ; staighir, a stair, staighreach ; coir,
night, has also, còrach ; likewise, mathair,
mother, has mathar; piuthar has peathar
and piuthair ; athair, father, athar ; bra.
thair, brathar, srathair, srathach.
DiNNEiR or DiNDEiR has its genitive in
e or earach ; as, dinneire or dinneireach—
so have suipeir, a supper, and inneir, dung.
Ni, RICH, brigh, sithrè, tè, tethich, have
their nom. and gen. alike ; but the follow-
ing form their genitives irregularly ; thus,
Nom. Gen.
Abhain.v, f. river, Aibhne.
Ban A IS, f. wedding, Bainnse.
CoLLUNN, f. body. Cola, coluinne.
Din'Hiicn, f. a country, Diithcha.
FlACAiL, f. a tooth, Fiacla,fiacail.
Gamhainn, m. a steer, Gamhna.
GuALLAix.v, i.a shotUder,Guaille, guailne.
Maidinn, f. inorning, Maidne.
Obair, f. a work, Oibre, oibreach.
UiLNN, a7i elbow, Ville, uilne.
Dative singular is like the nominative.
Vocative singular is like the nom. when
the nouns begin with a vowel— with a con-
sonant, it is aspirated.
Plural Number. 1st, Thenom. plural
is formed from the nom. singular by adding
ean ; as, cealgair, cealgairean, deceivers, &c.
Special Rule. 1st, Nouns forming
their genitives irregularly, take their plural
from the genitives ; as,
Nom. Sing. Gen. Sing. Nom. Plu.
Abhainn, f. Aibhne, Aibhnichean,
Banais,/. Bainnse, Bainnsean.
DÙTHAICH,/. Dùthcha, JJitthchannan.
Gamhainn, m. Gamhna, Gamhnan.na.
FiACHAiLL,/. Fiacia, Fiaclan-an.
GuALAiNN,/. Guailne, Guailnean, SfC.
Maidinn,/. Maidne, Maidnean.
NaMhaid, m. Nairahde, Naimhdean,
UiLLlNN,/. Uilne, &c. Uilnean,
uillean.
Caraid, a friend, has Cairdean,/n«Kfj;
sometimes, aibhnean and uillean also.
2d Rule. Nouns forming their geni-
tives in ach, from air, form the plural by
changing ach into aicli and adding ean ;
as, cathair, cathrach, caithrichean, chairs ;
lasair, lasraichean, machair, machraichean,
beaches; measair, measraichean, dishes;
nathair, nathraichean, serpents .•—athair,
father ; mathair, mother ; piuthar, sister ;
&c. have athraichean, fathers; raaith-
richean, mothers; nathraichean, serpents,
&c. Cridhe, heart, has cridheachan ; uisge,
water, has uisgeachean, waters; cuid has
codaiehean.
3d Rule. Nouns in eil, eile, ail, aile,
ain, ein, and e, for the most part add lean;
fèill, fèilltean, festivals ; lèine, lèintean,
shirts; sài), sàiltean, /iff/i ; càin, càintean,
fines; dàil, dàiltean, df/a.vi; smaointean,
thoughts; baile, bailtean, towns; aithne,
àithntean and fathanntan, commands ;
coille, cajlltean, woods ; failte, failtean,
welcome; but fail has failcan, pallets, sties;
caile has cailean, girls ; sail, sailthean, logs.
ith Rule. Nouns in uil, uile, form
their plural by ean, and sometimes by tean ;
as, fuil, fuiltean; tuil, tuiltean; cuil, cùilt-
ean, bloods, floods, corners; sùil, an eye,
has sùilean ; buille, a blow, buillean.
Irregulars.
Singular, Plural.
Bo, a cow. Ba, cows.
Cu, a dog. „ Coin.
Fear, a man. \ Fir, men, husbands.
Bean, a wife. Mnai, mnathan.
Ni, a thing. Nithean (nichean).
Righ, a king. Righre, righrean.
Gen. Plur. Many words of one or more
syllables have their genitive like the nomi-
native singular and plural. Ni, a thing, has
nom. and gen. plur. nithe, nitheannan;
righ, king, has righre, righrean.