Blair Collection > Argyleshire pronouncing Gaelic dictionary

RUDIMENTS OF GAELIC GRAMMAR.
XXI
Bhaid bhig. o/ the Badan beaga, o/««te
little tuft. tHffs-
Bhad beag, to a Utile Bhadaibh beaga, to
tuft. little tufts.
Bhaid bhig, little Bhadaibli-abeaga,
tujt. little tufts.
Instead of changing a into ui, according
to rule— bad, gad, slad, cab, stad, samh,
damh, ramh, form their gen. baid, goid or
gdid, slaid, caibh, slaid, saimh, daimh,
raJmh.
GA1SGE4CH MOB, fl great or brave hero.
Gaisgeach mòr. Gaisgich mhòra.
Ghaisgich mhòir. Gaisgeach mhòra.
Gaisgeach mòr. ; Gaisgich mhòra.
Ghaisgich mhòir. "" Ghaisgichibh-can-e
mhòra.
An gaisgeach mòr, the great hero; a'
ghaisgich mhòir, of the great hero ; an 'n
('n before a vowel) ghaisgeach mhòr, to
the great furo ; O ghaisgich mhòir,
great hero\ Plural. Na gaisgich mhòra,
the great heroes; nan gaisgeach mora, of
the great heroes ; na gaisgich mhòra, to
the great heroes; na gaisgich nahora, the
great heroes '.
Cats FVASkCB, a terrible battle or struggle.
Singular.
N. Cath fuasach.
G. Cathafhuasaich,
D. Chath fausach.
V. Chathfhuasaich.
Plural..
Cath-ànfiuisach.
Cath fuasach.
Cathaihh fiuisach.
Chathanan fhitas-
aich.
Note. When the adjective precedes the
noun qualified, it undergoes no change,
save the aspiration ; as, daor-shlaightire, a
thorough-paced villain ; Gen. daor-shlaigh-
tire ; Voc dhaor-shlaightire ;— also, sàr.
ghaisgeach, a complete hero ; a shàr-ghaisg-
ich, ye complete hero ; Mor.thobhartas, a
free offering; a shaor-thobhartais, ye free
offering.
Comparisons. There are only two com-
parisons in the Gaelic, known to ordinary
scholars— in the vocabularies of extraordi-
nary ones there are three, the third being
a secret, they have failed to communicate
to their less gifted brethren. The positive
expresses the simple state, the comparative
enlarges or diminishes that state. The su-
perlative is made up by some adjunct to
the comparative. There are two ways of
forming the comparative ; thus, teith, hot,
teoithe, hotter, a's teoithe air fad, uile-
gu leir, na dhuiih uile, is hottest of all—
with the article, is teoithide e so, it is the
hotter of this.—Fevi only admit of the last
mode.
Rule 1. The comparatives of monosyl-
lables are commonly the genitive singular
feminine ; as, ban, pale, baine, paler, a's
baine ait fad, which is palest of any ;— so
buan, lasting, buaine, more lasting, <Sc.
gann, scarce, gainne, icarcf r ; borb, tur-
bulent, buirbe, more turbulent ; cam,
crooked, eaime, more crooked ; dall, blind,
doille, blinder ; caomh, mild, caoimhe,
milder; dan, presumptuous, na's daine,
more presumptuous; crom, bent, cruime,
neo na's cruime, more bent; daor, dear in
price, daoire, dearer; crion, puny, very
little in size, na 's crine, more trifling in
size ; dearg, red, deirge, redder ; deas, pre-
pared, deise, more prepared; donn, brown,
duinne, browner; iag, faint, \aige, fainter,
^c. with dubh, fann, geal, gorm, liath,
lorn, trom, mall, raarbh duibhe, fauna,
gile, guirme, Ididh, leidhe, &e.
Rule 2. If the positive ends in ach,
each, or eil, idh, it is formed by adding e
final to the gen. sing. ; as, cealgach, deceit-
ful, cealgaiche, more deceitful ; cinnteach,
certain, cinntiche, more certain; also,
banail, feminine, banaile, more feminine ;
cairdeil, càirdeUe, more friendly; diadh-
aidh, diadhaidhe, more pious.
Rule 3. Adjectives of more than one
syllable ending in ta and da, form the
comparative by adding -iche or cha; as,
curanta, curantacha, more heroic ; bunanta,
bunantacha, more firm set ; ceanalta, cean-
aXlacha, more tractable; caranta, amiable,
carantaiche, more amiable; taxasà.a,farasd.
aiehe ; stòlda, stùldacha, more sedate ; màll-
ta, màUtacha; also, adjectives ending in
aidh, add either e final or iche ; as, diadh-
aidh diadhaidhiche or diadhaidhe; eusg-
aidh, eusgaidhe or eusgaiche, more ready,
as a lazy person.
Rule 4. Adjectives ending ar, or, na,
da, change into aire, oire, nine, and aide ;
as, gradhar, gràdhaire ; ceòghar, ceòghaire,
pro. kyò-ghury'-à, in some places perhaps,
ceòmhoire; tana, thin,tiùne, thinner ; fada,
long, faide, longer; also fagasg, has faisge",
nearer, and fagaisge ; falamh, hasfalaimhe,
and failtnhe, emptier, fiar, fiaire, ciar, ceire,
siar, siaire, grod, groide, more rotten.
Anomalies. Boiihathasbuidhre,deafer
odhar, uidhre, more dun ; dorcha, duirche,
boidheach, boidhche, prettier; domhaiim,
doimhne, deeper ; if the positive ends in
iudlie the comparative is like it ;— beù,/ùr.
ly, has beothaidh, or beoithe, more lively.
Beag, little, lugha, less,
Duilich, jorr3/,duileacha,dorra, more sorry
difficult.
Fagasg, near,faisge,fhaisge, nearer.
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