Books and other items printed in Gaelic from 1841 to 1870 > Double grammar, of English and Gaelic, in which the principles of both languages are clearly explained

ETYMOLOGY.
ELISION AND CONTRACTION.
Elision is leaving out a
letter of a word ; as, a or
’n for an.
Contraction is shorten¬
ing a word, or running two
words or syllables into one;
as,
M’ ad, for mo ad, my hat;
in his mouth ; 'na
FOCLACHADH. 105
GEARRADH AGUS GIORRACH-
ADH.
Is e Gearradh tilgeadh
a mach litir a focal; mar,
a’ no ’n an ait an.
Is e Giorrachadh crup-
adh focail, no ruith da
fhocail, no da smid gu
aon; mar,
’na bheul, for ann a bheul,
tir, for ann ar tir.
ELISION OF THE GAELIC ARTICLE.
An elides the a after preposi¬
tions ending in a vowel; as,
GEARRADH A’ PHUNGAIR GHAELIO.
Tilgidh an an a an deigh
roinihearan a dunadh le fuaiin-
raig; mar,
Fo’n talamh, under the ground; de ’n t-siiicar, of the sugar ;
o’n am sin,,/rowi that time ; mu’n ghrein, about the sun.
An elides the n after prepo¬
sitions ending in a consonant,
before words beginning with b,
c, g, m, p ; as,
Aig a’ bhaile, at the town,
Tilgidh an an n an deigh
roimhearan a dunadh le conn-
raig, roimh fhocail a toiseachadh
le b, c, g, m, p ; mar,
anns a’ ghealaich in the moon ;
air a’ charn, on the cart ; ris a’ mhin, at the meal.
GEARRADH RIOCHDARAN.
Tilgidh na seilbbich mo, do,
an o roimh fhuaimraig no f
seidichte, agus gearrar as a, his
no its, gu leir roimh fhuaimraig;
mar,
M’obair, for mo ohair, mg work ; d’ad'x, for do ad, gour hat. ;
m’ fhocal,/or mo fhocal, mg word-, ’ord,/or a ord, his hammer.
ELISION OF PRONOUNS.
The possessives mo, do, elide
the o before a vowel or/aspir¬
ated, and a, his or its, is cut
out entirely before a vowel; as,
This elision may be conve¬
niently avoided by varying the
construction thus :—
Faodar an gearradh so a
sheachnadh gu goireasach le
muth a cho-rianacbaidh; mar
so :—
An obair agam, an ad, agad; an t-6rd aige, na h-uird aige no a
ehuid ord. An t-uan aice, her lamb ; na h-uain aice, no a cuid
uain, her lambs.
• We find this d' often changed into ; as, Canail for d’anail, thy breath; but
this change is certainly very improper ; may we not write “ to bheul,11 as well as
“ t'anail