Books and other items printed in Gaelic from 1871 to 1900 > Pronouncing Gaelic dictionary

XXV11
RUDIMENTS OF GAELIC GRAMMAR.
rthaid bhig, of the
little tuft.
Bhad beag, to a little
tuft.
Bhaid bhig, 0 little
tuft.
Badan beaga, of little
tufts.
Bhadaibh beaga, to
little tufts.
Bhadaibh-abeaga, 0
little tufts.
into ui, according
cab, stad, samh,
baid, goid or
daimh,
Instead changing a
to rule—baa, gad, slad,
damh, ramh, form their gen.
gaid, slaid, caib, slaid, saimh,
ralmh.
Gaisgeach mor, a great or brave hero.
Gaisgeach mbr. Gaisgich mhbra.
Ghaisgich mhbir. Gaisgeach mhbra.
Gaisgeach mbr. Gaisgich mhbra.
Ghaisgich mhbir. Ghaisgichibh-ean-e
mhbra.
An gaisgeach mbr, the great hero; a’
ghaisgich mhbir, of the great hero ; an ’n
(’n before a vowel) ghaisgeach mhbr, to
the great hero\ O ghaisgich mhbir, 0
great hero\ Plural. Na gaisgich mhbra,
the great heroes; nan gaisgeach mbra, of
the great heroes; na gaisgich mhbra, to
the great heroes\ na gaisgich mhora, 0 the
great heroes!
C ath FUASacn, a terrible battle or struggle.
Singular.
N. CdXhfuasach.
G. CdXha. fhuasaich.
D. Chath fausach.
V. ChaXhfhuasaich.
Plural..
Cathan fuasacfu
CaXh fuasach.
Cathaibh/M^wac//.
Chathanan fhuas-
aich.
Note. When the adjective precedes the
noun qualified, it undergoes no change
save the aspiration; as, ctaor-shlaightire, a
thorough-paced villain; Gen. daor-shlaigh-
tire ; Voc. dhaor-shiaightire;—also, sdr-
ghaisgeach, a complete hero; a jfair-ghaisg-
ich, ye ccmplete hero; jaor-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 dhuith uile, is hottest of all—
with the article, is teoithide e so, it is the
hotter of this.—Few 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 air fad, which is palest of any-«»
buan, lasting, buaine, more lasting, &;r.
gann, scarce, gainne, scarcer; bf*rb, tw -
bulent, buirbe, more turbulent; cam.
crooked, caime, more crootccd; 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', crlon, 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', lag,/ainf, laige,/amfrr,
$c. with dubh, fann, geal, gorm, liath,
lorn, trom, mall, marbh duibhe, fanna,
gile, guirme, Ibidh, 16idhe, &c.
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, edirdeile, 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', eeanalta, cean-
altacha, more tractable; caranta, amiable,
carantaiche, more amiable; fa rasda ,/a ra -
aiche; stblda, stbldacha, more sedate; m&ll
ta, mdlltacha; 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 A. Adjectives ending ar, or, na,
da, change into aire, oire, ume, and aide;
as, gradhar, gradhaire; cebghar, cebghaire,
pro. kyb-ghury’-a, in some places perhaps,
cebmhoire ; tana, in,taine, thinner; fada,
long, faide, longer', also fagasg, has faisge,
nearer, and fagaisge; falamh, has falaimhe,
and failmhe, emptier, fiar, fiaire, ciar, cdhe,
siar, siaire, grod, groide, more rotten.
Anomalies. Bodharhasbuidhre,deafer
odhar, uidhre, more dun; dorcha, duirche,
boidheach, boidhche, prettier; dofi—lainn,
doimhne, deeper; if the positive ends in
iudhe the comparative is like itbeb,/iye
ly, has beothaidh, or beoithe, more lively.
Beag, little, lugha, less.
Duilich, sorry,duileacha,dorra, more sorry
difficult.
I Fagasg, near, faisge, fhaisgc, nearer.