AN GAOḊAL.
613
Phila. Pa. 20th July, 1886.
The Editor of The Gael.
Sir, — In looking over the contents
of Gael No. 5. for the present month,
my attention was attracted by some
criticism on the use of ólóċaḋ for the
Conditional Mood, instead of d'ólfaḋ:
and from which I infer that the forms
adopted do not meet with the general
approval of our readers. For the past
few days I have asked several persons
from various parts of Ireland how they
would translate to Irish the sentence,
"He would drink," they all invariably
rendered it d'ólfaḋ sé [pron. dhólhoo];
but at the same time admitting that
they often heard the form "d'ólóċaḋ
sé," used. As far as my individual o¬
pinion is concerned though not oppos¬
ed to the use of óċaḋ &c. I would pre-
fer in conjugating the verbs referred
to in the story, to use faḋ &c.; simply
because such forms were more comm¬
only used among the people of the nei¬
ghborhood came from, and I hear
still used by the majority of Irishspea¬
king persons with whom I happen to
converse. Hence, I believe both forms
may be used with equal grammatical
correctness, and that it is left to the
option of the writer which form to use;
for undoubtedly both forms are to
some extent used by Irishspeaking per¬
sons — the termination óċaḋ only with
the third person of the verb. Have we
not a similar discrepancy existing in
the Subjunctive Mood of the English
tongue? While some grammarians
confine its use only to the Conditional
Tense of the verb "To be." (i. e. if I
were, etc.), others would dispense with
it altogether. One person would write,
If it "rain" to-morrow, I will not go to
town; while another would write, if it
"rains" etc. Consequently it is just
similar in Irish. A person from a par¬
ticular part of Ireland may write d'ól¬
óċaḋ sé, etc. while another from a diff¬
erent part probably would write d'ól¬
faḋ, etc. Hence, I believe, the indis¬
crimate use of either form involves no
error in grammar, until, at least, some
competent authority decides whether
the verbs in question belong to the
First Conjugation or not.
I find, also, that Mr. P. McEniry has
unintentionally made some misleading
remarks by saying that deunóċ', is wri¬
ten alike for the past and future tenses.
Well, I beg to remind him that, in no
single instance, is such a use made of
the tense referred to. The June issue
of the Gael plainly stated that the ter¬
mination óċaḋ was adopted in the Con¬
ditional mood in accordance with com¬
mon usage instead of faḋ, therefore, I
cannot conceive any reason why he or
any other reader should be in doubt a¬
bout the moods or tenses having the
above termination. He says ḋeunóċaḋ
sé, means, he used to do. It means no
such thing. Whenever used it is used
in the Conditional Mood, in the third
persons of the verb. Who would form
a sentence using ḋeunóċaḋ in the Con¬
suetudinal Past Tense, or in other
words, who would say, ḋeunóċaḋ sé aċ-
ran an uair a ṫigeaḋ sé ana ḃaile, for,
he used to make a disurbance when he
came to town. A person would be more
apt to say, ḋeunóċaḋ sé, etc. or ḃíḋeaḋ
sé deunaḋ aċrain, &c. The same rem¬
arks apply, also, to the other verbs he
quotes. Ca ḃ-fuil tú ó ṡoin, Where are
you since, and not, where are you ev¬
er since, as translated by Mr. McEniry,
(which would be Ca ḃ-fuil tú ariaṁ ó
ṡoin) is very common expression, and
is in daily use by the majority of per¬
sons speaking Irish Gaḃ a ċodlaḋ is
the more correct expression, but for
the sake of euphony I used go,
Yours,
P. J. CREAN.
Mr. Crean has handled his subiect
in a masterly manner but it seems to
us that the sound which he gives to
the termination under consideration i.
e., dhólhoo, is nearer to the sound of
d'óloċaḋ than it is of d'ólfaḋ remem¬
bering that the final aḋ of ólóċaḋ is
silent and that c aspirated has often
the sound of h as in ċugam, also that
one of the verbs is a derivative verb —
