AN GAODHAL.
139
from any tense or mood ; that being so,
and nine-tenths of those who speak I-
rish as their natural language using it
and the other forms adverted to, we
consider it to be the most correct.
Canon Bourke uses it in his gram-
mar with a hyphen.
Throideochadh muid, chaitheochadh muid;
the former is the conditional, and the
latter, the future indicative mood.
Though these belong to what is called the First
Conjugation we never heard an Irish-speaking per-
son conjugate them in any other way in the future
tense and conditional mood. The reason that Irish-
speaking persons will not understand a word read
to them from a book is that the writers adopt words
and forms now obselete. The time has come when
the language must be correctly written. — Then,
who is to decide ? the criterion of nations — the
people who speak it as their natural language.
In England the stage has been the criterion in
the pronunciation of peculiar words or phrases ;
unfortunately the Irish have no stage to appeal to,
but they have the people who speak it ; they
must be the criterions.
Thugaid, and dubhraid are as correct
as thug siad, dubhairt siad.
Joice renders the conditional mood
of buail thus. —
Singular.
bhuailfinn,
bhuailfeá,
bhuailfeadh sé,
Plural.
bhuailfimis,
bhuailfidh,
bhuailfidís.
To the practical Irish speaker the condition here
sought to be conveyed is not felicitously rendered.
and he would indicate and pronounce it thus. —
Singular.
Pronounced.
bhuailfainn, I would strike,
vooilhinnh,
bhuailthá, thou wouldst "
vooilhaw,
bhuaileochadh sé, he would "
vooil-augh
(shay.
Plural.
bhuaileochadh muid, we &c,
vooilaugh-
muidh,
bhuaileochadh sib. you "
vooilaugh-shiv
bhuaileochadh siad, they "
vooilaugh-she-
udh;
which is the proper inflection. We take it that it
is the province of the grammarian to try to account
for the various peculiarities and exceptions to gen-
neral rules existing in a language and not the man-
ufacture of a new one.
Modern writers of Irish grammars seem to ig-
nore the spoken language altogether. This should
not be so : it is better to preserve the living than
try to resurrect the dead. The invention of the
art of printing, and the improvements effected in
the intercommunication of human thought, should
be availed of. Previously to those improvements
each person wrote as he or she pleased, so that
there could be no sameness.
As the GAEL reaches the most prominent Irish
scholars now known, we hope our reply to Mr.
Weaver will lead to beneficial results ; especially
with regard to the difference made by grammarians
between the future and the conditional of the
primitive and derivative verbs.
Scranton, an treas lá de'n deich-
mhadh mí, míle ocht g-ceud deug dá
agus ceire fichid.
M. J. Lógan.
A Chara Dhílis. —
Cuirim chugat dollar air son leabhar
úirnighthe an Tathair Nolan, a m-baile
Áth-Chliath, agus mar an g-ceudna trí
fichead pighin air son An Gaodhal an san
dara bliadhain dá aois, agus is é mo
dhóchus gó m-beidh saoghal fada agat féin
agus aig an Gaodhal.
Pádruic M. Breathanach.
Baile na Saighdiúiridh, Condae Mont-
gomergh, Óhio, 29mhadh lá de ,n mhí
mheadhain an Fhoghmhair, 1882.
Do' n t-Saoi M. J. Logan-
A Chara Dhílis. —
Tá brón mór orm, caithfidh me ráth
duit nach bh-fuil me slán, acht bhí tinneas
trom orm air feadh an t-seachtmhain so
le pian ann mo thaobh agus pian ann mo
chluas, agus pian mhór ann mo cheann,
agus le piata dul thart mo chorp go 'h-
uile, acht tá me níos feárr a n-diu
buidheachas do Dhia.
Cuirim aon dollar agus fiche pighin
air shon an Gaodhal do íoc air bhliadhain
eile air me féin agus Seamus Abúrca.
Micheál Eoin Ui Culláin.
Is feárr míne 'ná boirbe mhór,
Is feárr cóir 'ná dul chum dlighe;
Is feárr teach beag a's teann lón,
’Ná teach mór a's beagán bídhe,
shuos
l. 126
We would request our readers to send us the
names of news agents who would be likely to
circulate the GAEL, with the view of sending them
specimen copies.
