AN GAODHAL.
133
LESSONS IN GAELIC.
THE GAELIC ALPHABET.
Irish.
Roman.
Sound.
Irish.
Roman.
Sound.
a
a
aw
m
m
emm
b
b
bay
n
n
enn
c
c
kay
o
o
oh
d
d
dhay
p
p
pay
e
e
ay
r
r
arr
f
f
eff
s
s
ess
g
g
gay
t
t
thay
i
i
ee
u
u
oo
l
l
ell
XV. LESSON. — Continued
Translation of Exercise 1.
1. tá an lá breágh. 2. Bídheann an
mhí so breágh 3. tá mo mhac óg 4. bh-
fuil mo mhac óg? 5. ní bh-fuil sé óg.
6. bídheann sé maith. 7. ní bhídheann sé
suas moch. 8 bh-fuil gach fear maith
9. ní bh-fuil gach cat liath no dubh. 10.
tá Dia maith. 11. cia shé Dia? 12. cia
an nidh neamh? 13. tá sogh air neamh.
14. bh-fuil an t-ádh ort? 15. ní bh-fuil
an t-ádh orm. 16. bh-fuil grádh agad
orm? 17. ní bh-fuil grádh agam ort
18. tá grádh agam air Dhia, agus tá
grádh aig Dia orm. 19. tá grádh aig
Dia air gach duine. 20. Is righ Dia air
neamh agus air talamh. 21. tá an gort
buidhe agus bán. 22. tá an oigh óg ag¬
us maoth. 23. bidheann ádh air an mhuin¬
tir maith. 24 bh-fuilir maith 'nuair a
tá an t-ádh ort? 25. níor raibh an t-
ádh orm a riamh, agus fós, is dóigh liom
go bh fuilim maith. 26. bh-fuil an ghrian
lonrach? 27. tá an ghrian lonrach. 28.
bh-fuil agad arán geal? 29. tá, mo
sháith; agus bainne. 30. bh-fuil do sháith
de gach nidh agad? 31. tá. 32. tá tú
cho fial le flaith.
LESSON XVI.
Exercice 1.
Translate —
1. Is bread cheap or dear? 2. It is cheap. 3.
Is butter dear? 4. Yes, it is dear this month. 5.
Wine is dear, meat is usually dear, and water is u¬
sually cheap. 6. The virgin is handsome (aluin).
7. The haughty is found under beauty's dress
(faoi sgeimh). 8 You are not wont to be early at
the house. 9. They are usually at an early hour at
the house. 10. Are you early from home? 11. You
are in happiness. 12. They are usually happy. 13.
The moon is bright, the cloud is grey ; the day is
dark, the month is beautiful. 14. When I am well
(slan) I am happy. 15. When do you be well? 16
The physician does have a secret. 17. The wheel,
is red. 18. The eye is grey. 19. The cat is black
20. What hour is it? (cia an uair i). 21. It is ear¬
ly yet (fos). 22. The day is long. 23. Many a
day we shall be in the tomb (is iomdha an la 'san
g-cill orrainn). 24. Man’s life is short. 25. It is
like the flower of the field; it is like a vapour (ceo);
it is a warfare, as Job says (mar deir Iob). 26. If
you wish (ma is maith leat) to live old, take hot and
cold, is an old saying (sean radh).
OBS. 1. — The first letter of a word
if it be one of the nine mutables, suf¬
fers aspiration after the possessive pro¬
uouns singular, mo, my; do, thy; a,
his.
Example.
Pronounced
bean, a woman, mo bhean, my
woman.
mo van.
bárd, bard, do bhárd, thy bard, do ward.
bord, table, a bhord, his table, a vordh.
b in the words bean, bárd, bord, when
not preceded by the possessive pronoun
singular, is not aspirated ; put the pos¬
sessive pronouns singular before the
same words, and then b assumes the
aspirate sound, and is, of course, pron¬
ounced like v, if e or i follow; and like
w, if a, or o, or u follow.
a, her, the possessive pronoun sing¬
ular, is an exception : it does not cause
aspiration, and it is in this non-aspirat¬
ing power only that it can be disting¬
uished from a, his ; as, a bord, her ta¬
ble; a bhord, his table.
OBS. 2. — The vocative case, or as it
is called by English grammarians, the
nominative case of address, has the
first letter, if aspirable, invariably as¬
pirated.
Example.
cuisle, pulse; croidhe, heart.
a chuisle, O pulse; a chuisle mo chroidhe,
pulse of my heart.
Dia, God; dílis, dear (from díl, fond)
a Dhé, Oh, God; O a Dhé dhílis, O! dear
God.
grádh, love.
a ghrádh, oh Love; ghrádh m'anama, love
of my soul:
a shearc ghrádh, o, love of loves.
