AN GAODHAL.
313
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
XIVI. LESSON. —
The relative pronouns are — a, who,
which, what; noch, who, which; who
not, which-not. These are all indec¬
linable ; and cause, when nominative
case the initial aspirable consonant of
the verb to be affected by aspiration.
The particle do, sign of the past
tense, has the force of a relative pro¬
noun: as, daoine treuna do fuair
mór-cháil anns an t-sean-aimsir, brave
men who obtained renown in the old¬
en time. In this sentence there is ap¬
parently no relative nominative case
to fuair, and accordingly, do, which
immediately precedes it, is regarded
in this and such cases, as a relative.
But sentences of this form are really
elliptical, and can be filled up, as in
the present instance, thus: daoine
treuna "noch" do fuair mór-cháil anns
an t-sean-aimsir.
The interrogative pronouns are —
cia, who; ca, what, where; cad, what
as, cad é; what (is) it? creud, what,
what thing; compounded of cad, what,
and reud, thing
OBS. 1. — Such English sentences
as — "who am I? who is he? what is
it? what is the matter? what was the
matter? is it he? is it not he? it is
not he; — this is the man" — are trans¬
lated into Irish by omitting the verb,
is, are, am, was — cia mise? cia shé?
chad shé an nidh? an she? (is it he)? nach
shé? ní shé, (it is) not he; so shé an
fear.
VOCABULARY.
Adam. Ádhamh (aw-oo). Alone, only,
amháin; (solitary) aonar from aon,
one, and fear, a man. Altho', ce, gidh
and cidh; (as it were, the verb cidh,
seeing that Angel, aingeal. Anger,
fearg. Always, síor, go síor; go síor
perpetually; go bráth, ever, till the day
of (brath.) judgment; go buan, lasting¬
ly; go h-eug, till (eug) death; ever, a
riamh, ever, referring to time past; a g¬
comhnuighe, (from comhnuigh, abide thou)
always, abidingly; ever, go deo, till
the last (deo) breath, ever; go deoigh,
till the (deoig) end, always, ever. Au¬
thor, ughdar. Beginning, tús tusach,
and tosach; tuiseach, a leader or duke;
tusuigh, begin; tosughadh (the act of) com¬
mencing. Covetousness, saint. Create,
cruthuigh, from cruth, shape, form. Dis¬
praise, dio-mhol, from di or dith, want
of, and mol, praise; cáin, to dispraise;
diomhol, is to give negative praise;
cáin, to give actual dispraise: "Ná mol
& ná cáin thú féin, do not praise and do
not dispraise yourself. Envy, tnúth.
Eve, Ebha. Gluttony, craos; craosán,
craoisín, and craosánach, a glutton;
craos-ól, drinking to excess; craos-
slugadh, (from craos, and slugadh, to
swallow) to eat greedily; croiseach, a
spear which, as it were, eats up the
flesh. Illumine, redden, blush, ignite,
light, las; light, lonradh, soilsiughadh,
dealradh. Kingdom, righeacht, from righ
a king, and eacht, a state, condition, an
achievement. Might, cumhacht; mighty,
cumhachtach; Almighty, uile-chumhachtach.
Moralist, oide; deágh-oide. Parents,
athair, máthair; first parents, ceap-sinn¬
sior, from ceap, head, chief, and sinn¬
sior, elder, progenitor (from sinne, el¬
der, and fear, man). Pride, uabhar (as
from ua, issue, and bárr, superiority,
excellence); cia an nidh uabhar, what is
pride? See, feuch! I see, feicim. Self,
féin; myself, mé-féin; thyself, tú-féin.
Seven, seacht. Sin, peacadh, Sloth, leisg
Source, príomh-ádhbhar, bun, tobar. Ton¬
gue, teanga. Vanity, diomhaoin, and
diomhaoineas (from di, wanting, and
maoin, substance), baosie; baois, wan¬
