CHAPTER I.
OF CONCORD.
Under Concord is to be considered the agreement of the Article with its Noun;—of an Adjective with its Noun;—of a Pronoun with its Antecedent;—of a Verb with its Nominative;—and of one Noun with another.
Section I.
Of the Agreement of the Article with a Noun.
Collocation.
The article is always placed before its Noun, and next to it, unless when an Adjective intervenes.
Form.
The article agrees with its Noun in Gender, Number, and Case. Final n is changed into m before a plain Labial; as, am baile the town, am fear the man. It is usually cut off before an aspirated Palatal, or Labial, excepting fh; as, a' chaora the sheep, a' mhuc the sow, a' choin of the dog. In the Dat. Sing. initial a is cut off after a Preposition ending in a Vowel; as, do 'n chloich to the stone[[94]].
A Noun, when immediately preceded by the Article, suffers some changes in Initial Form:—1. With regard to Nouns beginning with a Consonant, the aspirated form is assumed by a mas. Noun in the gen. and dat. singular; by a fem. noun in the nom. and dat. singular. If the Noun begins with s followed by a vowel or by a Liquid, instead of having the s aspirated, t is inserted between the Article and the Noun, in the foresaid cases; and the s becomes entirely quiescent[[95]]. 2. With regard to Nouns beginning with a Vowel, t or h is inserted between the Article and the Noun in certain Cases, viz. t in the Nom. sing. of mas. Nouns, h in the gen. sing. of fem. Nouns, and h in the nom. and dat. plur. of Nouns of either gender. Throughout the other sing. and plur. Cases, all Nouns retain their Primary form.
The following examples show all the varieties that take place in declining a Noun with the Article.
Nouns beginning with a Labial or a Palatal.
| Bard, mas. a Poet. | |
| Sing. | Plur. |
| N. am Bard, | na Baird, |
| G. a' Bhaird, | nam Bard, |
| D. a', 'n Bhard[[96]]. | na Bardaibh. |
| Cluas, fem. an Ear. | |
| Sing. | Plur. |
| N. a' Chluas, | na Cluasan, |
| G. na Cluaise, | nan Cluas, |
| D. a', 'n Chluais. | na Cluasaibh. |
| Nouns beginning with f. | |
| Fleasgach, m. a Bachelor. | |
| Sing. | Plur. |
| N. am Fleasgach, | na Fleasgaich, |
| G. an Fhleasgaich, | nam Fleasgach, |
| D. an, 'n Fhleasgach. | na Fleasgaich. |
| Fòid, f. a Turf. | |
| Sing. | Plur. |
| N. an Fhòid, | na Foidean, |
| G. na Fòide, | nam Fòid, |
| D. an, 'n Fhòid. | na Foidibh. |
| Nouns beginning with a Lingual. | |
| Dorus, m. a Door. | |
| Sing. | Plur. |
| N. an Dorus, | na Dorsan, |
| G. an Doruis, | nan Dorsa, |
| D. an, 'n Dorus, | na Dorsaibh. |
| Teasach, f. a Fever. | |
| Sing. | Plur. |
| N. an Teasach, | na Teasaichean, |
| G. na Teasaich, | nan Teasach, |
| D. an, 'n Teasaich. | na Teasaichibh. |
| Nouns beginning with s. | |
| Sloc, mas. a Pit. | |
| Sing. | Plur. |
| N. an Sloc, | na Sluic, |
| G. an t-Sluic, | nan Sloc, |
| D. an, 'n t-Sloc. | na Slocaibh. |
| Sùil, fem. an Eye. | |
| Sing. | Plur. |
| N. an t-Sùil, | na Suilean, |
| G. na Sùla | nan Sùl, |
| D. an, 'n t-Sùil. | na Suilibh. |
| Nouns beginning with a Vowel. | |
| Iasg, m. a Fish. | |
| Sing. | Plur. |
| N. an t-Iasg, | na h-Iasga, |
| G. an Eisg, | nan Iasg, |
| D. an, 'n Iasg. | na h-Iasgaibh. |
| Adharc, f. a Horn. | |
| Sing. | Plur. |
| N. an Adharc, | na h-Adhaircean, |
| G. na h-Adhairc, | nan Adharc, |
| D. an, 'n Adhairc. | na h-Adhaircibh. |
The initial Form of Adjectives immediately preceded by the Article, follows the same rules with the initial Form of Nouns.
Besides the common use of the Article as a Definitive to ascertain individual objects, it is used in Gaelic—
1. Before a Noun followed by the Pronouns so, sin, or ud; as, am fear so, this man; an tigh ud, yon house.
2. Before a Noun preceded by the Verb is and an Adjective; as, is maith an sealgair e, he is a good huntsman; bu luath an coisiche e, he was a swift footman.
3. Before some names of countries; as, righ na Spainne, the king of Spain; chaidh e do 'n Fhrainc, he went to France; but righ Bhreatain, the king of Britain; chaidh e dh' Eirin, he went to Ireland, without the Article.
Section II.
Of the Agreement of an Adjective with a Noun.
Collocation.
When an Adjective and the Noun which it qualifies are in the same clause or member of a sentence, the Adjective is usually placed after its Noun; as, ceann liath, a hoary head; duine ro ghlic, a very wise man. If they be in different clauses, or if the one be in the subject, and the other in the predicate of a proposition, this rule does not apply; as, is glic an duine sin, that is a wise man; cha truagh leam do chor, I do not think your case unfortunate.
1. Numerals, whether Cardinal or Ordinal, to which add, iomadh many, gach every, are placed before their Nouns; as, tri lathan, three days; an treas latha, the third day; iomadh duine, many a man; gach eun g' a nead, every bird to its nest.—Except such instances as the following : Righ Tearlach a h-Aon, King Charles the First; Righ Seumas a Cuig, King James the Fifth.
2. The possessive pronouns mo, do, &c., are always placed before their nouns; as, mo lamh, my hand. The interrogatives co, cia, &c., are placed before their nouns, with the article intervening; as, cia am fear? which man?
3. Some adjectives of one syllable are usually placed before their Nouns; as, deadh dhuine, a good man; droch ghniomh, a bad action; seann sluagh, old people. Such Adjectives, placed before their Nouns, often combine with them, so as to represent one complex idea, rather than two distinct ones; and the adjective and noun, in that situation, may rather be considered as one complex term, than as two distinct words, and written accordingly; as, oigfhear, a young man; ogbhean, a young woman; garbhchriochan, rude regions[[97]].
Form.
Though a Gaelic Adjective possesses a variety of Forms, yet its Form is not always determined by the Noun whose signification it modifies. The Form of the Adjective depends on its Noun, when it immediately follows the Noun, or only with the intervention of an intensitive Particle, ro, gle, &c., and when both the Noun and the Adjective are in the Subject, or both in the Predicate, or in the same clause or member of a sentence. In all other situations, the form of the Adjective does in no respect depend on the Noun; or, in other words, the Adjective does not agree with the Noun[[98]].
To illustrate this rule, let the following examples be attentively considered:—Is beag orm a' ghaoth fhuar, I dislike the cold wind; is beag orm fuaim na gaoithe fuaire, I dislike the sound of the cold wind; is beag orm seasamh anns a' ghaoith fhuair, I dislike standing in the cold wind. In these examples, the Adjective and the Noun are both in the same clause or member of a sentence, and therefore they must agree together. In the following examples the Adjective and the Noun do not necessarily agree together:—Is fuar a' ghaoth á tuath, cold is the wind from the north; is tric leis a' ghaoith á tuath bhi fuar, it is usual for the wind from the north to be cold. In these examples, the Noun is in the Subject, and the Adjective in the Predicate of the proposition.
The grammatical distinction observable in the following examples is agreeable to the strictest philosophical propriety:—Rinn mis an scian gheur, I made the sharp knife: here the Adjective agrees with the Noun, for it modifies the Noun, distinguishing that knife from others. Rinn mis an scian geur, I made the knife sharp: here the Adjective does not agree with the Noun, for it modifies not the Noun but the Verb. It does not characterize the object on which the operation is performed, hut it combines with the Verb in specifying the nature of the operation performed. The expression is equivalent to gheuraich mi an scian, I sharpened the knife. So also, mhothaich mi a' ghaoth fhuar, I felt the cold wind; but mhothaich mi a' ghaoth fuar, I felt the wind cold. In the former of these examples the Adjective modifies the Noun, and agrees with it; in the latter it does not agree with the Noun, for its use is to modify the Verb, or to specify the nature of the sensation felt. In like manner, dh' fhàg iad an obair criochnaichte, they left the work finished; fhuaradh an òigh sìnte, marbh, the maid was found stretched out dead. And so in other similar instances.
1. When an Adjective and Noun are so situated and related, that an agreement takes place between them, then the Adjective agrees with its noun in Gender, Number, and Case. A Noun preceded by the Numeral da two, though it be in the Singular Number, [see conclusion of Part II. Chap I.] takes an Adjective in the Plural; as, da iasg bheaga, two small fishes, John, vi. 9. The Initial Form of the Adjective depends partly on the Gender of the Noun, partly on its Termination, and partly on its being preceded by the Article.
The following examples of an Adjective declined along with its Noun, exhibit the varieties in the Initial Form, as well as in the Termination of the Adjective:—
An Adjective, beginning with a Lingual, and preceded by a Noun terminating in a Lingual, retains its primary Form in all the Singular cases; for the sake, it would seem, of preserving the agreeable sound arising from the coalescence of the two Linguals; as, nighean donn a brown maid, instead of nighean dhonn; a' choin duibh of the black dog, instead of a' choin dhuibh; air a' chois deis on his right foot, instead of air a chois dheis.
II. A Noun preceded by an Adjective assumes the aspirated Form; as, ard bheann a high hill, cruaidh dheuchainn a hard trial.
1. A Noun preceded by a Numeral is in the primary Form; as, tri meoir three fingers; to which add iomadh many, gach every; as, iomadh fear many a man; gach craobh every tree.—Except aon one, da two; ceud first; as, aon fhear one man, da chraoibh two trees.
2. A Noun preceded by any of the following Possessive Pronouns, a her, ar our, bhur your, an their, is in the primary
Form; as, a mathair her mother, ar brathair our brother. When the Possessive Pronoun a her, precedes a Noun or an Adjective beginning with a vowel, h is inserted between them; as, a h-athair, her father, a h-aon mhac her only son. The Possessive Pronouns ar our, bhur your, usually take n between them and the following Noun or Adjective beginning with a vowel; as, ar n-athair our father, bhur n-aran your bread. Perhaps a distinction ought to be made, by inserting n only after ar, and not after bhur[[99]]. This would serve often to distinguish the one word from the other in speaking, where they are ready to be confounded by bhur being pronounced ur.
3. A Noun beginning with a Lingual, preceded by an Adjective ending in n, is in the primary Form; as, aon duine one man, seann sluagh old people.
Section III.
Of the Agreement of a Pronoun with its Antecedent.
The Personal and Possessive Pronouns follow the Number of their Antecedents, i.e. of the Nouns which they represent. Those of the 3d Pers. Sing. follow also the Gender of their antecedent; as, sheas a'bhean aig a chosaibh, agus thoisich i air am fliuchadh leis a deuraibh, agus thiormaich i iad le gruaig a cinn, the woman stood at his feet, and she began to wet them with her tears, and she wiped them with the hair of her head, Luke vii. 38. They follow, however, not the Gender of the Antecedent, but the sex of the creature signified by the Antecedent, in those words in which Sex and Gender disagree, as, an gobhlan-gaoithe mar an ceudn' do sholair nead dh'i fein the swallow too hath provided a nest for herself, Psal. lxxxiv. 3. Gobhlan-gaoithe a swallow, is a mas. Noun, as appears by the mas. Article: but as it is the dam that is spoken of, the reference is made by the Personal Pronoun of the fem. gender. Ta gliocas air a fireanachadh leis a cloinn Wisdom
is justified by her children, Matt. xi. 19. Gliocas is a mas. noun; but as Wisdom is here personified as a female, the regimen of the Possessive Pronoun is adapted to that idea[[100]]. See also Prov. ix. 1-3. In this sentence Och nach b' i mhaduinn e, Deut. xxviii. 67, the former pronoun i is correctly put in the fem. gender, as referring to the fem. noun maduinn; while the latter pron. e is put in the mas. gend. because referring to no expressed antecedent.
If the Antecedent be a sentence, or clause of a sentence, the Pronoun is of the 3d Pers. Sing. masculine; as, dh' ith na bà caola suas na bà reamhra, agus cha n-aithnichteadh orra e, the lean cattle ate up the fat cattle, and could not be known by them.
If the Antecedent be a collective Noun, the Pronoun is of the 3d Pers. Plur. as, thoir àithne do 'n t-sluagh, d' eagal gu m bris iad asteach charge the people lest they break in, Exod. xix. 21.
An Interrogative combined with a Personal Pronoun, asks a question without the intervention of the Substantive verb; as, co mise? who [am] I? co iad na daoine sin? who [are] those men? cia i a' cheud àithne? which [is] the first commandment? In interrogations of this form, the noun is sometimes preceded by the Personal Pronoun, and sometimes not; as, co e am fear? who [is] the man? co am fear? what man? Co am fear? is evidently an incomplete sentence, like what man? in English. The ellipsis may be supplied thus; co e am fear a ta thu ciallachadh? who is the man whom you mean? This example may be abridged into another common interrogation, in which the Interrogative is immediately followed by the Relative; as, co a ta thu ciallachadh? who [is he] whom you mean? ciod a ta thu faicinn? what [is it] that you see?
In an interrogative sentence including a Personal Pronoun and a Noun, as, co e am fear sin? if the Noun be restricted in
its signification by some other words connected with it, such as the Article, an Adjective, another Noun in the Genitive, or a relative clause, then the Pronoun usually follows the Gender of the Noun, or the Sex of the object signified by the Noun, if the Gender does not correspond to it; as, co e am fear a theid a suas? who is the man that shall ascend? co i am boirionnach sin? who is that woman? cia i a' cheud àithne? which is the first commandment? If the Noun be not so restricted, the Pronoun is of the masculine gender; as, ciod e uchdmhacachd? what is adoption? ciod e urnuigh? what is prayer?[[101]]
Section IV.
Of the Agreement of a Verb with its Nominative.
As the Verb has no variation of form corresponding to the Person or Number of its Nominative, the connection between a Verb and its Nominative can be marked only by its collocation. Little variety therefore is allowed in this respect. The Nominative, whether Noun or Pronoun, is ordinarily placed after the Verb; as, ta mi I am, rugadh duine-cloinne a man-child is born[[102]]. The Article or an Adjective, is frequently
placed between the Verb and its Nominative; as, thainig an uair, the hour is come; aithrisear iomadh droch sgeul, many an evil tale will be told. Sometimes, but more rarely, circumstances are expressed beween the Verb and its Nominative; as, rugadh dhuinne, an diugh, ann am baile Dhaibhi, an Slanuighear, there is born to us, this day, in David's town, the Saviour.
The word denoting the object of the verbal action, can never, even in poetry, be placed between the Verb and its Nominative, without altering the sense. Hence the arrangement in the following passages is incorrect:—Ghabh domblas agus fiongeur iad, they took gall and vinegar. "Buch. Gael. Poems," Edin. 1767. p. 14. The collocation should have been ghabh iad domblas, &c. Do chual e 'n cruinne-cé, the world heard it, id. p. 15, ought to have been, do chual an cruinne-cé e. So also, do ghabh truaighe, Iosa dhoibh, Jesus took pity
on them. Matt. xx. 34, Irish vers. It ought to have been, do ghabh Iosa truaighe, &c.[[103]].
The Relatives a who, nach who not, are always put before the verb; as, am fear a thuit, the man who fell; am fear nach dean beud, the man who will not commit a fault.
In poetry, or poetical style, where inversion is allowed, the Nominative is sometimes placed before the Verb; as doimhneachd na talmhain ta 'n a laimh, in his hand is the depth of the earth. Psal. xcv. 4.
Oigh cha tig le clàr 'n an comhdhail,
No virgin with harp will come to meet them.
Smith's "Ant. Gal. Poems," p. 285.
Gach doire, gach coire, 's gach eas,
Bheir a' m' chuimhne cneas mo Ghraidh.
Each grove, each dell, and each water-fall, will bring to my remembrance the form of my love. Id. p. 30.
An la sin cha tigh gu bràth,
A bheir dearrsa mo ghraidh gu tuath.
That day shall never come, which shall bring the sun-beam of my love to the North. Fingal II. 192.
Am focail geilleam do Mhorlamh;
Mo lann do neach beo cha gheill.
In words I yield to Morla; my sword to no living man shall yield. Fing. II. 203. This inversion is never admitted into plain discourse or unimpassioned narrative.
In those Persons of the Verb in which the terminations supply the place of the Personal Pronouns, no Nominative is expressed along with the Verb. In all the other Persons of the Verb, a Noun or a Pronoun is commonly expressed as its Nominative. In sentences of a poetical structure, the Nominative is sometimes, though rarely, omitted; as, am fear nach
gabh 'nuair gheibh, cha 'n fhaigh 'nuair 's aill, the man who will not take when [he] can get, will not get when [he] wishes.
A Gharna, cuim a sheas? a Ghuill, cuim a thuit?
Garno, why stoodst? Gaul, why didst fall?
Smith's "Ant. Gal. Poems," p. 153.
The Infinitive often takes before it the Nominative of the Agent; in which case the Preposition do is either expressed or understood before the Infinitive; as, feuch, cia meud a mhaith, braithre do bhi 'n an comhnuidh ann sith! behold how great a good it is, that brethren dwell in peace! Psal. cxxxiii, 1. Is e mi dh' fhantuinn 's an fheoil, a 's feumaile dhuibhse, my abiding in the flesh is more needful for you, Phil. i. 24, Cha n'eil e iomchuidh sinne dh' fhagail focail Dé, agus a fhrithealadh do bhordaibh, it is not meet that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables, Acts vi. 2. The Preposition do, being softened as usual into a, readily disappears after a Vowel; as, air son mi bhi a rìs a lathàir maille ribh, by my being again present with you, Phil. i. 26[[104]].
Section V.
Of the Agreement of one Noun with Another.
When in the same sentence two or more Nouns, applied as names to the same object, stand in the same grammatical relation to other words, it should naturally be expected that their Form, in so far as it depends on that relation, should be the same; in other words, that Nouns denoting the same object, and related alike to the governing word, should agree in Case. This accordingly happens in Greek and Latin. In Gaelic, where a variety of form gives room for the application of the same rule, it has been followed in some instances; as, Doncha mac Chailain mhic Dhonuil, Duncan the son of
Colin the son of Donald; where the words Chailain and mhic denoting the same person, and being alike related to the preceding Noun mac are on that account both in the same Case. It must be acknowledged, however, that this rule, obvious and natural as it is, has not been uniformly observed by the speakers of Gaelic. For example; instead of mac Ioseiph an t-saoir, the son of Joseph the carpenter, many would more readily say, mac Ioseiph an saor; instead of thuit e le laimh Oscair an laoich chruadalaich, he fell by the hand of Oscar the bold hero, it would rather be said, thuit e le laimh Oscair an laoch cruadalach. The latter of these two modes of expression may perhaps be defended on the ground of its being elliptical; and the ellipsis may be supplied thus: mac Ioseiph [is e sin] an saor; laimh Oscair [neach is e] an laoch cruadalach. Still it must be allowed, in favour of the rule in question, that the observance of it serves to mark the relation of the Nouns to each other, which would otherwise remain, in many instances, doubtful. Thus in one of the foregoing examples, if we should reject the rule, and write mac Ioseiph an saor; it would be impossible to know, from the form of the words, whether Joseph or his son were the carpenter.
The translators of the Scriptures into Gaelic, induced probably by the reasonableness and utility of the rule under consideration, by the example of the most polished Tongues, and by the usage of the Gaelic itself in some phrases, have uniformly adhered to this rule when the leading Noun was in the Genitive; as, do mhacaibh Bharsillai a' Ghileadaich, 1 Kings ii. 7; righ-chathair Dhaibhi athar, 1 Kings ii. 12; do thaobh Bheniamin am brathar, Judg. xxi. 6; ag gabhail nan clar chloiche, eadhon chlar a' cho-cheangail, Deut. ix. 9. The rule seems to have been disregarded when the leading Noun was in the Dative. See 1 Kings i. 25, Ruth iv. 5, Acts xiii. 33.