Elements of Gaelic Grammar Part 34

The Parts of Speech which are formed by derivation from other words are Nouns, Adjectives, and Verbs. These are chiefly derived from Nouns and Adjectives, and a few from Verbs.

I. NOUNS.

Derivative Nouns may be cla.s.sed as follows, according to the varieties of their termination.

1. Abstract Nouns in _as_, formed from Adjectives or Nouns; as, from ceart _just_, ceartas _justice_; from diomhan _idle, vain_, diomhanas _idleness, vanity_; from caraid _a friend_, cairdeas contracted for caraideas _friendship_; from namhaid _an enemy_, naimhdeas contracted for namhaideas _enmity_.

2. Abstract Nouns in _achd_, formed from Adjectives, and sometimes, though more rarely, from Verbs and Nouns; as, from naomh _holy_, naomhachd _holiness_; from domhain _deep_, doimhneachd contracted for domhaineachd _depth_; from righ _a king_, rioghachd _a kingdom_; coimhid _to keep_, coimheadachd _keeping_; clachair _a mason_, clachaireachd _mason-work_; gobhain _a smith_, goibhneachd contracted for gobhaineachd _iron-work_, or rather _the trade or occupation of a smith_.

3. Abstract Nouns formed from the genitive of Adjectives, by adding _e_; as, from dall gen. doill _blind_, doille _blindness_; from geal gen. gil _white_, gile _whiteness_; from leasg gen. leisg _lazy_, leisge _laziness_; tearc gen. teirc _rare_, teirce _rarity_; trom gen. truim _heavy_, truime _heaviness_; truagh gen. truaigh _unhappy_, truaighe _misery_; uasal gen.

{165} uasail _n.o.ble_, uasaile contr. uaisle or by metath. uailse _n.o.bility_.

4. Abstract Nouns in _ad_, formed from the Comparative of Adjectives, and used in speaking of the degree of a quality; as, gilead _whiteness_, boidhchead _beauty_, doimhnead _depth_, lughad _smallness_, tainead _thinness_; these are construed with the Prepositions _de_, _air_; as, cha n-fhaca mi a samhuil air bhoidhchead, _I have not seen her match for beauty_; air a lughad or d' a lughad, _however small it be_.

5. Nouns in _air_ or _oir_, _ach_, _iche_, derived, most of them, from nouns, and signifying persons or agents, as, pobair _a player on the pipe_, from pob _a pipe_; clarsair _a player on the harp_, from clarsach _a harp_; cealgair or cealgoir _a deceiver_, from cealg _deceit_; sealgair or sealgoir _a huntsman_, from sealg _hunting_; marcach _a rider_, from marc _a horse_; athach _a man of terror, a gigantic figure_, from atha _fear_; oibriche _a workman_, from obair _work_; sgeulaiche _a reciter of tales_, from sgeul _a tale_; ceannaiche _a merchant_, from ceannaich _to buy_[113].

6. Diminutives in _an_, and in _ag_ or _og_, formed from Nouns or Adjectives; as, lochan _a small lake_, from loch _a lake_; from braid _theft_, bradag _a thievish girl_; from ciar _dark-coloured_, ciarag _a little dark-coloured creature_. These Diminutives are often formed from the Genitive of their Primitives; as, from feur gen. feoir _gra.s.s_, feoirnean _a pile of gra.s.s_; moll gen. muill _chaff_, muillean _a particle of chaff_; folt gen. fuilt _hair_, fuiltean _a single hair_; clag gen. cluig _a bell_, cluigean _a little bell_; gual gen. guail _coal_, guailnean _a cinder_; smur gen. smuir _dust_, smuirnean _a particle of dust, a mote_; climh _plumage_, climhneag _a small feather, a flake of snow_.

Some Nouns are formed in _an_, which are not Diminutives; as, from lub _to bend_, luban _a bow_; from buail _to beat, thresh_, {166} buailtean _a beater_, or _thresher_, applied to that part of the flail which threshes out the grain.

7. Collective Nouns in _ridh_ or _ri_, derived from Nouns or Adjectives; as, from g _young_, igridh _youth_, in the collective sense of the word; from mac _a son_, macruidh _sons, young men_, Psal. cxlviii. 12;[114] from laoch _a hero_, laochruidh _a band of heroes_, Psal. xxix. 1. Macfarlan's Paraph. vi. 15, from ceol _music_, ceolraidh _the muses_. A. Macdonald's Songs, p. 7, from cos the _foot_, coisridh _infantry, a party on foot_.

McIntyre's Songs, Edin. 1768, p. 110, from gas _a lad_, gasradh _a band of domestic attendants_. O'Brien's Ir. Dict. voc. gas; eachradh, eachruith _cavalry_, Fingal. IV. 299, Carthon, 59.--This termination is probably the Noun ruith _a troop_. See Lhuyd et O'Brien, in voc.[115]

8. Nouns in _ach_, chiefly Patronymics, formed from Proper Names, thus; from Donull _Donald_, is formed Donullach _a man of the name of Macdonald_; from Griogar _Gregor_, Griogarach _a Macgregor_; so Leodach _a Macleod_, Granntach _a Grant_, &c., from Albainn _Scotland_, Albannach _a Scotsman_; from Eirin _Ireland_, Eirineach _an Irishman_. These Nouns form their Plural regularly, Donullaich, Leodaich, Albannaich, Eirinich. So the following _Gentile_ Nouns, which occur in the Gaelic Scriptures, are regularly formed from their respective Primitives, Partuich _Parthians_, Medich _Medes_, Elamuich _Elamites_, Acts ii. 9. Macedonaich _Macedonians_, 2 Cor. ix. 2, 4. See also Gen. xv. 19, 20, 21; Exod. xxiii. 23, 28.[116].

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9. Collective Nouns in _ach_; as, duille _a leaf_, duilleach _foliage_; giuthas _fir_, giuthasach _a fir wood_; iughar _yew_, iugharach _a yew copse_; fiadh _a deer_, fiadhach _deer, a herd of deer_; crion _diminutive, shrunk_, crionach _decayed wood_.

II. ADJECTIVES.

1. Adjectives in _ach_, formed generally from Nouns; as, from frinn _truth_, frinneach _true, faithful_; from sunnt _glee_, sunntach _cheerful_; cradh _pain_, craiteach _painful_; togradh _desire_, togarrach _willing, desirous_.

2. Adjectives in _mhor_ or _or_, derived from Nouns; as, from adh _felicity_, adhmhor _happy, blessed_; from feoil _flesh_, feolmhor _carnal_; from neart _strength_, neartmhor _strong_.

3. Adjectives in _ail_ derived from Nouns; as, from fear _man_, fearail _manful_; from caraid _a friend_, cairdail contr. for caraidail _friendly_; from namhaid _an enemy_, naimhdail contr. for namhaidail _hostile_; from surd _alertness_, surdail _alert_[117].

4. A few Adjectives in _ta_ or _da_, derived from Nouns; as, Gaelta _belonging to the Gael_; Eireanda _Irish_; Romhanta _Roman_; _Kirk._ freanta _righteous_, Matt. xxiii. 35.

III. VERBS.

Verbs in _ich_, for the most part Transitive, and implying causation, derived from Nouns or Adjectives; as, from geal {168} _white_, gealaich _to whiten_; naomh _holy_, naomhaich _to sanctify_; cruinn _round_, cruinnich _to gather together_; lamh _the hand_, laimhsich _to handle_; cuimhne _memory_, cuimhnich _to remember_. A few are Intransitive; as, from crith _tremor_, criothnuich _to tremble_; fann _feeble_, fannuich _to faint_.

CHAPTER II.

OF COMPOSITION.

All compound words in Gaelic consist of two component parts, exclusive of the derivative terminations enumerated in the preceding Chapter. Of these component parts, the former may be conveniently named the Prepositive, the latter the Subjunctive term. It sometimes happens, though rarely, that the Subjunctive term also is a compound word, which must itself be decompounded in order to find out the Root.

In compounding words, the usual mode has been, to prefix to the term denoting the princ.i.p.al idea the word denoting the accessory idea or circ.u.mstance by which the signification of the princ.i.p.al word is modified.

Accordingly we find Nouns, Adjectives, and Verbs modified by prefixing to them a Noun, an Adjective, a Verb, or a Preposition.

In forming compound words, a Rule of very general application is, that when the Subjunctive term begins with a Consonant, it is aspirated. From this Rule, however, are to be excepted, 1. Words beginning with _s_ followed by a mute, which never admit the aspirate; 2. Words beginning with a Lingual when the Prepositive term ends in _n_; 3. A few other instances in which there is an euphonic agreement between the Consonants thus brought into apposition, which would be violated if either of them were aspirated.

These observations will be found exemplified in the following Compounds:-- {169}

I. WORDS COMPOUNDED WITH A NOUN PREFIXED.

_Nouns Compounded with a Noun._

Beart _dress, equipage_, ceann _head_--ceann-bheart _head-dress, armour for the head_.

Fainn _a ring_, cluas _the ear_--cluas-fhainn _an ear-ring_.

Galar _a distemper_, crith _shaking_--crith-ghalar _distemper attended with shaking, the palsy_.

Oglach _a servant_, bean (in composition, ban) _a woman_--banoglach _a female servant_.

Faidh _a prophet_, ban-fhaidh _a prophetess_.

Tighearn _a lord_, baintighearn _a lady_.

_Adjectives Compounded with a Noun._

Geal _white_, bian the _skin_--biangheal _white-skinned_.

Lom _bare_, cas the _foot_--caslom _bare-foot_; ceann the _head_--ceannlom _bare-headed_.

Biorach _pointed, sharp_, cluas the _ear_--cluasbhiorach _having pointed ears_.

_Verbs Compounded with a Noun._

Luaisg _to rock_ or _toss_, tonn _a wave_--tonn-luaisg _to toss on the waves_.

Sleamhnuich _to slide_, cul the _back_--cul-sleamhnuich _to back-slide_.

Folaich _to hide_, feall _deceit_--feall-fholaich _to lie in wait_.

II. WORDS COMPOUNDED WITH AN ADJECTIVE PREFIXED.

_Nouns Compounded with an Adjective._

Uisge _water_, fior _true, genuine_--fioruisge _spring-water_.

Airgiod _silver_, beo _alive_--beo-airgiod _quick-silver_.