Caibidil a Deich:The Article (an tAlt) |
definite and indefinite articles
declension of the article examples of declension articles with prepositions articles with cé pronunciation of the article uses of the article |
There is only one definite article (alt cinnte) an fear =
the man
There are no indefinite articles (alt éiginnte) So:
fear = man or = a man
There are only 2 forms:
either an (nominative singular masc./fem.,
genitive singular masc., dative singular masc./fem.)
or na (genitive singular fem., nominative/genitive/dativ
plural masc./ fem.)
The dual form (used before the number 2) is also an
(an dá bhliain = the 2 years)
Declension means then more than if lenition,
eclipsis or t-,
n- h- follows (see table)
The usage is dependent on the gender of the noun.
These initial mutations result from the old celtic article-declension forms,
and are thus discussed here under "declension".
Given here is only the nominative (=accusative) and genitive.
In the dative, the mutations are dependent on the preposition and the
dialect used (see under articles with prepositions)
masculine
singular | plural | |||
nom. | gen. | nom. | gen. | |
preceding a consonant | an | an L | na | na E |
preceding d, t | an | an | na | na E |
preceding s | an | an t | na | na |
preceding a vowel | an t- | an | na h | na n- |
feminine
singular | plural | |||
nom. | gen. | nom. | gen. | |
preceding a consonant | an L | na | na | na E |
preceding d, t | an | na | na | na E |
preceding s | an t | na | na | na |
preceding a vowel | an | na h | na h | na n- |
masculine:
nominative singular | genitive singular | nominative plural | genitive plural | |
preceding a consonant | an fear = the man | an fhir = of the man | na fir = the men | na bhfear = of the men |
preceding d, t | an teach = the house | an tí = of the house | na tithe = the houses | na dtithe = of the houses |
preceding s | an sagart = the priest | an tsagairt = of the priest | na sagairt = the priests | na sagart = of the priests |
preceding a vowel | an t-éan = the bird | an éin = of the bird | na héin = the birds | na n-éan = of the birds |
feminine:
nominative singular | genitive singular | nominative plural | genitive plural | |
preceding a consonant | an ghloine = the glass | na gloine = of the glas | na gloiní = the glasses | na ngloiní = of the glasses |
preceding d, t | an teist = the test | na teiste = of the test | na teisteacha = the tests | na dteisteacha = of the tests |
preceding s | an tsúil = the eye | na súile = of the eye | na súile = the eyes | na súl = of the eyes |
preceding a vowel | an áit = the place | na háite = of the place | na háiteacha = the places | na n-áiteacha = of the places |
If a preposition comes before the article, a special form of the preposition
occurs (often form ending in -s [ 1
]; this is often sounding the same as the 3rd pers. sg. masc., e.g. leis
an) or there are fusions with the article (e.g. den, don, faoin,
sa). Here denoted in red.
In the parentheses are the non-standard forms (those forms with -s- mostly
in Munster, ins an in Ulster)
Besides these, there are other rules regulating lenition and eclipsis. Here
mostly follows the dative.
Depending on the dialect, the following rules:
prep. | prep. +
article.sing |
lenition / eclipsis | prep. +
article.plural |
lenition/
eclipsis |
||||
standard | Ulster | Connacht | Munster | |||||
Dingle | ||||||||
ag | ag an (aigen) |
E/L, ts (fem.), - (d, t) | L, ts, - (d, t) | E, ts (fem.), - (d, t) | E | E | ag na (aigesna) |
- |
ar | ar an | E/L, ts (fem.), - (d, t) | L, ts, - (d, t) | E, ts (fem.), - (d, t) | E | E | ar na | - |
as | as an | E/L, ts (fem.), - (d, t) | L, ts, - (d, t) | E, ts (fem.), - (d, t) | E | E | as na | - |
chuig | chuig an | E/L, ts (fem.), - (d, t) | L, ts, - (d, t) | E, ts (fem.), - (d, t) | E | E | chuig na | - |
faoi | faoin
(fén, fán) |
E/L, ts (fem.), - (d, t) | L, ts, - (d, t) | E, ts (fem.), - (d, t) | E | E | faoi na
(fésna, fá na) |
- |
le | leis an | E/L, ts (fem.), - (d, t) | L, ts, - (d, t) | E, ts (fem.), - (d, t) | E | E | leis na | - |
mar | mar an | E/L, ts (fem.), - (d, t) | L, ts, - (d, t) | E, ts (fem.), - (d, t) | E | E | mar na | - |
ó | ón | E/L, ts (fem.), - (d, t) | L, ts, - (d, t) | E, ts (fem.), - (d, t) | E | E | ó na (ósna) | - |
roimh | roimh an, (roimis an) | E/L, ts (fem.), - (d, t) | L, ts, - (d, t) | E, ts (fem.), - (d, t) | E | E | roimh na
(roimis na) |
- |
trí | tríd an
(trís an) |
E/L, ts (fem.), - (d, t) | L, ts, - (d, t) | E, ts (fem.), - (d, t) | E | E | trí na
(trísna) |
- |
thar | thar an
(tharais an) |
E/L, ts (fem.), - (d, t) | L, ts, - (d, t) | E, ts (fem.), - (d, t) | E | E | thar na
(tharais na) |
- |
um | um an | E/L, ts (fem.), - (d, t) | L, ts, - (d, t) | E, ts (fem.), - (d, t) | E | E | um na | - |
de | den | L, ts (fem.), - (d, t) | L, ts, - (d, t) | L, ts (fem.), - (d, t) | L, ts, - (d, t) | E | de na (desna) | - |
do | don | L, ts (fem.), - (d, t) | L, ts, - (d, t) | L, ts (fem.), - (d, t) | L, ts, - (d, t) | E | do na (dosna) | - |
i | sa, san*
(ins an) |
L, ts (fem.), - (d, t) | L, ts, - (d, t) | E, ts (fem.), - (d, t) | L, ts, bhf, - (d, t) | L, ts, bhf, - (d, t) | sna
(ins na) |
- |
fara | fairis an | fairis na | - | |||||
go | go dtí an | E | go dtí(s) na | - | ||||
idir | idir an | idir na | - | |||||
gan | gan an | gan na | - |
*san instead of sa preceding a vowel as well as preceding fh- (in Connacht and Munster sa bhf-)
The given lenitions- and eclipsis rules in the dialects are modeled after:
M. Ó Siadhail: "Modern Irish".
The rules for Connacht are used in the Gaeltachts of County Galway. In
Mayo, similar rules apply in Erris and Tourmakeady (with a lean to eclipsis),
in Achill the Ulster rules apply (lenition).
In Ring (Munster) other rules still apply, that due to their extensive
nature, are not discussed here.
Legend and explanations for the above table:
Preceding a vowel, the nominative caused t-prefix is omitted for masculinen
nouns:
e.g.: an t-úll = the apple aber: ar an úll =
on the apple.
An n-prefix, as is expected with eclipsis, does not occur because the article
already ends in -n.
In the so-called "standard", by most prepositions, lenition or eclipsis are "a choice". After don, den, sa(n), lenition always follows. For words with s- there is the t-prefix only preceding feminine nouns, even if the speaker would otherwise prefer eclipsis. d,t are not lenited, but also not eclipsed (words with s-,d-,t- are also treated as in Connacht).
examples:
Munster and Connacht: ag an bhfear, Ulster: ag an fhear = at the man
Ulster and Connacht: as an teach, Munster: as an dteach = out of the
house
Ulster and Connacht: ar an tsúil, Munster: ar an súil
= on the eye
Ulster: ar an tsagart, Connacht and Munster: ar an sagart = on the
priest
Ulster and Munster: sa bhád, Connacht: sa mbád = in
the boat
Ulster: san fharraige, Connacht and Munster: sa bhfarraige = in the
sea
Munster (Dingle): don bhfear, Ulster, Connacht, rest of Munster: don
fhear = to the man
Munster (Dingle) and Connacht: den sagart, Ulster, rest of Munster: den
tsagart = of the priest
The article fuses also with cé meaning "which": cé + an = cén,
but cé + na = cé na
e.g.: Cén fáth? = which reason (or short: why), cén
fear = which man, cé na fir = which men
The vowel of the article is always unstressed, and hence neutral [@].
Preceding those words beginning with a consonant the -n
of the article an is not spoken, so, as if
one would write a'.
e.g.: the woman = an bhean [@ v'æn], the man = an fear [@
f'ær]
Preceding a vowel and fh the -n is
also spoken, it is slender or broad, depending on the following sound.
e.g.: the work = an obair [@nob@r'], of the man = an fhir [@n'ir'],
of the fish = an éisc [@n'e:shk']
Preceding a t-prefix the -n remains
unvoiced:
e.g.: the fish = an t-iasc [@ t'i@sk]
The article na is spoken [n@].
e.g.: the fish = na héisc [n@ he:shk']
differences to German:
[ 1 ]
The forms of the prepositions ending in -s preceding articles
acquire the -s from an otherwise lost initial sound s- the historical article
form sindos.
Leis an is etymologcally from le + sindu/-a. (sindu is die masculine
dative form, feminine is sinda)
The forms sa, san (originally from ins an < in + sindu/-a)
remain only due to parts of the article.
view on github
view original German