An gaidheal - National Library of Scotland

;;THE GAEL,ENGLISH DEPARTMENT.rnnvc-A^i^cia:,GAELIC GRAMMAR ANDORTHOGRAPHY.BY THE EEV. ALEX. CAMERON.The readers of the Gael must notexpect from us anything like au elaboratediscussion of the [jrinciples ofGaelic gi'ammar, for other eugagementsprevent us at preseut fromundertaking more than the preparationof a series of notes in which somepoints of Gaelic construction andorthography will be explained andillustrated. We begin with thesimple rule, common to Gaelicwith many other languages—that" one noun governs another, signifyinga different thing, in the genitive;"as, hahhar Slieiuimis (James'book); p«;7^eas bulk (abundance offood); toiseach na hliadhna (the beginningof the year) ; barcdl dhaoine(men's opinions); camid nam hochd(the friend of the poor).The infinitive in Gaelic, being anoun, governs the genitive in accordancewith the above rule; as, achlainntinn a' chiùil (to heai- themusic, i.e., to hearing of the music);air faicinn an t-sluaigh (having seenthe people, i.e., on seeing of thepeople); a' togail an tighe (building thehouse, i.e., at building of the house).It may be remarked here thatGaelic has only one participle—thepassive participle. The English jiresentparticiple is rendered into Gaelicb}^ the infinitive or verbal noun precededby the preposition ag (at) expressedor understood; as, hearing(ag èisdeachd) ;qieaking (a' labhairt)leaping (a' leum).The rule in regard to compoundisrs.prepositions (which are really nounspreceded by simple prepositions expressedor understood) governing thegenitive is but au application of theabove rule, for the genitive is governedby the noun which forms part of thecompound, and not by the noun andsimple preposition together. In suchphrases, for example, as " au làthairan t-sluaigh" (befcn-e the people, i.e.,in presence of the people), "anaghaidh nàduir" (against nature, i.e.,in face of nature), "air son airgid"(for money, i.e., on accoimt of money),the genitives an t-sluaigh, nàduir,airgid, are governed by the nounsaghaidh, son.In compound nouns, the first termlathair.,governs the second in the genitive inaccordance with the above rule, whenthe terms are so related to each otherthat, if separate, the latter would beput in the genitive; &.?,, fear-gleidhidh(keeper) ; clach-mheallain (hailstone)fear-fuadain (fugitive). But the term,which, when second, is put in thegenitive, is not put in that case whenit is made the first term. In suchphrases, for example, as tion-aodach(linen-cloth) =:ao(fac/i-Zi?t, fion-amar(wine-press) ^=amar-fiona.,cas-chevm(foot-step)=cei;m-cozse, lion, fion, cas,are not in the genitive. Apparentexceptions, such as inairtfheoil (beef),muicfheoil (pork), caishheart (shoesand stockings) we shall afterwardsconsider.The above rule, although one ofthe most elementary rules of Gaelicsyntax, is frequently transgressedboth in speaking and in writing Gaehc.We do not refer to recognised exceptionsto the rule, to which we shall