Imatges de pàgina
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3. To the possessive pronoun in the third person of both numbers, after the prepositions go, le, ô, re, and tre.

4.

To verbs in the conditional mood.

5. To verbs in the active voice, and after the interrogative particle.

6. Not only to words beginning with vowels, but the letter F, after the conjunction noċa not.

7.-To words following the prepositions a in, and 50 that.

8.-As a part of the intensitive 11, the i being dropped, thus n'arra¡m I beseech, from jarraim I ask. In general, the same accidents which cause eclipsis in consonants, require the prefix of ŋ to vowels.

VII. The letter t, besides the cases wherein it eclipses r, occurs before vowels as a prefix

1. To masculine adjectives, in the nominative and accusative singular.

2.-Masculine adjectives preceding substantives require it in the dative singular, as well as in the nominative; feminine adjectives require it in the genitive singular. In the plural, it will in such a case be prefixed to the nominative and dative of both genders.

3. do thy before a vowel. or F, is sometimes changed into t, as well as into h, and then the F is lost in the pronunciation, as c'fear, thy husband. (O'Reilly, on letter F.)

I shall here subjoin a table of the different significations of the particles a and do. The learner will be greatly assisted by making himself well acquainted with them.

is 1.-used sometimes for the article the.

2. It is a substantive, with several significations.
3. An adjective, as lofty, &c.

4.-A possessive pronoun-his, her, its, their.
5. A relative pronoun-that, who, which.

2 is 6. A sign of the infinitive mood.
7.-A preposition—in.

8.-A sign of the vocative case.
9.-A mark of interrogation.

10. A sign of affirmation, as a tajm.

Do is 1.-A sign of the dative case. 2.- Thy the genitive of tu.

3. The possessive pronoun-thy, thine, your. 4.-A sign of the infinitive mood.

5. Generally used as a sign of the indicative mood, past tense; and of the potential mood.

6. A particle of negation.
7.—With pa, as fa do twice.

FINIS.

APPENDIX.

I SHALL transcribe, from Neilson's Grammar, an account of the differences of pronunciation of Irish words in the different Provinces of Ireland; and present them, without any comment, on his authority, which is deservedly esteemed.

In general the accent falls on the first syllables, and this principle is observed in the north of Ireland; as, aran bread; rasur a razor: but, in the south and west, they say arán, rasúr, &c.

Again, when n follows c, 5, m, or c, it is pronounced in the north like r—as, cnaṁ a bone, craṁ; but in the south and west the true pronunciation is retained.

Borm, when aspirated, was originally sounded as V. This ancient pronunciation is still used in the north of Ireland, and in Scotland, and the Isle of Man. It is also retained in the south, in the beginning of words; and in the middle, if joined by a small vowel. But, if the next vowel be broad, as in the word fożṁar harvest, which should be pronounced fòvar, those of the south entirely suppress the consonant; and, contracting the two syllables into one, they say, foar.

Throughout Connaught, Leinster, and some counties of Ulster, the sound of w is substituted for that of v, to represent b, and m. Thus, mo mac, my son, (properly sounded, mo vac,) is pronounced, mo wac.

Ch, at the end of words or syllables, is very weakly expressed by the natives of Ulster; ac receives no more force, than if it were written ah; and ċ, before , is quite silent in all the country along the sea coast, from Derry to Waterford; thus, b1 duine boce there was a poor man, is there pronounced, bi duine bót.

Th is also omitted in pronouncing many words, such as aċa father, maċajn mother, &c. in most of the counties of Ulster, and the east of Leinster, where. these words are pronounced as if written aan, maair.

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