| No. 9.—Vol. V.] | DUBLIN, DECEMBER 1ST, 1894. | [Price 6d., post free. |
| No. 57 of the Old Series.] |
TO OUR READERS.
Until further notice, all business communications are to be sent to Gaelic Journal manager, Dollard’s, Wellington-quay, Dublin. All editorial matter to be sent to Mr. John MacNeill, Hazelbrook, Malahide. Postal Orders sent to the manager, as directed above, are to be made payable to Joseph Dollard, at Post Office, Dublin.
EASY LESSONS IN IRISH.
(The First Part is now issued in book form: see advertisements.)
EXERCISE LXV.
§ 398. Eclipsis of F.
Instead of saying arn fíon, our wine, etc, the speakers of Irish found it easier to say arn víon, Instead of arn fuil, our blood, they said arn Wil. This new sound of v or W they represented by ḃ aspirated. Then, when the n of the eclipsing words dropped out, they began to write, as we do now, ar ḃfíon (veen), ar ḃfuil (Wil). Hence we say that f is eclipsed by ḃ aspirated.
§ 399. The particle an, used in asking questions, causes eclipsis, as, an ḃfaca tú? (ăn Wok′-ă thoo) did you see? an ḃfuil tú go maiṫ? (ăn Wil thoo gŭ mah) are you well? See § 257. An ḃfuil sgian agat? Atá. Have you a knife? I have (yes). In the spoken language the an, or at least the n, is usually omitted before consonants; hence ’dtuigeann tú, ’ḃfuil tú, are the forms usually heard.
§ 400. Tuigeann sé (thig′-ăN), he understands. Ní ṫuigeann sí (hig′-ăN), she does not understand; an dtuigeann tú? (dhig′-ăN) do you understand?
§ 401. A, her, has no effect on the following consonant; a bróg, her shoe; a ḃróg (Wrōg), his shoe; a mbróg (mrōg), their shoe.
§ 402. Ar ḃfuil agus ar ḃfeoil. Ní ḟaca mé ḃur ḃfuinneog nuaḋ fós. An ḃfaca tú. Seumas indiu? Ní ḟaca mé Seumas: ní ṫáinic sé a ḃaile fós. Táinic sé a ḃaile indé, aċt ní ṫáinic Míċeál leis. An ḃfuil d’aṫair tinn? Atá sé tinn go leor, atá sé in a luiḋe fós. An ḃfuil do ṁáṫair tinn? Ní ḟuils sí tinn anois, atá sí ina suiḋe. An dtuigeann tú Gaeḋilge? Ní ṫuigeann Míċeál Gaeḋilge fós; ní ṫuigeann sé aċt (only) an Beurla. An ḃfuil capall agat? Ní ḟuil, (Woo′-ir) aċt atá asal beag agam. An ḃfuair tú airgead in do ṗóca? Ní ḟuair mé airgead, aċt fuair mé litir.
§ 403. He does not understand me. The man is old, he does not understand the child. Have you a good horse? I have. Put the saddle on your horse. Did you see my horse to-day? No. (ní ḟaca mé). Your wine is strong; you got your wine in another country, you did not get your wine in Ireland. Did the man die yet? He did not (ní ḟuair); he is not lying now, he is up, and he is on the lake in a boat today. Did the saint find a new country? He did; he found America, and he came home in his boat to Ireland.
