On the chair serving as my night table I have now placed the "Irish Grammar Book" of Nollaig Mac Congáil, and this book (from around 2000) proposes the following definition, which I might choose to adopt when thinking about the language: "A name is said to be in the dative case in Irish if it is preceded by the following common, simple prepositions: ag, ar, as, at, chuig, de, do, faoi, go, i, le, ó, roimh,, thar, trí, um" (p. 32). However there is then a catch, since some prepositions don't govern the eclipsis, but the other main mutation, the lenition, and still others the nominative or the gentitive with whatever mutations they may be associated.
The prepositions that govern the dative singular with eclipsis after the definite article is given on page 54 as "ag, ar, as, at, chuig, faoi, le, ó, roimh,, thar, trí, um". After "í" there is apparently always eclipsis ... but there is a devious catch even here since on page 57 it is stated that there is lenition after "den, don, sa(n)", i.e. after the fusion of de, do and (!) i with the definite article" - and "sa/san/sna" is actually the result of a fusion between "í" and the definite article. There is eclipsis after "í" with no article, but lenition when there is an article involved (fused). And after "de, do, faoi, mar, o, roimh, tri, um" (and under some circumstances "ar, gan, idir, thar") there is generally lenition. And to boot there are prepositions that govern the nominative/accusative or the genitive. According to p. 62 those that govern the nominative are "gan, go, dti, idir, seachas" and those that govern the genitive are "chun, dála, dearacht, timpeall, trasna,". Phew!
Summa summarum: the dative isn't then defined as a case characterized by certain mutations (and not by certain endings either, since the old endings have been dropped in favor of those of the Nominative/accusative case), but simply as some kind of prepositionalis. And because of the mess surrounding the mutations I can see why later grammars simply have dropped the concept of a dative case in modern Irish. The necessary information is carried by the specific preposition (which may overrule the normal choice of mutation).
But there isn't always a preposition involved. And there is an interesting pattern to be seen here. The basic form of the definite article in the singular is "an" except in the genitive feminine, where it is "na" (as it always is in the plural). It is of course the noun that is either masculine or feminine, and there is lenition of feminine nouns in the
Nominative/accusative singular - and you could add the dative singular except preceded by something that govern the eclipsis (which it does 'across' the article). But with masculine nouns there is lenition in the
genitive singular (plus a tendency to slenderization in the ending where appropriate) - and what then in the nominative/accusative singular of masculine nouns? Well there you find a variation on eclipsis if the noun begins with a vowel, insofar that it then is preceded by "t-" (note the hyphen, which actually is written).
And in the vocative (which for some reason isn't included in most tables) there is always lenition, which can be conventiently ascribed to the obligatory preceding particle "a".
So to summarize: if you just take the combination of article plus noun the system governing the
beginning of the noun is the following:
"Dative": cross fingers and apply the mutation dictated by the preposition and the ending of N/A
Vocative: always
lenition (caused by the particle "a")
Singular:Nominative/Accusative:
masculine nouns beginning with a consonant: nothing
masculine nouns beginning with a vowel:
initial t- (with hyphen)
feminine nouns beginning with a consonant except d,t:,s:
lenitionfeminine nouns beginning with s:
initial t (and no hyphen - and allegedly pronounced with a silent s))
feminine nouns beginning with a vowel: nothing
Genitive:
masculine nouns beginning with a consonant except d,t:,s:
lenitionmasculine nouns beginning with s:
initial t (no hyphen)
masculine nouns beginning with a vowel: nothing
feminine nouns beginning with a consonant: no problem ... except that the article used is
"na", not "an"
feminine nouns beginning with a vowel:
initial h ... and the article used is of course still
"na", not "an"
Plural:
Nominative/Accusative:
nouns beginning with a consonant: nothing
nouns beginning with a vowel:
initial h (without hyphen)
Genitive:
nouns beginning with a consonant:
eclipsis (where applicable)
nouns beginning with a vowel:
initial n- (with hyphen - and described as a special kind of eclipsis in the grammars)
OBS: this list is based on the grammars I have mentioned (including the examples in Gramadach na Gaeilge), but there are still things which I don't understand - like the difference in the genitive singular between two feminine substantives from the 2. declination:
N/A sing: an obair (the work), G sing: na
hoibre, D sing. don obair, N/A plur.:na hoibreacha, G plur.: na n-oibreacha
N/A sing: an abairt (the phrase), G sing: na
habairte, D sing.don abairt, N/A plur.: na habairtí, G plur.: na n-abairtí
GR: Χθες το βράδυ Χαλαρώσα διαβάζοντας ένα άρθρο μερικά άρθρα από το περιοδικό "Διαδρομές" από το 2007 και άλλαξα το κελτικό μενού με ενάμιση σελίδα από τον "Χάρι Πότερ" στα ιρλανδικά. Μερικοί θεωρητικοί (όπως o Krashen) νομίζουν ότι μπορείτε να μάθετε μια γλώσσα βρίσκοντας πηγές σε επίπεδο δυσκολίας n+1. Αλλά σχεδόν τα πάντα στα ιρλανδικά είναι τώρα n+27. Είχα το ίδιο συναίσθημα όταν άρχισα να διαβάζω ελληνικά κείμενα (συμπεριλαμβανομένων οδηγών για τη Ρόδο και την Αθήνα σε παράλληλες εκδόσεις με ένα βιβλίο στα ελληνικά και άλλο σε άλλη γλώσσα).
Το ένα άρθρο ήταν μια αστρολογική πρόβλεψη για το 2007. Ήταν πιο διασκεδαστικό εάν εφαρμοζόταν το 2008 ... και δεν θα αναφερότα η οικονομική συμφιλίωση.
Kunst079.JPG
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