Part 2 — CHAPTER II.

OF NOUNS.

A Noun is the Name of any person, object, or thing whatsoever, that we have occasion to mention. In treating of this Part of Speech, we have to consider the Gender and the Declension of Nouns.

Of Gender.

In imposing names on sensible objects, the great and obvious distinction of Sex in the animal world suggested the expediency of inventing names, not only for the particular species of animals, but also for distinguishing their Sex. Such are vir, femina; bull, cow; coileach, cearc, &c. To mark at once identity of species, and diversity of Sex, the same word, with a slight change on its form, was applied to both sexes: as equus, equa; lion, lioness; oglach, banoglach. In most languages, distinction of Sex has been marked, not only thus by the form of the noun, but further by the form of the adjective connected with the noun. Most adjectives were furnished with two forms, the one of which indicated its connection with the name of a male, the other its connection with the name of a female. The one was called by grammarians the masculine gender, the other the feminine gender of the adjective. Adjectives possessing thus a two-fold form, must necessarily have appeared under one or other of these forms, with whatever noun they happened to be conjoined. Even nouns significant of inanimate objects came thus to possess one mark of nouns discriminative of Sex, as they happened to be accompanied by an adjective of the masculine or by one of the feminine gender. If any noun was observed to be usually coupled with an adjective of the masculine gender, it was termed by grammarians a masculine noun; if it was found usually coupled with an adjective of the feminine gender, it was termed a feminine noun. Thus a distinction of nouns into masculine and feminine came to be noted, and this also was called gender.

When an adjective was to be connected with a noun that denoted an object devoid of Sex, it is not always easy to guess what views might have determined the speaker to use the adjective in one gender rather than in the other. Perhaps Sex was attributed to the object signified by the noun. Perhaps its properties were conceived to bear some resemblance to the qualities characteristic of Sex in living creatures. In many instances, the form of the noun seems to have decided the point. It must be confessed that in this mental process, the judgment has been often swayed by trivial circumstances, and guided by fanciful analogies. At least it cannot be denied that in the Gaelic, where all nouns whatever are ranked under the class of masculines or of feminines, the gender of each has been fixed by a procedure whereof the grounds cannot now be fully investigated or ascertained. Neither the natural nor artificial qualities or uses of the things named, nor the form of the names given them, furnish any invariable rule by which the gender of nouns may be known. It ought to be remembered, however, that the Gaelic is far from being singular in this respect. The oldest language with which we are acquainted, as well as some of the most polished modern tongues, stand in the same predicament.

The following observations may serve to give some idea of the analogy of gender in Gaelic nouns; though they do not furnish a complete set of rules sufficient to ascertain the gender of every noun:—

Masculines. Nouns signifying males are masculines; as, fear a man, righ a king, sagart a priest, tarbh a bull, cu a dog.

Diminutives in an; as, rothan a little wheel, dealgan a little pin, &c.

Derivatives in as, which are, for the most part, abstract nouns; as, cairdeas friendship, naimhdeas enmity, ciuineas calmness, breitheamhnas judgment, ceartas justice, maitheas goodness, &c.

Derivatives in air, ach, iche, which are, for the most part, agents; as, cealgair a deceiver, sealgair a huntsman, dorsair a door-keeper, marcach a rider, maraiche a sailor, coisiche a foot traveller, &c.

Names of such kinds of trees as are natives of Scotland; as, darach oak, giuthas fir, uimhseann ash.

Most polysyllables whereof the last vowel is broad, are masculine.

Some nouns denoting a species are feminine, even when the individual spoken of is characterised as a male; as, gabhar fhirionn, a he-goat. Psal. l. 9.

Names of countries; as, Albainn Scotland, Eirinn Ireland.

Names of musical instruments; as, clarsach a harp, piob, a pipe.

Names of the heavenly bodies; as, Grian sun, Gealach moon.

Names of diseases; as, teasach a fever, a' ghriuthach the measles, a' bhreac the small-pox, a' bhuidheach the jaundice, a' bhuinneach, a diarrhœa, &c.

Collective names of trees or shrubs are feminine; as, giuthasach a fir wood, iugharach a yew copse, seileach a willow copse, droighneach a thorny brake.

Diminutives in ag or og; as, caileag a girl, cuachag a little cup.

Derivatives in achd; as, iomlanachd fulness, doillearachd duskiness, doimhneachd depth, rioghachd kingdom, sinnsireachd ancestry, &c.

Abstract nouns formed from the genitive of adjectives; as, doille blindness, gile whiteness, leisge laziness, buidhre deafness, &c.

Many monosyllables in ua followed by one or more consonants are feminine; as, bruach a bank, cruach a heap, cuach a cup, cluas an ear, gruag the hair of the head, sguab a sheaf, tuadh a hatchet, tuath peasantry.

Almost all polysyllables, whereof the last vowel is small, except those in air and iche, already noticed, are feminine.

A few nouns are of either gender; Salm a Psalm, creidimh belief, are used as masculine nouns in some places, and feminine in others. Cruinne the globe, talamb the earth, land, are masculine in the nominative; as, an cruinne-cé the globe of the earth. Psal. lxxxix. 11., xc. 2.—D. Buchan. 1767. p. 12. 15; an talamh tioram the dry land. Psal. xcv. 5. The same nouns are generally feminine in the genitive; as, gu crìch na cruinne to the extremity of the world. Psal. xix. 4.; aghaidh na talmhainn the face of the earth. Gen. i. 29. Acts xvii. 24.

Of Declension.

Nouns undergo certain changes significant of Number and of Relation.

The forms significant of Number are two: the Singular, which denotes one; and the Plural, which denotes any number greater than one.

The changes on the beginning of nouns are made by aspirating an initial consonant; that is, writing h after it. This may be called the Aspirated form of the noun. The aspirated form extends to all the cases and numbers. A noun, whereof the initial form is not changed by aspiration, is in the Primary form.

The accidents of nouns may be briefly stated thus. A noun is declined by Number, Case, and Initial form. The Numbers are two: Singular and Plural. The Cases are four: Nominative, Genitive, Dative, and Vocative. The Initial form is twofold: the Primary form, and the Aspirated form peculiar to nouns beginning with a consonant.

In declining nouns, the formation of the cases is observed to depend more on the last vowel of the nominative than on the final letter. Hence the last vowel of the nominative, or in general of any declinable word, may be called the characteristic vowel. The division of the vowels into broad and small suggests the distribution of nouns into two Declensions, distinguished by the quality of the characteristic vowel. The first Declension comprehends those nouns whereof the characteristic vowel is broad; the second Declension comprehends those nouns whereof the characteristic vowel is small.

The following examples are given of the inflection of nouns of the

FIRST DECLENSION.

Bard, mas. a Poet.

Singular. Plural.

Nom. Bard Baird

Gen. Baird Bard

Dat. Bard Bardaibh

Voc. Bhaird Bharda

Cluas, fem. an Ear.

Singular. Plural.

Nom. Cluas Cluasan

Gen. Cluaise Cluas

Dat. Cluais Cluasaibh

Voc. Chluas Chluasa

Formation of the Cases of Nouns of the First Declension.

Singular Number.

Particular Rules for the Genitive.—1. If the nominative ends in a vowel, the genitive is like the nominative; as, trà m. a time or season, g. s. trà; so also beatha f. life, cro m. a sheepfold, cliu m. fame, duine a man, Donncha Duncan, a man's name, and many others. Except bo f. a cow, g. s. boin; cu m. a dog, g. s. coin; bru f. the belly, g. s. broinn or bronn.

2. Nouns ending in chd or rr have the genitive like the nominative; as, uchd m. the breast, sliochd m. offspring, feachd m. a host, reachd m. statute, cleachd m. habit, beachd m. vision, smachd m. authority, fuachd m. cold, sprochd m. gloom, beannachd m. a blessing, naomhachd f. holiness, earr m. the tail, torr m. a heap. Except slochd g. s. sluichd m. a pit, unless this word should rather be written sloc, like boc, cnoc, soc.

4. Monosyllables characterised by io either drop the o or add a for the genitive; as, siol m. seed, g. s. sìl; lion m. a net, g. s. lìn; crioch f. a boundary, g. s. crìch; cioch f. the pap, g. s. cìche; fion m. wine, g. s. fiona; crios m. a girdle, g. s. criosa; fiodh m. timber, g. s. fiodha. Except Criost or Criosd m. Christ, which has the gen. like the nominative.

5. Many monosyllables, whose characteristic vowel is a or o, change it into u and insert i after it; as, gob m. the bill of a bird, g. s. guib; crodh m. kine, g. s. cruidh; bolg or balg m. a bag, g. s. builg; clog or clag m. a bell, g. s. cluig; lorg f. a staff, g. s. luirge; long f. a ship, g. s. luinge; alt m. a joint, g. s. uilt; alld m. a rivulet, g. s. uilld; car m. a turn, g. s. cuir; carn m. a heap of stones, g. s. cuirn. So also ceol m. music, g. s. ciuil; seol m. a sail, g. s. siuil. Except nouns in on and a few feminines, which follow the general rule; as, bròn m. sorrow, g. s. bròin; lòn m. food, g. s. lòin; cloch or clach f. a stone, g. s. cloiche; cos or cas f. the foot, g. s. coise; bròg f. a shoe, g. s. bròige. So also clann f. children, g. s. cloinne; crann m. a tree, g. s. croinn. Mac m. a son, has its g. s. mic.

Of monosyllables characterised by ea, some throw away a and insert i; as, each m. a horse, g. s. eich; beann f. a peak, g. s. beinne; fearg f. anger, g. s. feirge. Some change ea into i; as, breac m. a trout, g. s. bric; fear m. a man, g. s. fir; ceann m. a head, end, g. s. cinn; preas m. a bush, g. s. pris; breac f. the small-pox, g. s. brice; cearc f. a hen, g. s. circe; leac f. a flag, g. s. lice. Gleann m. a valley, adds e, g. s. glinne. Some add a to the nominative; as, speal m. a scythe, g. s. speala. Dream f. people, race, gean m. humour, have their genitive like the nominative. Feall f. deceit, g. s. foill or feill. Geagh m. a goose, makes g. s. geoigh.

7. Nouns in eu followed by a liquid, change u into o and insert i after it; as, neul m. a cloud, g. s. neoil, eun m. a bird, g. s. eoin; feur m. grass, g. s. feoir; meur m. a finger, g. s. meoir; leus m. a torch, g. s. leois. Beul m. the mouth, g. s. beil or beoil; sgeul. m. a tale, g. s. sgeil or sgeoil. Other nouns characterised by eu add a for the gen., as, treud m. a flock, g. s. treuda; feum m. use, need, g. s. feuma; beum m. a stroke, g. s. beuma. Meud m. bulk, beuc m. a roar, freumh f. a fibre, root, hardly admit of a, but have their gen. rather like the nom.

8. Monosyllables characterised by ia change ia into ei; as, sliabh m. a moor, g. s. sleibh; fiadh m. a deer, g. s. feidh; biadh m. food, g. s. beidh or bidh; iasg m. fish, g. s. eisg; grian f. the sun, g. s. greine; sgiath f. a wing, g. s. sgeithe. Except Dia m. God, g. s. De; sgian f. a knife, g. s. sgine.

Piuthar f. a sister, has g. s. peathar; leanabh m. a child, g. s. leinibh; ceathramh m. a fourth part, g. s. ceithrimh, leabaidh or leaba f. a bed, g. s. leapa; talamh m. earth, g. s. talmhainn.

The Dative singular of masculine nouns is like the nominative; of feminine nouns, is like the genitive; as, tobar m. a well, d. s. tobar; clarsach f. a harp, g. s. and d. s. clarsaich; misneach f. courage, g. s. and d. s. misnich.

Particular Rules for the Dative of Feminine Nouns.—1. If e was added to the nominative in forming the genitive, it is thrown away in the dative; as, slat f. a rod, g. s. slaite—d. s. slait; grian f. the sun, g. s. greine, d. s. grein.

2. If the nominative suffered a syncope in forming the genitive, or if the last vowel of the genitive is broad, the dative is like the nominative; as, buidheann f. a company, g. s. buidhne, d. s. buidheann; piuthar f. a sister, g. s. peathar, d. s. piuthar.

The Vocative of masc. nouns is like the genitive; of feminine nouns is like the nominative; as, bàs m. death, g. s. bàis, v. s. bhais; cu m. a dog, g. s. coin, v. s. choin; grian f. the sun, v. s. ghaoth.

Plural Number.

Particular Rules for forming the Nom. Plur. in a or an.

1. By adding a to the nom. singular; as, dubhar m. a shadow, n. p. dubhara; rioghachd f. a kingdom, n. p. rioghachdan. Under this Rule, some nouns suffer a syncope; as, dorus m. a door, n. p. dorsa for dorusa.

2. Nouns ending in l or nn, often insert t before a; as, reul m. a star, n. p. reulta; beann f. a pinnacle, n. p. beannta. So lòn m. a marsh, n. p. lòintean.

3. Some nouns in ar drop the a, and add to the nom. sing. the syllable aich; and then the final a becomes e, to correspond to the preceding small vowel; as, leabhar m. a book, n. p. leabhraiche; tobar m. a well, n. p. tobraiche; lann. f. an enclosure, inserts d, n. p. lanndaiche. Piuthar f. a sister, from the g. s. peathar, has n. p. peathraiche; so leaba f. a bed, g. s. leapa, n. p. leapaiche. Bata m. a staff, n. p. batacha; la or latha a day, n. p. lathachan or laithean.

4. Some polysyllables in ach add e or ean to the genitive singular; as, mullach m. summit, g. s. mullaich, n. p. mullaichean; otrach m. a dunghill, n. p. otraichean; clarsach f. a harp, n. p. clarsaichean; deudach f. the jaw, n. p. deudaichean. So sliabh m. a moor, g. s. sleibh, with t inserted, n. p. sleibhte. Sabhul m. a barn, g. s. sabhuil, n. p. saibhlean, contracted for sabhuilean.

The following Nouns form their Nominative Plural irregularly: Dia m. God, n. p. dée or diathan; scian f. a knife, n. p. sceana or scinichean; sluagh m. people, n. p. sloigh; bo. f. a cow, n. p. ba.

Genitive. 1. Monosyllables, and nouns which form their nominative plural like the genitive singular, have the genitive plural like the nominative singular; as, geug f. a branch, g. p. geug; coimhearsnach m. a neighbour, g. s. and n. p. coimhearsnach.

2. Polysyllables which have their nominative plural in a or an, form the genitive like the nominative; leabhar m. a book, n. p. and g. p. 'leabraichean'—When the nominative plural is twofold, the genitive is so too; as 'fear' n. a man, n. p. fir, or sometimes feara, g. p. fear or feara.

Cu m. a dog has its g. p. con; caora f. a sheep, g. p. caorach; sluagh m. people, g. p. sluagh or slogh.

Dative. The dative plural is formed either from the nominative singular or from the nominative plural. If the nominative plural ends in a consonant, the dative plural is formed by adding ibh to the nominative singular; as, crann m. a tree, n. p. croinn, d. p. crannaibh; mac m. a son, n. p. mic, d. p. macaibh. If the nominative plural ends in a vowel, the final vowel is changed into ibh; as, tobar a well, n. p. tobraiche, d. p. tobraichibh.

2. Monosyllables ending in an aspirated consonant, which have their nominative plural like the genitive singular, form their dative plural like the nominative plural; as, damh an ox, g. s. and n. p. daimh, d. p. daimh, not damhaibh; fiadh m. a deer, g. s. and n. p. and d. p. feidh. So sluagh m. people, host, g. s. sluaigh, n. p. and d. p. sloigh. Nouns ending in ch, of three or more syllables, form their dative plural like the nominative plural, rather than in ibh; as, coimhearsnach m. a neighbour, d. p. coimhearsnaich rather than coimhearsnachaibh; phairiseach m. a Pharisee, d. p. phairisich rather than phairiseachaibh.

Vocative. The vocative plural is like the nominative plural, terminating in a, but seldom in an; as, fear m. a man, n. p. fir or feara, v. p. fheara; oglach m. a servant, n. p. oglaich, v. p. oglacha. Except perhaps monosyllables which never form their nominative plural in a, nor their dative plural in ibh; as, damh m. an ox, n. p. daimh, v. p. dhaimh; a shloigh, Rom. xv. 11.

The irregular noun Bean f. a woman, is declined thus:

Singular. Plural.

Nom. Bean Mnai, mnathan

Gen. Mna Ban

Dat. Mnaoi Mnathaibh

Voc. Bhean. Mhnathan.

SECOND DECLENSION.

Cealgair, mas. a deceiver.

Singular. Plural.

Nom. Cealgair Cealgaire

Gen. Cealgair Cealgair

Dat. Cealgair Cealgairibh

Voc. Chealgair. Chealgaire.

Clais, fem. a gully.

Nom. Clais Claisean

Gen. Claise Clais

Dat. Clais Claisibh

Voc. Chlais. Chlaise.

Formation of the cases of nouns of the second Declension.

Singular Number.

General Rule for the Genitive. The genitive of polysyllables is like the nominative; of monosyllables is made by adding e to the nominative; as, caraid m. a friend, g. s. caraid; aimsir f. time, g. s. aimsir; tigh m. a house, g. s. tighe; ainm m. a name, g. s. ainme; im m. butter, g. s. ime; craig f. a rock, g. s. craige.

Particular Rules for the Genitive. 1. Feminine nouns in ail and air drop the i and add ach; if the nominative be a polysyllable, ai is thrown away; as, sail f. a beam, g. s. salach; dail f. a plain, g. s. dalach; lair f. a mare, g. s. làrach; cathair f. a seat, g. s. cathrach; nathair f. a serpent, g. s. nathrach; lasair f. a flame, g. s. lasrach. To these add còir f. right, g. s. còrach or còire.

2. Monosyllables characterised by oi drop i and add a; as, feoil f. flesh, g. s. feola; tòin f. bottom, g. s. tòna; sròin f. the nose, g. s. sròine or sròna.

3. Monosyllables characterised by ui change ui into a or o, and add a; as, muir f. the sea, g. s. mara; fuil f. blood, g. s. fola or fala; druim f. a ridge, g. s. droma. Except sùil f. the eye, g. s. sùla; cuid f. a part, g. s. codach or cuid.

4. A few feminine polysyllables in eir form their genitive like monosyllables; as, inneir f. dung, g. s. inneire; suipeir f. supper, g. s. suipeire.

5. The following dissyllables seem to have formed their genitive like monosyllables, and then suffered a contraction. Sometimes the characteristic vowel is retained, and sometimes it is thrown away, the final e of the genitive being converted into a, when requisite to suit an antecedent broad vowel.

Amhainn, f. a river, g. s. aimhne, contracted for amhainne

Aghainn, Aghann f. a pan, g. s. aighne, aghainne

Banais f. a wedding, g. s. bainse, banaise

Coluinn f. the body, g. s. colna, colla coluinne

Duthaich f. a country, g. s. duthcha, duthaiche

Fiacail f. a tooth, g. s. fiacla, fiacaile

Gamhuinn m. a steer, g. s. gamhna, gamhuinne

Gualainn f. the shoulder, g. s. guaille, gualainne

Madainn f. morning, g. s. maidne, madainne

Obair f. work, g. s. oibre, obaire

Uilinn f. the elbow, g. s. uillne, uilinne

6. The following nouns form their genitive by dropping the characteristic small vowel; athair m. a father, g. s. athar; mathair f. a mother, g. s. mathar; brathair m. a brother, g. s. brathar; namhaid m. an enemy, g. s. namhad. Cnaimh m. a bone, g. s. cnamha; uaimh f. a cave, g. s. uamha. Mil f. honey, has g. s. meala.

7. A few monosyllables ending in a vowel have their genitive like the nominative; as, ni m. a thing, ti m. a person, ré m. the moon; to which add righ m. a king.

Dative. The dative singular is like the nominative; as, duine m. a man, d. s. duine; madainn f. morning, d. s. madainn.

Vocative. The vocative singular is like the nominative, as, caraid m. friend, v. s. charaid; mathair f. mother, v. s. mhathair.

Plural Number.

Nominative.—General Rule. The nominative plural is formed by adding to the nominative singular a or an, written e or ean to correspond to a preceding small vowel; as, piobair m. a piper, n. p. piobairean; aimsir f. time, season, n. p. aimsirean. Some nouns suffer a contraction in the nominative plural; as, caraid m. a friend, n. p. càirdean; naimhaid m. an enemy, n. p. naimhdean; fiacail f. a tooth, n. p. fiaclan.

Particular Rules. 1. Some nouns, whose last consonant is l or n, insert t in the nominative plural; as, tuil f. a flood, n. p. tuilte; smuain f. thought, n. p. smuaintean; coille f. a wood, n. p. coilltean; àithne f. a command, n. p. àithnte. The t is aspirated in dail f. a plain, n. p. dailthean; sail f. a beam, n. p. sailthean.

2. Some nouns in air, chiefly such as form their genitive singular in ach, retain the same syllable in the nominative plural, and insert i after a; as,

Cathair, f. a seat, g. s. cathrach, n. p. cathraichean.

Lasair, f. a flame, g. s. lasrach, n. p. lasraichean.

Nathair, f. a serpent, g. s. nathrach, n. p. nathraichean.

So also cuid f. a part, from the g. s. codach, has the n. p. codaichean; athair m. a father, n. p. aithrichean; mathair f. a mother, n. p. maithrichean. To which add amhainn f. a river, n. p. aimhnichean; uisge m. water, n. p. uisgeachan; cridhe m. the heart, n. p. cridheachan.

The following nouns form their nominative plural irregularly; duine m. a man, n. p. daoine; righ m. a king, n. p. righre; ni m. a thing, n. p. nithe; cliamhuinn m. a son-in-law, or brother-in-law, n. p. cleamhna.

Genitive. The genitive plural of monosyllables and masculine polysyllables is twofold, like the nominative singular, and like the nominative plural; as, righ m. a king, g. p. righ or righre. The genitive plural of feminine polysyllables is like the nominative plural only; as, amhainn f. a river, g. p. aimhnichean. Suil f. the eye, has its g. p. sùl.

Dative. The dative plural is formed from the nominative plural by changing the final vowel into ibh; as, coluinn f. the body, n. p. coluinne, d. p. coluinnibh; cridhe m. the heart, n. p. cridheacha, d. p. cridheachaibh.

Vocative. The vocative plural is like the nominative plural; as, duine m. a man, n. p. daoine, v. p. dhaoine.

Final a or e in all the singular cases of polysyllables is occasionally cut off, especially in verse; as, leab bed, teang tongue, coill wood, cridh heart.

Of the Initial form of Nouns.

In nouns beginning with a consonant, all the cases admit of the aspirated form. In the vocative singular and plural the aspirated form alone is used, except in nouns beginning with a lingual, which are generally in the primary form, when preceded by a lingual; as, a sheann duine old man. Nouns beginning with s followed by a mute consonant have no aspirated form, because s in that situation does not admit of the aspirate. In nouns beginning with l, n, r, a distinction is uniformly observed in pronouncing the initial consonant, corresponding precisely to the distinction of primary and aspirated forms in nouns beginning with other consonants. This distinction has already been fully stated in treating of pronunciation.