Elements of Gaelic Grammar

Part 2 — CHAPTER IV.

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OF PRONOUNS.

The Pronouns are, for the most part, words used instead of nouns. They may be arranged under the following divisions: Personal, Possessive, Relative, Demonstrative, Interrogative, Indefinite, Compound.

The Personal Pronouns are those of the 1st, 2d, and 3d persons. They have a Singular and a Plural Number, a Simple and an Emphatic Form. They are declined thus:—

Singular.Plural.

Simple Form.Emphat. F.Simple F.Emphat.

1. Mi, mhi, I, me, Mise, mhise. Sinn, we, us, Sinne.

2. Th, thu, thou, Tusa, thusa. Sibh, ye, you Sibhse.

Thu, thee,

3. E, se, he, Esan.

E, him,

I, si, she, Ise. Iad, siad, they Iadsan^[40]

I, her, Iad, them,

The Possessive Pronouns correspond to the Personal Pronouns, and, like them, may be called those of the 1st, 2d, and 3d persons singular, and 1st, 2d, and 3d persons plural. They have an Emphatic Form, which is made by connecting the syllable sa with the possessive pronoun of the 1st, 2d, and 3d persons singular, and 2d person plural; ne with that of the 1st person plural, and san with that of the 3d person plural. These syllables are placed immediately after the nouns to which the possessive pronouns are prefixed, and connected by a hyphen.

These Pronouns are as follow:—

Simple.Emphatic.Simple.Emphatic.

Singular.Plural.

1. Mo, my, mo mhac-sa 1. Ar, our, ar mac-ne

2. Do, thy, do ——sa 2. Bhur, 'ur, your, bhur ——sa

3. A, his, a mhac-sa, san 3. An, am, their, an, am ——sa, san

A, her, a mac-sa, san

If the noun be followed by an adjective, the emphatic syllable is affixed to the adjective; as, do làmh gheal-sa thy white hand.

The word fein corresponding to the English words self, own, is subjoined occasionally both to the personal and possessive pronouns: thus mi fein myself, mise fein I myself, thu fein thyself, thusa fein thou thyself, or thy own self, mo shluagh fein my own people.

The other Pronouns are as follow:—

Relative.Demonstrative.Interrogative.

N. A, who, which, that. So, this, these. Co? who?

G.&D. An. Sin, that, those. Cia? which?

Nach, who not, which not, Sud^[44], ud, yon. Ciod, creud? what?

Na, that which, what^[45].

Indefinite.Compound.

Eigin, some. E so, this one, m. E sud, yon one, m.

Ge b'e, Cia b'e whoever^[46]. I so, this one, f. I sud, yon one, f.

Eile, other. Iad so, these. Iad sud, yon, pl.

Gach, Cach, each, every^[47]. E sin, that one, m. Cach eile, the rest.

Cach, others, the rest. Iad sin, those. Cach a chéile, each other^[48].

Cuid, some.

Notes in this chapter

Note 1 · The Pronouns tu thou, se he, si she, siad they, are not employed, like other nominatives, to denote the object after a transitive verb. Henc Note 2 · In the North Highlands this Pronoun is pronounced sid.Note 3 · This Pronoun occurs in such expressions as an deigh na chuala tu after what you have heard; their leat na th' agad, or na bheil agad, bring Note 4 · There is reason to think that ge b'e is corruptly used for cia b' e. Of the former I find no satisfactory analysis. The latter cia b' e is l Note 5 · This pronoun is found written with an initial c in Lhuyd's "Archæol. Brit." Tit. I. page 20. col. 2. ceach; again Tit. X. voc. Bealtine, cec Note 6 · The pronouns cach eile and cach a chéile are hardly known in Perthshire. Instead of the former, they use the single word càch pronounced lon Note 7 · The Pronoun 'sibh' you, of the plural number is used almost universally in addressing a single person of superior rank or of greater age; wh Note 8 · The possessive pronouns mo, do, when followed by a vowel, commonly lose the o, whose absence is marked by an apostrophe; as, m' aimn my name Note 9 · The possessive pronoun a his, is often suppressed altogether after a vowel; as, na sanntaich bean do choimhearsnaich, no oglach, no bhanogla