Lesson Seven -- An Seachdamh Leasan

Vocative

The vocative case is the one we use when addressing people or things directly.   For instance, if the sentences "Come here, lad," or "Shut up, Calum," or "Forgive us, Lord," were written in Gaelic, the words "lad", "Calum", and "Lord" respectively would be in the vocative case.   The usual change to a noun in the vocative is that it is aspirated where possible and the letter "a" comes before it:

 
              Màiri   --   (a proper name)  -->      Cuir ort do chòta, a Mhàiri.  --   Put on your coat, Mairi.

              Seònag   --   (a proper name)  -->       Na can sin, a Sheònag.  --   Don't say that, Seonag.

              bean   --   wife, woman  -->       Tha gaol agam ort, a bhean!  --   Wife, I love you!

This is the extent of the changes made to a feminine noun or name, but a masculine noun or name in the vocative also often will add the slender vowel "i" after its last vowel if that vowel is broad (a, o, or u).   This process is called "slenderization" and it is used fairly commonly in Gaelic to mark grammatical change, just as aspiration does.   For example:

              Calum   --   (a proper name) -->       Greas ort, a Chaluim!  --   Hurry up, Calum!
                                  (last vowel "u")                                                            (lit: "Haste on-you, Calum")

              Tormod   --   (a proper name) -->         Tha mi duilich, a Thormoid.  --   I'm sorry, Tormod.
                                     (last vowel "o")

              Seumas   --   (a proper name) -->    Suidh an-sin, a Sheumais.  --   Sit there, Seumas.
                                    (last vowel "a")

              balach   --    (boy, lad)  -->             Math a bhalaich!  --   Good lad!
                                   (last vowel "a")

Masculine nouns or names which have "e" or "i" as their last vowel cannot be slenderized.

Nouns beginning with a vowel do not take "a" before them.   Nouns beginning with "f" are aspirated but, since "fh" is silent and they sound as if they begin with a vowel, they do not take "a" before them either:

             Fionnlagh   --   (a proper name) -->      Ciamar a tha thu, Fhionnlaigh?  --   How are you, Fionnlagh?

            Anna   --   (a proper name) -->             Dè tha 'dol, Anna?  --   What's going on, Anna?
                                                                                                                      (lit: "what's going, Anna?")
Two irregular vocatives are "a mhic" (son) and "fhir" (man).

"ann an" + possessive

The preposition ann an ("in") combines with the possessive pronouns to form the following:
 
        ann an  +  mo   =   'nam    --  in my
        ann an  +  do   =   'nad    --  in your
        ann an  +   a   =     'na    --  in his
        ann an  +   a   =     'na    --  in her
        ann an  +  ar   =     'nar    --  in our
        ann an  +  ur   =    'nur    --  in your
        ann an  +  an   =    'nan    --  in their     ('nam before b, f, m, or p)

These have the same behaviour as the simple possessives, e.g. 'na meaning "in his" aspirates whereas 'na meaning "in her" does not, and they can be used conventionally to describe location, e.g. 'nam sheòmar ("in my room") or 'na cridhe ("in her heart").   But they're also commonly used in two other idioms.   The first use is as a substitute for "a'" in a handful of verbal nouns, the ones that describe sleeping, running, sitting, standing, lying down, waking up, and stretching out, e.g.:

        Tha mi 'nam chadal.     --       I am asleep.         (lit: I am in my sleeping)
        Tha thu 'nad laighe.    --        You are lying down.     (lit: you are in your lying)
        Tha iad 'nan ruith.     --          They are running.    (lit: they are in their running)
        Tha sinn 'nar seasamh.  --     We are standing.    (lit: we are in our standing)
        Tha e 'na shìneadh.     --        He is stretched out.     (lit: he is in his stretching)
        Tha i 'na dùisg.        --            She is awake.     (lit: she is in her waking)

The other idiom is to denote occupation.   Instead of saying "I was a sailor" or "she is a professor", in Gaelic the construction is "I was in my sailor" or "she is in her professor".    This is a bit surreal but easier to remember if you think of the English phrase "in my capacity as..."

        Tha i 'na h-ollamh.       --                   She is a professor.     (lit: she is in her professor)     (ollamh [m.])
        Tha e 'na sheinneadair.   --               He is a singer.            (lit: he is in his singer)     (seinneadair [m.])
        A bheil sibh 'nur n-oileanaich?  --   Are you students?     (oileanach [m.])

"le"

The prepositional pronoun forms of "le" are:
 
        le + mi     =   leam
        le + thu    =   leat
        le + e      =     leis
        le + i      =      leatha
        le + sinn   =   leinn
        le + sibh   =   leibh
        le + iad    =    leotha

E.g.:

        Beannachd leat, a Mhórag.   --                  Goodbye, Morag.        (lit: "a blessing with-you, Morag")
        Oidhche mhath leibh!        --                      Good-night to you!     (lit: "...with-you")
        Cha bhi e a' tighinn leatha a-nochd.  --    He won't be coming with her tonight.

The phrases "tapadh leat" (singular, informal) and "tapadh leibh" (plural or formal singular) mean "thank you" in Gaelic.

Plural of Nouns 

There are a number of ways in which the plural of a noun can be indicated, but generally they can be divided into two broad groups -- those involving the addition of a plural suffix and those involving an internal vowel change. In this lesson we'll only consider the most common changes.

 
i) Suffixes
The most common plural suffix is "an" (or "ean" if the last vowel in a noun is "i"):
 
        clach       --       stone                 caileag    --     girl
        clachan     --     stones               caileagan  --   girls

        taigh       --       house               gille      --     boy
        taighean    --    houses             gillean    --   boys

In some nouns ending with "le" or "ne", the "e" is dropped and a "t" added before the suffix:
 
        baile       --       town                  coille      --     forest
        bailtean    --    towns                coilltean   --   forests

Some nouns whose final three letters are consonant-vowel-consonant lose the vowel before the suffix:
 
        doras       --    door               facal       --   word
        dorsan      --    doors              faclan      --   words

ii) Internal Changes
Only masculine nouns undergo internal changes in the plural.   Of these changes, the most common is slenderization (the same process we saw earlier in the vocative case of masculine nouns).   The same restrictions apply -- a noun whose final vowel is already slender cannot be slenderized, only those whose final vowel is a, o, or u:
 
        cat         --    cat                 òran        --   song
        cait        --    cats               òrain       --   songs

        balach      --    boy            oileanach   --   student
        balaich     --    boys          oileanaich  --   students

Other ways of forming the plural will be examined later.

Readings (2)

This lesson's reading is "A Nighean Og" (O Young Girl) by the Gaelic poet and novelist Iain Mac a' Ghobhainn.    Mac a' Ghobhainn was born in 1928 in Lewis and raised there; he worked as a schoolmaster for many years before dedicating himself to writing full-time.   He has also written in English under the anglicized form of his name, Iain Crichton Smith.

This poem illustrates the use of some things we've learned today and previously -- the use of the vocative (in the title), "ann an" plus a possessive, the relative future, etc.   Unfamiliar vocabulary is to the right and the author's own translation follows.

N.B.: The [ds] in line seven means "dative singular form".

 
A Nighean Og

A nighean òg a dh'fhalbhas               (falbh, "go, walk")
le druim dìreach air an                      (druim [m.], "back") (dìreach, "straight")
   t-sràid,
tha bascaidean dhìtheanan                (bascaidean dhìtheanan, "flower baskets")
   'nam bhroilleach,                              (broilleach [m.], "chest, breast")
tha mo bhòrd deasaicht'                     (deasaichte, "set, prepared")
   le do ghàir.                                        (gàir(e) [m.], "laugh, laughter")

Canaidh té rium, "Tha pròis              (té [f.], "one (woman)")
   'na coiseachd":                                   (pròis [f.], "pride") (coiseachd, "walk")
ach freagraidh mise mar                    (freagair, "reply")
   as còir,                                                (mar as còir, "as is right")
"Eil pròis anns a' ghréin                      (eil = a bheil) (ghréin [ds], "sun")
   'san adhar?                                         ('san = anns an) (adhar [m.], "sky, air")
Eil farmad eadar a' chlach                  (farmad [m.], "envy") (eadar, "between")
   's an t-òr?"                                           (òr [m.], "gold")

Is nuair a ghabhas stoirm                   (is = agus) (gabh seachad, "go by")
   seachad                                               (stoirm [m.], "storm")
'na shaoghal fhéin le uisg'                  (uisge [m.], "rain, water")
   is gaoith                                             (gaoth [f.], "wind")
an can thu "Pròis is àrdan"                 (àrdan [m.], "haughtiness, arrogance")
   ris
a chuireas coilltean
   bun-os-cionn?                                   (bun-os-cionn, "upside down")

An càin thu daoimean airson            (càin, "disparage") (airson, "for")
   lasair                                                   (daoimean [m.] "diamond")
no 'n cuan airson a lainnir                  (lasair [f.], "flame") (cuan [m.], "sea")
   chiùin?                                                (lainnir [f.], "radiance")
Tha soitheach gheal am measg          (soitheach [f.], "vessel") (geal, "white")
   nam bàta                                             (am measg nam, "amidst the")
's am measg nan adan dubh'              (ad [f.], "hat")
   tha crùn.                                             (crùn [m.], "crown")

Translation:
Young girl that walks
with straight back along the
street,
there are baskets of flowers in my breast,
my table is
furnished with your laughter.

A woman will say to me, "There is pride in her walk",
but I will
answer properly,
"Is there pride in the sun in the sky?
Is there
jealously between the stone and gold?"

And when a storm goes past
in its own world of wind and rain
will
you say "Pride and arrogance!" to it
that turns forests upside down?

Will you disparage the diamond for its glitter
or the sea for its
calm radiance?
There is a white vessel among the ships,
Among the
black hats there is a crown.

Next lesson's reading will be a traditional Gaelic song.