Maclaren's Gaelic Self-Taught - An Introduction to Gaelic for Beginners - With Easy Imitated Phonetic Pronunciation

Anon

Description

This vintage book contains a comprehensive guide to learning Gaelic. Gaelic refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Designed for the beginner, this volume presents the fundamental elements and grammar in an easy-to-understand way, making it perfect for those wishing to learn the language. Contents include: “An Introduction to Gaelic”, “The Alphabet”, “Verb and Consonant Sounds”, “Verb 'To Be' Present Independent Tense”, “Verb 'To Be' Present Dependent Tense”, “Verb 'To Be' Past Independent Tense”, “Verb 'To Be' Subjunctive Independent Tense”, “Verb 'To Be' Future Independent Tense”, “Verb 'To Be' Future Dependant and Relative Tense”, etc. Many vintage books such as this are becoming increasingly scarce and expensive. We are republishing this book now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with the original text and artwork.

Sujets

• Irish language
• Caledonian
• Éire
• Irlande (pays)

Informations

• Publié par: Read Books Ltd.
• Date de parution: 14 juillet 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9781528767071
• Langue: English

Extrait

MACLAREN S
GAELIC SELF-TAUGHT
AN INTRODUCTION TO GAELIC FOR BEGINNERS.
WITH EASY IMITATED PHONETIC PRONUNCIATION
Copyright 2018 Read Books Ltd.
This book is copyright and may not be reproduced or copied in any way without the express permission of the publisher in writing
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
PREFACE

IT was my original intention merely to correct and revise Mr. James White MacLean s Introduction to Gaelic, but as the revision progressed I found that I was practically re-writing the whole work so that the portion of it I was leaving intact had also to be re-written, regraded and arranged to suit the revised matter. The volume I present to the student is therefore an entirely new work.
I have endeavoured to keep the phonetic sounds as simple as possible; some of the finer ones may have been omitted, but these may be left to be acquired as the student progresses. I have considered it inadvisable to follow the pronunciation of any one district. Varying dialects will be found in Sutherland, Inverness, Lewis, Skye, Mull and Islay, and I have endeavoured to find a standard between them. On the whole a very fair idea of the pronunciation is given and the work of the teacher is thus in the case of learners of the language very much simplified. The various lessons and exercises are judiciously and effectively graded and the difficulties which invariably meet learners of Gaelic rendered easy by simple, helpful explanations and illustrations of the peculiarities of Gaelic idiom as compared with English, which should go far to make the study of the language not a little attractive.
A teacher who can speak the language should not confine himself to the lessons alone. He should introduce familiar objects by simple short questions and answers suggested by or containing some words in the lessons. Such phrases may be written on the blackboard to be copied by the pupils into their books. But to teach the pupil to speak should be the main object, as a living language is synonymous with a spoken language. Pronounce every word of Gaelic in the vocabularies, exercises, etc., and make the pupils in turn read out the Gaelic sentences. At the same time I have tried to make the lessons throughout as clear and as simple as possible, remembering that a large number of my readers will have no teacher. Beginners should be cautious of using some Gaelic words in any way outside their use as they occur in the lessons.
I have again avoided as far as possible the unnecessary use of the accent or duration mark and the apostrophe. In this I have followed the suggestions given from time to time by authorities on Gaelic. As instances where I consider it necessary to use an accent however, such words as bata, b ta ; bas, b s ; cas, c s, could be given. I have retained the apostrophe in the negative cha n ; but it, too, is being avoided more and more, and the form chan is getting generally adopted. Complete Gaelic-English and English-Gaelic vocabularies have been added to this edition.
In the preparation of this little book I have to acknowledge my indebtedness to each and all of our Gaelic grammars and grammarians; all having contributed in some way, more or less; in some cases by a suggestion and others by a quotation. I have also to acknowledge much help received from the study of Irish grammars. In the revisal of manuscript and assistance in proof reading I am much indebted to one of our rising Gaelic writers, Mr. Hector Macdougall, without whose help, readily given, it is questionable if I would have attempted this volume. My acknowledgements are also due to Mr. John MacDonald, M.A., for some time teacher of Gaelic in Glasgow High School, for valuable help and assistance.
Suas leis a Gh idhlig .
JAMES MACLAREN.
ABBREVIATIONS.

Most of these, such as adj . for adjective are not given, as they cannot but be understood; others are:-

d, dat.
dative.
f, fem.
feminine.
g, gen.
genitive.
cf.
compare.
m.
masculine.
nm.
noun masculine.
f, nf.
noun feminine.
n, nom.
nominative.
CONTENTS.


Preface
Lesson.
An Introduction to Gaelic
I.
The Alphabet. Vowel and Consonant Sounds
II.
Verb to be Present Independent Tense, tha
III.
Verb to be Present Dependent Tense, bheil
IV.
Verb to be Past Independent Tense, bha
V.
Verb to be Past Dependent Tense, robh
VI.
Verb to be Subjunctive Independent Tense, bhithinn
VII.
Verb to be Subjunctive Dependent Tense, bithinn
VIII.
Verb to be Future Independent Tense, bithidh
IX.
Verb to be Future Dependent and Relative, bithidh , bhitheas
X.
Verb to be Imperative, bitheam
XI.
Verb to be General Revisal
XII.
Gaelic Idioms, possession with bi and aig
XIII.
Gaelic Idioms, to want with bi and bho
XIV.
Gaelic Idioms, to know with bi and aig
XV.
Gaelic Idioms, feeling etc., with bi and air
XVI.
Gaelic Idioms, existence with bi and ann
XVII.
The assertive verb is
XVIII.
Application of is and tha
XIX.
The verbs is and tha in question and answer

The verb is with the particle ann
XX.
Gaelic Idioms, ownership with is and le
XXI.
Bi and the Compound Tenses of all the other verbs
XXII.
The Definite Article
XXIII.
The Noun. I., General Remarks and Rule
XXIV.
The Noun. II., Particular Rules
XXV.
The Noun. III., Particular Rules (polysyllables)
XXVI.
Government of Nouns, genitive, dative, compound
XXVII.
The Adjective
XXVIII.
The Adjective with definite article
XXIX.
The Adjective with is and tha
XXX.
The Adjective in comparison
XXXI.
Numeral Adjective
XXXII.
Personal Pronoun
XXXIII.
Prepositional Pronoun
XXXIV.
Possessive Adjective or Pronoun
XXXV.
Idioms with bi and prepositional possessive pronoun
XXXVI.
Relative Pronoun
XXXVII.
Interrogative Relative Pronouns
XXXVIII.
Demonstrative Pronouns, etc.
XXXIX.
Indefinite Pronouns, etc.
XL.
The Verb. General Remarks and Particles
XLI.
The Verb. The Past Tense
XLII.
The Verb. Future Tense
XLIII.
The Verb. Subjunctive
XLIV.
The Verb. Imperative
XLV.
The Participial Adjt.

Paradigm of regular Verb
XLVI.
Conversational Exercise. Questions and Answers

The Irregular Verbs. Synopsis of Tenses
XLVII.
Irregular Verbs

Notes on Verbs; Irregular, Impersonal, etc.
XLVIII.
Verbal Noun. Infinitive and Participle
XLIX.
Synopsis of the tenses of a Gaelic Verb
L.
Defective and other Verbs
LI.
Preposition
LII.
The Compound Preposition
LIII.
Adverb
LIV.
Conjunction

The Gaelic Language

How to learn to read Gaelic

A New Numeration

Synopsis of Aspiration

Vocabulary. Gaelic-English

Vocabulary. English-Gaelic
Gaelic Self-Taught.

An Introduction to Gaelic.

1. The difficulties to be surmounted in studying and pronouncing the Gaelic are not at all so formidable or so numerous as they may at first sight appear to a person who is unacquainted with the structure of the language. The combination of vowels and quiescent consonants which present themselves in many words, impress the minds of individuals who have spent little or no time in examining the importance and nature of these combinations with the idea that the task of learning the language is impracticable. This is by no means the case, for it is quite easy by a little study and perseverance to acquire a good reading and speaking knowledge of this venerable old language.
2. The first thing that strikes us is the habitual use for the purposes of nominal and verbal flexions, of that modification of the internal vowel, traces of which we find in the English nouns man, men, mouse, mice, etc., and the causative verbs, fell, graze, and glaze, from fall, grass, and glass. In Gaelic this change appears most frequently in the cases of nouns where another vowel is inserted, and the flexion is made by changing the vowel into a diphthong or two vowels that flow so sweetly into one another as almost to become a diphthong. Thus in the numerous class of nouns the genitive singular and nominative plural are formed by changing a into ai as in dan a song, dain of a song, dain songs ; so brog a shoe becomes in the genitive singular broige ; carn a heap becomes cuirn ; long a ship, luinge ; fiadh a deer, feidh , etc. In a few cases contrariwise the double-vowel or diphthong of the nominative singular becomes a single vowel in the genitive as in ceann a head, cinn ; lion a net, lin ; athair a father, athar , etc. In the comparison of adjectives the same principle reigns- ban fair, baine fairer, etc.; and a considerable number of verbs change ai into a , caidil sleep, cadal ; caill lose, call , etc.
3. But the most characteristic device for nominal and verbal flexion is what goes by the name of aspiration. This is simply a breathing represented by the letter h , which modifies the letter into a softer sound and sometimes smooths it away altogether. Thus b when aspirated becomes a v , the letter s when aspirated becomes o