{"id":936,"date":"2011-05-30T16:03:16","date_gmt":"2011-05-30T16:03:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/?p=936"},"modified":"2019-09-04T10:36:31","modified_gmt":"2019-09-04T10:36:31","slug":"declensions-generally-speaking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/declensions-generally-speaking\/","title":{"rendered":"Declensions, Generally Speaking"},"content":{"rendered":"

(le R\u00f3isl\u00edn)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Next time the gn\u00e1thmhionchaint<\/strong> grows tedious at some required but understimulating social event, maybe you\u2019d like to liven up the chat by mentioning declensions.\u00a0 The conversation could have far-reaching implications, like \u201cWhen is a category a category?\u201d and \u201cWhen is a category a sub-category?\u201d\u00a0 If it\u2019s anything like \u201cadamhach<\/strong>\u201d and \u201cfo-adamhach<\/strong>,\u201d sin sc\u00e9al go leith<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Or we might ask, \u201cWhen is a category in the eye of the beholder?\u201d\u00a0 Or \u201ci s\u00fail an ghramad\u00f3ra\u201d<\/strong>?\u00a0 On the more mundane level, you could find yourself noun-dropping in both Latin (speluncae,<\/em> cramb<\/em>\u0101<\/em>rum)<\/em> and in Irish (When is a \u201cr\u00f3s<\/strong>\u201d a \u201cr\u00f3is<\/strong>,\u201d when is a \u201cros<\/strong>\u201d a \u201crosa<\/strong>,\u201d and when does \u201cros<\/strong>\u201d revert to simply being \u201cros<\/strong>\u201d).\u00a0 Drithl\u00edneach<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

In modern English, we don\u2019t think of nouns as being in declensions, and we have a very streamlined system for plurals and possessives.\u00a0 We add \u201c-s\u201d or \u201c-es\u201d for most plurals (gowns, dresses) and for possessives, we either use the apostrophe (doctor\u2019s parking space, doctors\u2019 parking spaces) or the word \u201cof\u201d (the parking space of the doctor, the parking spaces of the doctors).\u00a0 We have a few eisceachta\u00ed<\/strong>, of course, those pesky \u201csheep\u201d (never sheep + s), fish (sometimes \u201cfishes\u201d), the mouse\/mice pattern (sometimes broken as in computer \u201cmouses\u201d); the small \u201c-en\u201d plural category (children, oxen, brethren), and the conundrum of the words \u201cman\u201d and \u201cw\u012bf–<\/em>man,\u201d pluralized by changing the \u201ca\u201d to \u201ce,\u201d and resulting in a perpetual, subliminal reference to \u201cmen\u201d when we\u2019re talking about \u201cw\u012bf–<\/em>men\u201d (women).\u00a0\u00a0 But, by and large, you can go a long way with \u201c-s\u201d plurals and possessives in English, even if there\u2019s occasional overkill (hobbitses).<\/p>\n

In contrast, Irish, together with Latin, Russian, and various other languages, has lots of different endings for nouns.\u00a0 The declension system is an attempt to establish some order over this potential chaos.\u00a0 To take just one example, and to jump back briefly to the 1st<\/sup>-declension, we have the following for \u201cfear<\/strong>\u201d (man): fear, fir and feara<\/strong>, in 21st<\/sup>-century use, and if we include the early 20th<\/sup> century and previous eras, \u201cfearaibh<\/strong>\u201d as well).\u00a0 And that\u2019s without the initial mutations, which will add fhear, bhfear, fheara (\u201cA fheara,\u201d arsa Fionn), fhir,<\/strong> and bhfir<\/strong>, plus the following somewhat dated forms: fhearaibh, bhfearaibh, <\/strong>and bhfeara (\u201cbh\u00ed siad ina bhfeara gasta,\u201d<\/strong> in case you\u2019re wondering about that non-Caighde\u00e1nach<\/strong> form).\u00a0 Another group of nouns, still in the first declension, adds yet another ending \u00a0(-ta) to the mix: r\u00f3n<\/strong> (a seal), r\u00f3in<\/strong> (of a seal), r\u00f3nta<\/strong> (seals), r\u00f3nta<\/strong> (of seals).<\/p>\n

Please keep the following feature about \u201can c\u00faigi\u00fa d\u00edochlaonadh<\/strong>\u201d in mind.\u00a0 Even though it represents a category within which nouns are supposed to follow the same pattern, there are actually at least four main sub-patterns.\u00a0 There are also at least five words, probably more, that are quite idiosyncratic but which are not considered \u201cneamhrialta<\/strong>\u201d (irregular).\u00a0 The latter include, interestingly enough, both \u201ccara<\/strong>\u201d (friend) and \u201cnamhaid<\/strong>\u201d (enemy) and are probably best taken case by case, rather than trying to see an overall pattern within the hodge-podge corner of this supposed \u201csystem.\u201d<\/p>\n

For anyone who remembers the declension system from Latin, it\u2019s much more regular there.\u00a0 If a noun is in, say, the first declension, like \u201cterra<\/em>\u201d (earth), it will have hundreds, probably thousands, of cohorts with the exact same \u201c-a\u201d ending and exact same set of endings as you go through its various forms, plural, possessive, and so forth.\u00a0 So we use the same endings to make \u201cterra<\/em>\u201d plural, (-ae, giving us \u201cterrae<\/em>\u201d) as we use to pluralize \u201cmatella<\/em>.\u201d \u00a0And kudos to anyone who already knew or dredged up the meaning of \u201cmatella<\/em>\u201d from the murky past of secondary-school memories.\u00a0 I must confess we never learned \u201cmatella<\/em>\u201d in my high school class.\u00a0 At least not that I remember.\u00a0 Matella<\/em>, translated into Irish, would be either a \u201cfual\u00e1n<\/strong>\u201d or an \u201c\u00e1rthach<\/strong>,\u201d namely, a chamber-pot.\u00a0 Both of these Irish words also have other meanings.\u00a0 \u201cFual\u00e1n<\/strong>\u201d these days, with modern plumbing, is more likely to mean \u201curinal,\u201d and \u201c\u00e1rthach<\/strong>\u201d is really just a general word for \u201cvessel\u201d or \u201ccontainer\u201d (as in \u201csp\u00e1s\u00e1rthach<\/strong>,\u201d a spaceship).\u00a0 But the main point here is that \u201cmatella<\/em>\u201d is like \u201cterra<\/em>,\u201d which is like \u201calumna<\/em>,\u201d which is like \u201cfilia<\/em>\u201d (daughter), which is like \u201cspelunca<\/em>\u201d (cave), which is like \u201cnigella<\/em>,\u201d etc.<\/p>\n

Having said that, and double-checking, as it\u2019s been blianta<\/strong> since I actually studied Latin, I\u2019m wondering how did we managed to escape such a charming 1st<\/sup>-declension noun as \u201ccramb<\/strong>\u0113.\u201d\u00a0 Maybe it\u2019s just how they taught us as students, emphasizing the extent to which the declension system is<\/em> systematic, and de-emphasizing the anomalies.\u00a0 I don\u2019t remember the \u201c-e\u201d ending being in the same category as the \u201c-a\u201d ending, but that could just be me being \u201cf\u00edor-dh\u00edmheabhrach<\/strong>\u201d (having a memory like a sieve, but literally, simply \u201ctruly-un-, hmm, -recollective\u201d).\u00a0 So, one more Latin example, mura mhiste libh<\/strong>, and then back to the Irish.\u00a0 \u201cCramb\u0113<\/em>\u201d being in the 1st<\/sup>-declension, together with all those \u201c-a\u201d words, reminds us that even the Latin approach wasn\u2019t completely predictable, at least not from the student viewpoint.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t necessarily matter what the last letter of the word in its subject form (nominative) was, but rather, how it added on endings.<\/p>\n

It may help to see the various possibilities within the declension system.\u00a0 For starters, just first declensions for Irish and Latin; maybe more in a later blog.\u00a0 This isn\u2019t an attempt to be exhaustive, just to show that there is variety within declension.<\/p>\n

Irish first declension, just the basic four forms (nominative, genitive singular, plural, genitive plural), not the vocatives, datives, or dialect forms:<\/p>\n

fear, fir, fir, fear<\/strong><\/p>\n

Breatnach, Breatnaigh, Breatnaigh, Breatnach<\/strong><\/p>\n

r\u00f3n, r\u00f3in, r\u00f3nta, r\u00f3nta<\/strong><\/p>\n

r\u00f3s<\/strong> (a rose), r\u00f3is, r\u00f3sanna, r\u00f3sanna<\/strong><\/p>\n

But never assume that near-lookalike words in Irish are in the same declension.\u00a0 Note, for example, \u201cros<\/strong>\u201d (a headland), with the genitive \u201crosa,<\/strong>\u201d which marks it as 3rd<\/sup>-declension, not 1st<\/sup>-declension.\u00a0 Its plural forms are \u201cna rosa<\/strong>\u201d (the headlands) and \u201cna ros<\/strong>\u201d (of the headlands).\u00a0 You might recognize this word from the cl\u00e1r teilif\u00edse, \u201cRos na R\u00fan\u201d<\/strong> (lit. the headland of the secrets) or from the place name \u201cRos na R\u00edogh<\/strong>\u201d in Co. Meath.<\/p>\n

Latin first declension, just nominative, genitive singular, plural and genitive plural, though the personal names do not normally have plural forms; we don\u2019t need to look at all twelve Latin endings to illustrate this point, just these four:<\/p>\n

terra, terrae<\/em>, terrae, terr<\/em>\u0101<\/em>rum<\/em><\/p>\n

cramb\u0113, crambes, crambae, cramb<\/em>\u0101<\/em>rum<\/em> (and that\u2019s considered the same declension as \u201cterra<\/em>\u201d even though “terr<\/em>a” ends with “-a” and “cramb\u0113”<\/em> ends with “-\u0113”!)<\/p>\n

And two personal names in Latin, also 1st<\/sup>-declension,both of which make me wonder how this is supposed to be systematic.\u00a0 I\u2019ve added the vocative here, just to show the possible variety, and because we\u2019re more likely to talk directly to people than to cabbages or lands:<\/p>\n

Aen\u0113<\/em>\u0101s, Aen<\/em>\u0113ae <\/em>(of Aeneas), and vocative (direct address): Aen\u0113<\/em>\u0101<\/em><\/p>\n

Anch\u012bs<\/em>\u0113s, Anch<\/em>\u012b<\/em>sae <\/em>(of Anchises), and vocative, Anch\u012bs\u0101 <\/em>or (!) Anch\u012bs<\/em>\u0113.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

I hope this has helped clarify that not everything in one declension works in exactly the same way, and that even Latin is less systematic than one might think, or than I remembered.\u00a0 Sl\u00e1n go f\u00f3ill – R\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/p>\n

N\u00f3ta maidir le \u201cf\u00edor-dh\u00edmheabhrach\u201d:<\/strong>\u00a0 I would have been tickled pink if I could have found widespread usage of an Irish idiom using the word \u201ccriathar<\/strong>\u201d (sieve) in discussing \u201cmemory.\u201d But, while \u201ccriathar<\/strong>\u201d has some extended meanings, as in discussing the weather (T\u00e1 an sp\u00e9ir ina criathar inniu<\/strong>, the sky is a sieve today, i.e. it\u2019s pouring), I don\u2019t see this exact \u201cmind-like-a-sieve\u201d idiom. \u00a0There is a somewhat old-fashioned expression, teachtaire an chriathair<\/strong> (or with its original tuiseal ginideach<\/strong>, \u201cteachtaire an chr\u00e9ithir\u201d<\/strong>), which means a \u201cdilatory messenger.\u201d\u00a0 I can\u2019t say I use \u201cdilatory messenger\u201d that much in speaking English these days either, so the two phrases might be somewhat comparable in datedness.<\/p>\n

N\u00f3ta maidir le \u201c<\/strong>cramb\u0113<\/em>\u201d \u2013 Ar tuairte\u00e1ladh do chuimhne maidir le focail Laidine ar chab\u00e1iste?<\/strong>\u00a0 \u201cCramb\u0113<\/em>\u201d is one of several Latin words for \u201ccabbage\u201d and in a great idiomatic phrase, \u201ccramb\u0113 repet\u012bta<\/em>,\u201d it means \u201cstale repetitions.\u201d \u00a0It is also presumed to be the origin of the game \u201ccrambo.\u201d\u00a0 Both a literary reference and a literal reference to the repeating taste of cabbage, it seems.\u00a0 The other Latin words for cabbage might be more familiar; they include \u201cbrassica,<\/em>\u201d with its Irish cognate \u201cpraiseach<\/strong>\u201d (as in \u201cpraiseach bhu\u00ed<\/strong>,\u201d \u201cpraiseach thr\u00e1<\/strong>,\u201d etc.) and \u201ccaulis<\/em>,<\/strong>\u201d as in Irish \u201cc\u00f3ilis<\/strong> \u201c(cauliflower).<\/p>\n

Gluais: sc\u00e9al go leith<\/strong>, a tale and a half; bu\u00ed <\/strong>[bwee], yellow; drithl\u00edneach, <\/strong>scintillating; \u00a0gramad\u00f3ir<\/strong>, grammarian; praiseach bhu\u00ed <\/strong>[wee], charlock, aka wild mustard (Sinapis arvensis<\/em>), et al.; praiseach thr\u00e1 <\/strong>[hraw, silent \u2018t\u201d], sea-kale, for which the Latin taxonomic name is, perversely, Crambe maritima<\/em>!; sc\u00e9al go leith, <\/strong>a tale and a half; s\u00fail<\/strong>, eye<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(le R\u00f3isl\u00edn) Next time the gn\u00e1thmhionchaint grows tedious at some required but understimulating social event, maybe you\u2019d like to liven up the chat by mentioning declensions.\u00a0 The conversation could have far-reaching implications, like \u201cWhen is a category a category?\u201d and \u201cWhen is a category a sub-category?\u201d\u00a0 If it\u2019s anything like \u201cadamhach\u201d and \u201cfo-adamhach,\u201d sin sc\u00e9al…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[32965,32968,32964,7373,32970,32972,32974,32973,32971,32966,32967,7066,32969],"class_list":["post-936","post","type-post","status-publish","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-cabaiste","tag-charlock","tag-crambo","tag-declensions","tag-fear","tag-feara","tag-fearaibh","tag-fheara","tag-fir","tag-praiseach","tag-sea-kale","tag-terra","tag-terrae"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/936","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/36"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=936"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/936\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11125,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/936\/revisions\/11125"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=936"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=936"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=936"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}