Page:Gaelic Journal - No 48 Vol 4.pdf/17

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THE GAELIC JOURNAL.

§ 37. Translate into English:—Atá tú óg fós. Atá sé óg agus árd. Atá an gort fada agus glas. Atá bó ag an tobar úr. Atá an tobar tirim. Atá an tobar mór tirim. Atá mé te, agus atá an tobar tirim. Fág an stól ag an doras, atá me te. Atá an stól árd. Atá bróg úr ag an dún. Atá Art ag an dún agus atá bó ag an tobar fós. Dún an doras.

§ 38. Translate into Irish:—The field is soft. A soft green field. The field is green and soft. I am big and tall. Una is young. Art is big and heavy. She is at the door. There is a hedge at the well, and there is a cow at the fort. The stool is at the door. Leave the stool at the door. I am hot and the big well is dry yet. Leave a big stool at the door.

EXERCISE IV.

§ 39. VOCABULARY.

ar (or[1]), preposition, on, upon glas (glos), noun, a lock
bád (baudh), a boat mála (maul′-ă), a bag
cóta (kōth′-ă), a coat

§ 40. Sentences like “Art is wearing a new coat,” are usually translated into Irish by “there is a new coat (or any other article of DRESS) on Art,” atá cóta úr ar Art.

§ 41. The conjunction agus is usually omitted, in Irish, when two or more adjectives come together, especially when the adjectives are somewhat connected in meaning; as, atá an dún mór, árd, the fort is big (and) high.

§ 42. Translate:—Atá an bád mór. Atá an mála mór. Fág an mála ag an doras. Fág an bád ar an tír. Atá glas ar an doras. Atá glas mór ar an doras árd. Fág an mála ar an stól ag an doras. Atá bróg úr ar Úna. Atá an bád fada glan.

§ 43. Leave the boat on the land. The bag is long. The new boat is on the land yet. Art is wearing a new coat. The coat is warm. Leave the lock on the door. There is a high door on the fort. The land is warm (and) dry. The lock is on the door yet.

EXERCISE V.

§ 44. SOUNDS OF l AND n.

In Irish there are three sounds of l and three sounds of n.

§ 45. 1. As already stated, l and n are often pronounced as in English words, e.g., as in look, lamb, noon.

§ 46. 2. There are also what they call the thick sounds of l and n. If the upper part of the tongue be pressed against the back of the upper teeth, while the English word, “law,” is being pronounced, a thick sound of “l” will be heard. This sound does not exist in English. In the key-words we shall represent this sound by the symbol L (capital).

Similarly, if the tongue be pressed against the back of the upper teeth while the word “month” is being pronounced, a thick sound of “n” will be heard. This sound does not exist in English, and in the key-words it will be represented by N (capital).

§ 47. 3. The third sound of l is that given in English to the L in Luke, the l in valiant, or to the ll in William, million, as these words are usually pronounced. We shall represent this sound by italic l. In the same way, n has a third sound like that given in English to n in new, Newry, and we shall use n, italic, as a symbol for this sound.[2]

§ 48. We can now add to our table of consonant sounds the following:—

In the Keywords Are to be In the English
the Letters sounded like words
l l look, lamb
L thick sound not in English
l l valiant
n n noon
N thick sound not in English
n n new

  1. Ar is usually pronounced (er)
  2. In English, in reality, the ll in William, the l in valiant, etc., etc., are pronounced exactly the same as the l in law, or in all.

    It is the lli or li, preceding a vowel, that gets the special sound. So, too, with the n in onion, Newry, etc.