Relative Sentences
by Myles Dillon
ALESSON XXVI Relative clauses are either direct or oblique. In Irish there is no relative pronoun, and an indeclinable relative particle is used. The particle in direct clauses is a (do) 1 which aspirates; it expresses the nominative or accusative relation (p. 59). The particle in oblique relative clauses is go (a in northern dialects) which eclipses; it is used in all other cases. Thus an t-ean a chionn an garsun means "the bird that sees the boy" or "the bird that the boy sees". But when the relative corresponds to Eng. "whose, to whom, in which, by which, with whom," etc., the particle is go: an fear go bhfuil a mhac chun posadh "the man whose son is to be married"; an tigh go rabhas ann "the house in which I was"; an bhean go bhfuaireas an t-airgead uaithi "the woman from whom I got the money"; an speal go mbaineann se an fear lei "the scythe with which he cuts the hay". Note that where in English the relative pronoun is preceded by a preposition, in Irish the relative particle is completed by a prepositional pronoun. This is now the normal usage. The older construction in which the preposition precedes the particle is also permissible: an ait ina raibh se "the place in which he was" (instead of an ait go raibh se ann 2 ); an te da dtdinig 3 ciall le haois, cuir-se gach ni ina chead "consult him who was grown wise with age". The direct relative particle is omitted before the copula 1 Historically the form is do, and it so appears in early Modern Irish; but in spoken Irish it is commonly reduced to a mere [9], written a. 2 Or an ait go raibh se; ann is here commonly omitted. 3 Note that the relative preceded by a preposition cause eclipses, and takes a dependent form of irregular verbs. 147 148 IRISH (is, ba) and the oblique form is gur (gurb before vowels) in the present and gur (gurbh before vowels) in the past and conditional: an fear is saibhre "the man who is richest (= "the richest man"); an fear ba shaibhre "the man who was richest"; an fear gur leis an tigh "the man whose house it is (or "was"); cailin gurbh ainm di Sile "a girl named Sheila". Where, however, the past or conditional of the copula is reduced to b (before a word beginning with a vowel or f) the relative particle appears: na daoine ab oige "the youngest people"; an chuid abfhearr "the best share". The particle go (a) is changed to gur {or) before the past tense of a regular verb: an fear gur imigh a mhac go Sasana "the man whose son went to England"; an speal gur bhain se an fear lei. The negative relative in both direct and oblique clauses is nd: an fear na baineann an fear; an fear ndr bhain an fear; an fear ndfuil aithne agat air "the man whom you do not know"; an duine ndr chuiris ceist air "the person whom you did not question". The relative clause tends to stand first in the sentence: "the man who came yesterday will go away today" will not be imeoidh an fear a thdinig inne inniu, but an fear a thdinig inne, imeoidh se inniu. In sentences of identity (p. 52) when the subject is a definite noun followed by a relative clause ("the man who was there", "the book I read", etc.), the article may be omitted before the noun, and the relative clause may be followed by the particle nd: is e ainm a bhi air nd Seadna "his name was S." There may also be a double relative: an fear a cheapas a chonac "the man whom I thought I saw"; nd daoine adeir se a thiocfaidh "the people he says will come". The latter example illustrates two points to be remembered: (a) the verbs (d)deir, {q)td having an unstressed a- as first syllable 1 seem to escape aspiration, but in fact the d or t is not the true 1 The initial a- is not now pronounced except as here, when it may be said to blend with the relative particle; and the verbs are usually written deirim, tdim. LESSON XXVI 149 initial; (b) when the relative is the subject, the verb is always in the third person singular. This may be shown in examples where the main verb is an is-clause of the type "it is we (they, the strangers) who ..." Is raise aduirt e (not aduart) "it is I who said it"; is sinn-ne a raghaidh isteach ar dtuis "it is we who shall go in first"; is iad na Sasanaigh afuair an chuid abfhearr "it is the English who got the best share". (Note that the initial of fuair also escapes aspiration.) Perhaps the commonest type of double relative is that with an adverbial superlative, "the people we see most often", "the man who came first", etc.: na daoine is rninici a chimid (here the relative is the object); an fear is tuisce (or ba thuisce) a thdinig. Note that the adverb precedes the verb. And with an oblique relative: teir son ait isfearr go bhfeadfair an rds dfheiscint "go to the place where you will be best able to see the race." VOCABULARY an te (an-te) he who beatha (baha) f. life, liveli- hood, food cad is ainm duit? (kod is anim dot) what is your name? ceantar (kyauntar) m. dist- rict, part of the country coinne (kingi) m. expectation; ta coinne agam leis I expect him Corca Dhuibhne (korka gheeni) Corkaguiney, Co. Kerry creidiuint (kre-doont) f. credit deireanach (deranach) late; deireanai (dera-nee) latest, last F duais (dooesh) f. prize foighne (fayngi) f. patience leigheas (layas) m. cure lionn (lyoon) m. porter, ale ospideal (osbidel) m. hos- pital reitim (re-teem) I solve (a problem) saothru (sar-hoo) vn. earn- ing, to earn tairbhe (tarifi) m. profit, good Tiobrad Arann (tyubrad aaran) Tipperary tracht (traacht) vn. discuss- ing, to discuss, speak of tugaim ar iasacht / lend tuisce (tooshgi) soonest 150 IRISH Exercise 59 I. Sin e an fear a chonaiceamair ar an aonach. 2. Is 1 Brid a bhris an fhuinneog. 3. An te is tuisce a reiteoidh an cheist, is e a gheobhaidh an duais. 4. Is mo duine go mbionn airgead aige agus na deineann se aon tairbhe dho. 5. Cad e an ceantar gurb as tu? 6. O Chorea Dhuibhne. 7. An bhfacais an bhean go rabhas ag tracht uirthi? 8. Is iad na daoine is mo a bhionn ag caint is lu a dheineann obair. 9. Teir san ait is fearr go bhfeadfair do bheatha a shaothru ann. 10. Caithfidh me labhairt leis an bhfear go bhfuil a mhac san ospideal. II. "Rud gan leigheas is foighne is fearr air." 12. An t-air- gead a shileas a bhi caillte agam ta se anso im phoca. 13. Na daoine is tuisce a thainig is iad is deireanai a dh'imigh. Exercise 60 1. Which horse (ce acu capall) did you buy at the fair? 2. A boy named John O'Donovan was the best scholar in the class. 3. Where is the coat I lent to Michael? 4. The shoes you said you had cleaned are still dirty. 5. Many people (is mo duine) would prefer porter to whiskey, and some (say "there are people who") would not drink them at all. 6. He will come when we least expect him. 7. That is the man from whom we bought the house. 8. What is his name? 9. 1 think his name is James O'Sullivan. 10. That is the man whose son is a doctor in Cork. 11. What part of the country is he from? 12. From Tipperary. 13. Diarmaid did the work best, but he got the least credit. .