Old Irish

Old Irish ( Sean-ghaeilge in Irish modern, SEN-ghoídelc as old Irish) is the name given to the oldest form of the Irish language which one can today reconstitute more or less accurately starting from current sources. It goes back to the period ranging between the VIe and the Xe century and is the ancestor of average Irish (or medieval Irish).

Old Irish initially appears in the margins of Manuscrit S religious Latin S of the 6th century. A great number of text written in the primitive form of the language, although classified like manuscripts of the period of average Irish (like the Lebor Na hUidre and the Book of Leinster), are primarily written in Irish characters old.

Let us note that, if old Irish are the ancestor of the modern languages which are the Irish, the Scottish and the Mannois, it remotely however. These modern languages are generally less complex than old Irish on the plans morphological and phonological.

Current Irish research old is always influenced by work of some researchers very few, with the number of which one will quote Rudolf Thurneysen (1857-1940) and Osborn Bergin (1873-1950). Today still, their works are regarded as works of reference by which is interested in old Irish.

One found some traces, especially names of people, written in the primitive form of this language (called Irish primitive ). These inscriptions are in oghamic writing , used in Ireland and in the west of the Great Britain as of the IVe century.

Loans

Apart from the obvious Celtic origin of the language, old Irish borrowed from the wire of the centuries part of his vocabulary to the Brittonique, but especially to the Latin , insofar as the Irish intellectual life were impressed of Latin culture. Following the invasion Germanic of the 7th century, Scandinavian roots made their appearance in the Irish corpus. Lastly, a certain number of words of the Anglo-Saxon , themselves borrowed from the French via the Anglo-Norman , took seat in the old Irish language.

Phonology

Consonants

The list of the consonants of old Irish is exposed in the table below. /N/, /N ʲ/, /L/, /L ʲ/, /R/, /R ʲ/ represent sounding consonants strong from which the exact pronunciation escapes to us, but which probably longer, was tightened and articulated way generally stronger than their weak equivalents /n/, /n ʲ/, /l/, /l ʲ/, /r/, /r ʲ/ .

Certain details of the Phonétique of old-Irish remain obscure. /s ʲ/was to undoubtedly decide or, as in Irish modern. /h ʲ/could have same sonority as /h/ and/or than /x ʲ/. /N ʲ/and /L ʲ/could have been respectively marked and. The difference between /R (ʲ)/and /r (ʲ)/could be that the first was rolled, whereas the second was beaten.

Vowels

Here a list of the Monophtongue S as old Irish:

The distribution of the short Voyelle S in the Syllabe S accentuated is somewhat complex. Any short vowel must logically find in final syllables not accentuated afterwards broad or fine consonants. At the beginning of a syllable, /e/ and /i/ generally decide ae and have after a broad consonant, which seems to indicate here a retracted pronunciation, perhaps something like and . The ten possible alternatives are below exposed: In the not accentuated closed syllables (those which have a syllable coded), the state of the short vowel depends almost entirely on the surrounding consonants, according to whether they are broad or fine. Between two broad consonants, the vowel decides /a/ , as in dígal /ˈdʲiːɣ has L “revenge” (name.). Between a broad consonant and a fine consonant, the vowel becomes /e/ , as in dliged /ˈdʲlʲiɣʲ E 2D “law” (name. /acc.). Before a fine consonant, the vowel is /i/ , as in dígail /ˈdʲiːɣ I lʲ/ “revenge” (acc. /dat.), and dligid /ˈdʲlʲiɣʲ I ðʲ/ “law” (gen.). The principal exception to this rule is that /u/ often appears when the syllable according to contains a Proto-Celtic *ū in (for example, dligud /ˈdʲlʲiɣ U 2D “law” (dat.) < PC * dligedū ), and it /o/ or it /u/ frequently after a labial broad (for example, lebor appear /ˈLʲev' o' R “delivers”; domun /ˈdoṽ U N “world”).

The list of the Diphtongue S as old Irish is below exposed:

Orthography

As in the majority of the medieval languages, the Orthographe of old Irish is not fixed. Thus, the examples presented below are to be regarded as a general information; one can find forms all different in individual Manuscrit S.

The Alphabet of old Irish is composed of the 18 following letters of the Latin alphabet:

has, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, L, m, N, O, p, R, S, T, U

Moreover, one uses like signs Diacritique on certain letters of the acute accents or the superscribed points:

the acute accent indicates that the Voyelle is long: á , E , í , ó , ú is long vowels
the superscribed point announces the Lénition F and S : ḟ is quiet, ṡ is marked /h/
One can put sometimes also a point superscribed on the m and N without modifying the pronunciation of it, since these letters are employed to announce the nasalized change: ṁ , ṅ .

One employs also some Digramme S:

the letter I after a vowel indicates that the consonant which follows is fine: have , I.E.(internal excitation) , oi , ui ; ái , I.E.(internal excitation) , ói , úi

the letter H after C , T , p indicates that the consonant is fricative: CH , HT , pH

the digraphs are also used to announce the diphthongs: áe / aí , ía , uí , áu , óe / oí , úa , have , óu , iu , with the , have .

At the beginning of a word, if there is no Consonant shift, the consonants are broad before a back Vowel ( has , O , U ) and fine before a former Voyelle ( E , I ):

b: /b/, /b ʲ/
C: /k/, /k ʲ/
D: /d/, /d ʲ/
F: /f/, /f ʲ/
G: /g/, /g ʲ/
H: See the note.
L: /L/, /L ʲ/
m: /m/, /m ʲ/
N: /N/, /N ʲ/
p: /p/, /p ʲ/
R: /R/, /R ʲ/
S: /s/,/ʃ/
T: /t/, /t ʲ/

After a vowel, or L , N , or R , the letters C, p, T into final can be faded or not. They can be doubled, without modifying the pronunciation of it:

mac or macc /mak/ " fils"
nozzle or becc /b ʲeg/ " petit"
COp or opp /ob/ " refuser"
brat or bratt /brat/ " manteau"
brot or brott /brod/ " aiguillon"
derc /d ʲerk/ " trou"
derc /d ʲerg/ " rouge"
daltae /daLte/ " child adopté"
celtae /k ʲeLde/ " who cache"
anta /aNta/ " of reste"
antae /aNde/ " who reste"

After a vowel, the letters B, D, G are regarded as fricative consonants ( /v, 2D, ɣ/ ) or of the equivalent fine consonants:

dub /duv/ " noir"
MOD /mo 2D " travail"
mug /mu ɣ/ " esclave"
claideb /kla ðʲev/ " épée"
claidib /kla ðʲivʲ/ " épées"

After m , B is palatalized, but after D , L and R , it is fricative:

imb /im ʲbʲ/ " beurre"
odb /o ðv/ " node (of tree) "
delb /d ʲelv/ " image"
marb /marv/ dead

After N and R , D is palatalized:

bind /b ʲiNʲdʲ/ " mélodieux"
cerd /k ʲeRd/ " talent"

After N , L , and R , G is usually palatalized, but it is fricative in some cases:

long /lo ŋg/ " vaisseau"
delg gold delc /d ʲelg/ " épine"
argat gold arggat /argad/ " argent"
ingen /in ʲɣʲen/ " fille"
bairgen /bar ʲɣʲen/ " piece of pain"

After a vowel, m is generally fricative, but it is sometimes nasalisé, in which case it can be doubled:

dám /da ː ṽ " compagnie"
lom gold lomm /lom/ " nu"

The digraphs CH , pH , HT do not appear at the beginning of word, except when they are in position of lenition. In all the cases, one pronounces them /x/, /f/,/θ/ .

ech /ex/ " cheval"
oíph /oif/ " beauté"
áth /a ː θ/ " gué"

The letters L , N , and R are doubled when they indicate a tended pronunciation, only when the pronunciation is slackened. (But at the beginning of word, the letters whose pronunciation is tended are not doubled.)

corr /koR/ " crâne"
horn /kor/ " mettant"
coll /koL/ " noisette"
collar /kol/ " péché"
its /soN/ " pieu"
its /son/ " son"

Syntax

Old Irish follows the syntax (verb - subject - object) shared by the majority of the Celtic Langues. The verbs all are fully conjugated, and present the usual forms of the Indo-European Langues. Let us quote, for example, the grammatical times following: the present, the Imperfect , the last , the future and the Preterit (also called preterite ) and, like grammatical modes the indicative , the Subjunctive , the Conditional and the Imperative , as well as the active and passive Diathèse S. The only verbal Irish shape absent old is the Infinitif. To counter this lack, one uses the verbal Nom. The personal pronouns employed as direct objects are indexed with the verb with which they are associated. With regard to the prepositions, they are usually located at the same place as in the English sentence, although a good number of them are indexed with the verb itself.

Morphology

Names

Old Irish counts three grammatical kinds: the male , the female and the neutral ; three grammatical numbers: the Singular , the Plural and the duel (also called dual ); and five Case: (the Personal , the Vocative, the Accusative , the Genitive and the Dative). Thurneysen had identified fourteen groups of names, defined by the kind of the radical, seven vocalic radicals and seven consonant radicals (of which a group of irregular and indeclinable names).

Verbs

The verbs are generally placed at the beginning of sentence (only preceded by particles, and very seldom of adverbs). The majority of the verbs have, in addition to times, the modes and the diathèses, as mentioned above, two basic forms: a combined form and a high-speed format.

the combined form usually consists of one or more prefixes (of the particles considered historically as prepositional origin), followed by a verbal root which contains the major part of the conjugation. The personal pronouns considered as direct objects are inserted between the préverbe and the radical, as of other particles which can modify the direction of the verb (for example the negative form) or indicate a particular structure of the sentence.
the high-speed format gets busy when it is not necessary to include a particle or that no element necessary is in the remainder of the sentence. A verb alone can constitute a sentence with whole share as old Irish. In this case, one affixes at the end of the verb a emphatic particle, like - its or -.

Writing

Oghams

The oldest examples of writing of old Irish are it in the oghamic alphabet ( ogam as old Irish, ogham in modern Irish), an alphabet created seems it about the 3rd century on the basis of Latin alphabet. It consists of twenty letters, divided into four families. It was used 4th century at the 7th century approximately.

One finds an example of this alphabet in an inscription located at the North-West of the Mont Torch, in the Péninsule of Dingle (county of Chiarraí). By translating the oghamic letters into Latin alphabet, one reads: " QRIMITIR RON.NN MAQ COMOGANN", which was to be read, in primitive Irish: " *QREMITERI RONAGNI MAQI COMAGAGNI" and, as old Irish: " *cruimthir Rónáin maicc Comgáin" (“of the Rónán priest, the son of Comgán”).

The Cló Gaelach

The Cló Gaelach developed with the Moyen-âge on the basis of writing Oncial E inherited the Latin alphabet, but it is only with the invention of the Imprimerie (15th century), that the writing was standardized. It is an alphabet very close to the Latin alphabet, which remotely only on some letters: the " g" , the " r" and the " s" Lower case which is written differently.

One could add to these letters of the signs Diacritique S such as an accent (') and a point (•). The accent, laid out on a vowel, indicates that this one is long. It is not to in no case the indication of a tonic accent. The point, as for him, is a sign of Lénition. In modern Irish, lenition is indicated by the letter " h" after the formerly surmounted consonant of the point.

Here some examples of comparison enters the Cló Gaelach of old Irish and the modern Latin alphabet of modern Irish:

The diacritic points are generally retranscribed by the consonant followed by a H , i.e.: Ḃ for Bh, ḃ for bh, Ċ for CH, ċ for CH, Ḋ for Dh, ḋ for dh, Ġ for Gh, ġ for gh, Ṁ for Mh, ṁ for mh, Ṗ for pH, ṗ for pH, Ṡ for HS, ṡ for HS, Ṫ for Th and ṫ for HT. Many a gaelic Font faces includes these diacritics.

The Latin alphabet

A reform carried out in 1953 contributed to the unification of the standards of writing of Irish. This new standard, named Year Caighdeán Oifigiúil , led to the abolition of the Cló Gaelach .

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