When n is removed from the in, all that remains is the vowel i, and as prepositions are not emphasized the vowel-sound of i is obscure; hence we denote it by ă in the key words.
§ 386. Indeed it is not unusual to write a ndún, in a fort; a ngort, in a field; but it is better to write i ndún, i ngort; and leave a ndún, a ngort = their fort, their field.
§ 387. In the same way, it is not unusual to write i n-áit, in a place; i n-Éirinn, in Ireland; or even a n-áit, a n-Érinn; but it is far better for beginners to write in áit, in Éirinn, as we have done up to this.
§ 388. i nGailliṁ, in Galway,
(ă NGal′-iv, almost like ŭng-al′-iv; the l like l in valiant).
Atá ar n-aṫair beo fós, ní ḟuil sé marḃ. Atá ḃur n-arán milis, aċt atá ḃur n-im searḃ. Atá Murċaḋ agus Dóṁnall ag obair in Albain agus atá a n-obair trom. Ḃí iolar mór áluinn ag Donnċaḋ agus ag Art, aċt fuair a n-iolar bás. Atá Niall agus Nóra boċt, ni ḟuil a n-eorna ag fás in a ngort.
| § 389. Distinguish: | atá an obair trom, the work is heavy; |
| atá a n-obair trom, their work is heavy. |
I found (fuair) your donkey on the road. Niall and John are coming home, their place is empty. Your door is not open. Nora, I found your (do) little bird on the floor. Nora and Una, your (ḃur) lamb is dead; and your floor is not clean. Our poem is sweet; your poem is long.
EXERCISE LXIII.
§ 390. ECLIPSIS OF l, n, r, s.
These letters are not eclipsed; the n of the eclipsing word disappears.
This was not always the case. Instead of in leaḃar, in a book, we often find in older Irish i lleaḃar; so for in ród we find irród; for in muir, i mmuir, for in niṁ, i nniṁ, &c.
Examples: ar leaḃar, our book; i leaḃar (ă lou′-ăr) in a book; ar long, our ship; a ṡeol, their sail.
§ 391. m AND b.
Instead of continuing to say arn bád, our boat; in bád, in a boat, the speakers of Irish found it easier to say arm bád, im bád; by degrees these were pronounced arm ád, im ád, but to keep a record of the original word, we now write ar mád (ăr maudh), i mbád ( maudh). Here again we see that the “eclipsed” letter, b, is not noticed at all in pronunciation.
§ 392. Atá Conn agus Niall ar an loċ anois i mbád. Ní raiḃ mé i mbád ar biṫ, ḃí mé ar an aill. Níl bur mbó (mó) sean, atá sí óg fós, agus atá bainne go leor aici. Ná cuir uisge i mbainne; ná cuir bainne ins an uise. Níl bárd mór in Éirinn anois, fuair ar mbárd bás. Níl aol ar ḃur mballa.
§ 393. The bard found the poem in a book. The story is not in any book. We have no ship, our ship is lost. There is no sail in your boat, your sail is lost. There was a large hole in your sail. Our bread and our milk.
EXERCISE LXIV.
§ 394. ECLIPSIS OF p, c, t.
| Instead of saying | arn | póca, | our | |
| „ | ceann, | „ | head, | |
| „ | tír, | „ | country, |
it was found easier to say arn bóca, arn gceann, arn dír; then the n dropped out, and to preserve the original word, we now write
ar bpóca (ăr bōk′-ă),
ar gceann (ăr gaN: Munster, g-youN),
ar dtír (ăr deer).
Here again we see the rule for pronouncing eclipsed words exemplified—the eclipsed letters, p, c, t, are not noticed in pronunciation.
§ 395. Níl gráḋ agaiḃ ar ḃur dtír. Atá gráḋ mór againn ar Éirinn, ar dtír. Atá Nóra agus Briġid ag obair ag an tobar, atá a dtúirne láidir, aċt atá mo ṫúirne briste. Níl doras ar an dteaċ. Tá Art agus Niall ag teaċt; fág a mbealaċ.
§ 396. Our island, our country. They have no money, their pocket is empty, there is not a shilling in their pocket. Our tree (groN) is green yet. They are not working now, their spinning wheel (dhoor′-ne) is broken. John and James are coming home to Ireland, their father died, and their house is now empty. Leave our way.
