OF ADJECTIVES.
An adjective is a word used along with a noun, to express some quality of
the person or thing signified by the noun.
Adjectives undergo changes which mark their relation to other words. These
changes are made, like those on nouns, partly on the beginning, and partly
on the termination, and may be fitly denominated by the same names. The
changes on the beginning are made by aspirating an initial consonant. The
numbers and cases, like those of nouns, are distinguished by changes on the
termination. The gender is marked partly by the initial form, partly by the
termination.
Adjectives whereof the characteristic vowel is broad, follow, {56} in most
of their inflections, the form of nouns of the first declension, and may be
termed Adjectives of the first declension. Those adjectives whereof the
characteristic vowel is small, may be called Adjectives of the second
declension.
_Example of Adjectives of the First Declension._
M[`o]r, _great_.
Singular. Plural
_Mas._ _Fem._ _Com. Gend._
_Nom._ Mor, Mhor, Mora.
_Gen._ Mhoir, Moire, Mora.
_Dat._ Mor, Mhoir, Mora.
_Voc._ Mhoir, Mhor, Mora.
_Formation of the Cases of Adjectives of the First Declension._
_Singular._
_Nominative._ The feminine gender is, in termination, like the masculine.
The other cases, both mas. and fem., are formed from the nominative,
according to the rules already given for forming the cases of nouns of the
first declension. Take the following examples in adjectives:--
_Genitive._--_General rule._ Marbh _dead_, g. s. m. mhairbh, f. mairbhe;
dubh _black_, g. s. m. dhuibh, f. duibhe; fadalach _tedious_, g. s. m.
fhadalaich, f. fadalaich.
_Particular rules._ 1. Sona _happy_, g. s. m. shona, f. sona; aosda _aged_,
g. s. m. and f. aosda; beo _alive_, g. s. m. bheo, f. beo.
2. Bochd _poor_, g. s. m. bhochd, f. bochd; gearr _short_, g. s. m. ghearr,
f. gearr.
3. Breagh _fine_, g. s. m. bhreagha, f. breagha.
4. Crion _little_, _diminutive_, g. s. m. chr[`i]n, f. cr[`i]ne.
5. Donn _brown_, g. s. m. dhuinn, f. duinne; gorm _blue_, g. s. m. ghuirm,
f. guirme; lom _bare_, g. s. m. luim, f. luime. {57} But dall _blind_, g.
s. m. dhoill, f. doille; mall _slow_, g. s. m. mhoill, f. moille; like the
nouns crann, clann.
6. Cinnteach _certain_, g. s. m. chinntich, f. cinntich; maiseach
_beautiful_, g. s. m. mhaisich, f. maisich. Tearc _rare_, g. s. m, theirc,
f. teirce; dearg _red_, g. s. m. dheirg, f. deirge; deas _ready_, g. s. m.
dheis, f. deise. Breac _speckled_, g. s. m, bhric, f. brice; geal _white_,
g. s. m. ghil, f. gile.
7. Geur _sharp_, g. s. m. gh['e]ir, f. g['e]ire; like the nouns breug,
geug.
8. Liath _hoary_, g. s. m. leith, f. l['e]ithe; dian _keen_, g. s. m.
dh['e]in, f. d['e]ine.
Irregulars. Odhar _pale_, g. s. m. and f. uidhir; bodhar _deaf_, g. s. m.
bhuidhir, f. buidhir.
_Dative._--_General rule._ Uasal _noble_, d. s. m. uasal f. uasail; bodhar
_deaf_, d. s. m. bodhar, f. bhuidhir.
_Particular rule._ 1. Trom _heavy_, d. s. m. trom, f. thruim.
_Vocative._ Beag _small_, v. s. m. bhig, f. bheag.
_Plural._
In Monosyllables the plural, through all its cases, is formed by adding _a_
to the nom. sing.; in Polysyllables, it is like the nom. sing.; as, crom
_crooked_, pl. croma; tuirseach _melancholy_, pl. tuirseach.
A few Dissyllables form their Plural like Monosyllables, and suffer a
contraction; as, reamhar _fat_, pl. reamhra, contracted for reamhara. Gen.
xli. 20.
_Adjectives of the Second Declension._
All the Cases of Adjectives of the Second Declension are formed according
to the general rules for nouns of the second declension; that is,
Monosyllables add _e_ for the gen. sing. fem. and for the plural cases;
Polysyllables are like the nom. sing. throughout.
In the Second Declension, as in the First, Dissyllables sometimes suffer a
contraction in the plural; as, milis _sweet_, pl. milse contracted for
milise. {58}
_Of the Initial Form of Adjectives._
Adjectives admit the _aspirated form_ through all the Numbers and Cases. In
Adjectives beginning with a Labial or a Palatal, the aspirated form alone
is used in the gen. and voc. sing. masc. the nom. dat. and voc. sing.
feminine.
_Comparison of Adjectives._
There are in Gaelic two forms of Comparison, which may be called the
_First_ and the _Second Comparative_.
The _First Comparative_ is formed from the gen. sing. mas. by adding _e_;
as, geal _white_, g. s. m. gil, comp. gile, ghile; ciontach _guilty_, g. s.
m. ciontaich, comp. ciontaiche. Some Adjectives suffer a contraction in the
Comparative; as, bodhar _deaf_, comp. buidhre for buidhire; boidheach
_pretty_, comp. boidhche for boidhiche.
If the last letter of the gen. be _a_, it is changed into _e_, and _i_
inserted before the last consonant; as, fada _long_, g. s. m. fada, comp.
faide; tana _thin_, g. s. m. tana, comp. taine.
_The Second Comparative_ is formed from the first, by changing final _e_
into _id_; as, trom _heavy_, 1. comp. truime, 2. comp. truimid; tiugh
_thick_, 1. comp. tiuighe, 2. comp. tiuighid. Many Adjectives, especially
Polysyllables, do not admit of the Second Comparative.
Both these forms of Comparison have an _aspirated_ as well as a _primary
form_, but are otherwise indeclinable.
The following Adjectives are compared irregularly.
_Positive._ _1. Comp._ _2. Comp._
Math, maith, _good_, fearr, feaird.
Olc, _bad, evil_, miosa, misd.
M[`o]r, _great_, m[`o], m[`o]id.
Beag, _small_, lugha, lughaid.
Goirid, gearr, _short_, giorra, giorraid.
Duilich, _difficult_, dorra.
Teath, _hot_, teoithe, teoithid.
Leathan, _broad_, leatha, l[`e]ithne.
Fogus, _near_, foisge.
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C[`a]irdeach, _akin_, c[`a]ra.
Furas, _easy_, fhusa,
Toigh, _dear_, docha.
Ionmhuinn, _beloved_, annsa, ionnsa.
To these may be added the nouns--
Moran _a great number_ or _quantity_, and Tuilleadh _more_.
The _Superlative_, which is but a particular mode of expressing comparison,
is the same in form with the First Comparative.
An eminent degree of any quality is expressed by putting one of the
particles ro, gl['e], before the Positive; as, ro ghlic _very wise_, gl['e]
gheal _very white_. The same effect is produced by prefixing fior _true_,
s[`a]r _exceeding_, &c., which words are, in that case, used adverbially;
as, fior mhaiseach _truly beautiful_, s[`a]r mhaith _exceedingly good_.
_Cardinal Numbers._
1 Aon, a h-aon, _one_. 40 D[`a] fhichead.
2 D[`a], a dh[`a] 50 Deich is d[`a] fhichead.
3 Tri. 60 Tri fichead.
4 Ceithir. 100 Ceud.
5 Cuig. 200 D[`a] cheud.
6 S[`e], sia. 300 Tri ceud.
7 Seachd. 400 Ceithir cheud.
8 Ochd. 500 Cuig ceud.
9 Naoi. 1,000 M[`i]le.
10 Deich. 2,000 D[`a] mh[`i]le.
11 Aon deug. 3,000 Tri m[`i]le.
12 A dh[`a] dheug. 10,000 Deich m[`i]le.
13 Tri deug. 20,000 Fichead m[`i]le.
20 Fichead. 100,000 Ceud m[`i]le.
21 Aon thar fhichead. 200,000 D[`a] cheud m[`i]le.
22 Dha 'ar fhichead. 1,000,000 Deich ceud m[`i]le,
23 Tri 'ar fhichead. M[`i]le de mh[`i]ltibh.
30 Deich 'ar fhichead. &c. &c.
31 Aon deug thar fhichead.
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_Cardinal Numbers joined to a Noun._
Of the mas. gender. Of the fem. gender.
1 Aon fhear, _one man_. Aon chlach, _one stone_.
2 D[`a] fhear. D[`a] chloich.
3 Tri fir. Tri clachan.
10 Deich fir. Deich clachan.
11 Aon fhear deug. Aon chlach dheug.
12 D[`a] fhear dheug. D[`a] chloich dheug.
13 Tri fir dheug. Tri clachan deug.
20 Fichead fear. Fichead clach.
21 Aon fhear thar fhichead. Aon chlach thar fhichead.
22 D[`a] fhear thar fhichead. D[`a] chloich thar fhichead.
23 Tri fir fhichead. Tri clacha fichead.
30 Deich fir fhichead. Deich clacha fichead.
31 Aon fhear deug 'ar fhichead. Aon chlach dheug thar fhichead.
40 D[`a] fhichead fear. D[`a] fhichead clach.
41 Fear is d[`a] fhichead. Clach is d[`a] fhichead.
42 D[`a] fhear is d[`a] fhichead. D[`a] chloich is da fhichead.
50 Deich is d[`a] fhichead fear. Deich is da fhichead clach.
60 Tri fichead fear. Tri fichead clach.
70 Tri fichead fear agus deich. Tri fichead clach agus deich.
100 Ceud fear. Ceud clach.
101 Ceud fear agus a h-aon. Ceud clach agus a h-aon.
300 Tri cheud fear. Tri cheud clach.
1,000 M[`i]le fear. M[`i]le clach.
10,000 Deich m[`i]le fear, &c. Deich m[`i]le clach, &c.
_Ordinal Numbers._
1 An ceud fhear, _the first man_; a' cheud chlach, _the first stone_.
2 An dara fear.
3 An treas fear, an tri-amh fear.
4 An ceathramh fear.
5 An cuigeamh fear.
6 An seathamh fear.
7 An seachdamh fear.
8 An t-ochdamh fear.
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9 An naothamh fear.
10 An deicheamh fear.
11 An t-aon fear deug.
12 An dara fear deug.
20 Am ficheadamh fear.
21 An t-aon fhear fichead.
22 An dara fear fichead.
31 An t-aon fhear deug thar fhichead.
40 An d[`a] fhicheadamh fear.
60 An tri ficheadamh fear.
100 An ceudamh fear.
101 An t-aon fhear thar cheud.
120 Am ficheadamh fear thar cheud.
200 An da cheudamh fear.
1000 Am m[`i]leamh fear, &c.
The following numeral Nouns are applied only to persons:--
2. Dithis, _two persons_. 7. Seachdnar.
3. Triuir. 8. Ochdnar.
4. Ceathrar. 9. Naoinar.
5. Cuignear. 10. Deichnar.
6. S[`e]anar.