Relative clauses in Gaelic languages - Revision history

Silmeth at 19:34, 23 April 2026

2026-04-23T19:34:34Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:34, 23 April 2026
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	This page compares relative clause constructions present in the Gaelic languages. Irish examples will be provided in {{color\|green\|green}}, Scottish Gaelic in {{color\|#\|light blue}} and Manx in {{color\|red\|red}},		This page compares relative clause constructions present in the Gaelic languages. Irish examples will be provided in {{color\|green\|green}}, Scottish Gaelic in {{color\|#00BFFF\|light blue}} and Manx in {{color\|red\|red}},
	Classical Gaelic examples in black. Beside that all examples will be also written in a normalized spelling based on Dinneen’s dictionary of Irish and modern editions of Classical Gaelic texts.		Classical Gaelic examples in black. Beside that all examples will be also written in a normalized spelling based on Dinneen’s dictionary of Irish and modern editions of Classical Gaelic texts.

Silmeth at 19:33, 23 April 2026

2026-04-23T19:33:21Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:33, 23 April 2026
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	the relative clause describes is to the relative clause. For example in English:		the relative clause describes is to the relative clause. For example in English:
	* ''I saw the pigeon that sat on a tree'' the phrase ''the pigeon'' is the ''subject'' of the relative clause (it’s the pigeon that was sitting on a tree),		* ''I saw the pigeon that sat on a tree'' the phrase ''the pigeon'' is the ''subject'' of the relative clause (it’s the pigeon that was sitting on a tree),
	* ''I saw the pigeon whose nest is in the tree'' the relation is ''possessive'' (sometimes called ''genitive'') because the pigeon appears as the ''owner''		* ''I saw the pigeon whose nest is in the tree'' the relation is ''possessive'' (sometimes called ''genitive'') because the pigeon appears as the ''owner'' of something mentioned in the clause (it’s ''the pigeon’s'' nest in the tree),
	of something mentioned in the clause (it’s ''the pigeon’s'' nest in the tree),
	* ''you met the man to whom I was talking'' the relation is ''prepositional'' (the talking happened ''to the man'').		* ''you met the man to whom I was talking'' the relation is ''prepositional'' (the talking happened ''to the man'').

Silmeth: Created page with "This page compares relative clause constructions present in the Gaelic languages. Irish examples will be provided in {{color|green|green}}, Scottish Gaelic in {{color|#|light..."

2026-04-23T19:32:27Z

Created page with "This page compares relative clause constructions present in the Gaelic languages. Irish examples will be provided in {{color|green|green}}, Scottish Gaelic in {{color|#|light..."

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This page compares relative clause constructions present in the Gaelic languages. Irish examples will be provided in {{color|green|green}}, Scottish Gaelic in {{color|#|light blue}} and Manx in {{color|red|red}},
Classical Gaelic examples in black. Beside that all examples will be also written in a normalized spelling based on Dinneen’s dictionary of Irish and modern editions of Classical Gaelic texts.

The discussion will be divided into sections focusing on different types of ''relative clause antecedent'', ie. what the relation of the thing
the relative clause describes is to the relative clause. For example in English:
* ''I saw the pigeon that sat on a tree'' the phrase ''the pigeon'' is the ''subject'' of the relative clause (it’s the pigeon that was sitting on a tree),
* ''I saw the pigeon whose nest is in the tree'' the relation is ''possessive'' (sometimes called ''genitive'') because the pigeon appears as the ''owner''
of something mentioned in the clause (it’s ''the pigeon’s'' nest in the tree),
* ''you met the man to whom I was talking'' the relation is ''prepositional'' (the talking happened ''to the man'').

== Subject antecedent ==
When the antecedent of a clause is its grammatical subject, in Classical Gaelic the verb was lenited and for regular verbs in the 3rd person sg. present
and future tenses the special relative form was used:

* ''an fear mholas an leabhar'' ‘the man who praises the book’,
often when the clause itself identified the referrent of the noun, the definite article was not used:
* ''ad-chiú mhnáoi mharbhas bhoin'' ‘I see the woman who kills a cow’.

If the verb was understood to be a compound verb with a preverb ''do-'' (or short ''t-'' before verbal roots beginning with a vowel), ''ad-'', ''fo-'', etc.
only the verbal root was lenited:
* ''an triar táinig'' ‘the three (people) who came’,
* ''fear do-bheir an réad damh'' ‘the man who gives the thing to me’.

=== Copula ===

=== Negation ===

== Object antecedent ==

== Prepositional antecedent ==

== Possessive antecedent ==