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[Andrew Carnie]

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ReceivedFrom: "Caoimhin P. ODonnaile" <caoimhin at smo.uhi.ac.uk>

Andrew Carnie said:

> I suspect that what we have here is a clear case of a prepositional
> complemnetizer like ENglish "for".

Still alive in Scotland.  Someone came into my father's shop, bought
some formica, and then said:

   "Noo, can ye gie me something fur tae stick it oan wie?"

The "fur tae" seems to be getting reanalysed as a new entity "furtae",
though. :-)

> Note that there are other infinitival clauses
> in Irish that take a prepositional complementizer:
>
>         .... gan an teach a tho/ga/il

I get the feeling that "gan" in phrases like this normally forms a
"negative infinitive", if there is such a thing.  e.g.:

     "Du/irt an Comhairle Contae liom gan an teach a tho/ga/il."

However, in other situations it may be a prepositional complementiser. e.g.:

     "B'e/igean dom dul go Meiricea/ gan an teach a tho/ga/il."

Kevin
 (non expert)

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