Fwd: Re: Fwd: Re: Fwd: Adjective order in Gaelic

[Elizabeth J. Pyatt]

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Here are my observations on multiple adjecctives based on
non-technical knowledge of Scottish and Irish Gaelic.  (My examples
below are in Scottish Gaelic spelling.)

- If the grammar rules say that the adjective should be lenited,
   then all the adjectives should be lenited.

- There is no interaction whatsoever between lenition and the
   order of adjectives

- There is a tendency in Gaelic to get the simple things over and
   done with quickly.  The order of adjectives is normally size,
   then colour, then other matters.

- It is possible, although not common, to change the order of
   the adjectives to reflect different bindings - in which case
   the adjective closest to the noun binds first:-
   "Beachd ùr inntinneach" - an interesting new proposition;
   "Beachd inntinneach ùr" - a new interesting proposition.

- There are only a very few adjectives - seann- (old); deagh- (good);
   droch- (bad) - which regularly come before the noun.  They are
   often written with a hyphen, or even as a single word, reflecting
   the close binding.  In the few occasions when other adjectives
   come before the noun, it indicates a particularly close binding,
   normally in fact a new word formation - e.g. "ard-eaglais"
   (cathedral) as opposed to "eaglais àrd (a tall church).  There
   are occasions when the adjective following the noun could be
   considered to be bound more closely - e.g "droch gill' óg"
   (a bad (young boy)), but I can't think of any examples where
   it really matters.  In any case, alternative adjectives which
   follow the noun are available to disambiguate if necessary:
   "aosta" (old), "math" (good), "dona" (bad).

Caoimhín

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