Present tense in Gaelic languages - Revision history

Silmeth: /* Present forms */

2025-03-20T22:24:14Z

Present forms

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:24, 20 March 2025
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	* ''go n-imir sí'' or ''go n-imreann sí''.		* ''go n-imir sí'' or ''go n-imreann sí''.

	~~[TODO: explain etymology~~ of ''-~~ann~~'', present stem of OIr. ~~verbs like~~ ''benaid, ~~·ben~~; crenaid, ~~·cren~~'']		This alternative ending was an Irish innovation from Middle Irish times, first appearing in the 10th century. In Old Irish there was a set of verbs with ''-en-'' in their present stem but not in other forms<ref>Eg. the future stem of ''benaid'' was ''bí-'' seen eg. in the form ''bíthus'' ‘(s)he will strike them’ with suffixed object pronoun.</ref> (eg. OIr. ''benaid'' ‘(s)he strikes’, ''ní·ben'' ‘(s)he does not strike’; ''crenaid'' ‘(s)he buys’, ''ní·cren'' ‘(s)he does not buy’). Some forms of compound verbs based on those had this ''-en'' strengthened to ''-enn, -ann'' via McNeill’s Law. This then spread to other similar verbs, and eventually was reanalyzed as the dependent present ending rather than part of their root.<ref>Specifically this happened in ''prototonic'' (ie. dependent) forms of the compound verbs where the stress fell on the preverb, eg. the verb ''fo·ben'' ‘destroys’ had dependent form ''·fuiben, ·fuban'' which became ''·fubann'' in Middle Irish. This strengthening of ''n'' to ''nn'' happened first in verbs like ''as·ren'' ‘pays’, dep. ''·érenn'' which had a liquid ''l'' or ''r'' causing the strengthening due to McNeill’s Law. For more see ''Stair na Gaeilge'', chapter ''An Mheán-Ghaeilge'' by Liam Breatnach, §12.13, pp. 294–295.</ref>

	From this a fairly clear picture arises – Classical Gaelic had independent endings, like: 3rd sg. ''-idh'', 1st pl. ''-máoid, -míd'', 3rd pl. ''-id'', and depedent endings: 3rd sg. ''-0, -ann'', 1st pl. ''-am'', 3rd pl. ''-ad''. Some persons did not have the distinction (eg. in 1st sg. it was ''cuirim, ní chuirim; molaim, ní mholaim'').		From this a fairly clear picture arises – Classical Gaelic had independent endings, like: 3rd sg. ''-idh'', 1st pl. ''-máoid, -míd'', 3rd pl. ''-id'', and depedent endings: 3rd sg. ''-0, -ann'', 1st pl. ''-am'', 3rd pl. ''-ad''. Some persons did not have the distinction (eg. in 1st sg. it was ''cuirim, ní chuirim; molaim, ní mholaim'').

Silmeth: /* Manx */

2025-03-20T21:46:33Z

Manx

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	The relative form is also preserved:		The relative form is also preserved:
	* ''y thie hroggys shiu'' ‘the house ye will build’		* ''y thie hroggys shiu'' ‘the house ye will build’.

	== Notes ==		== Notes ==

Silmeth: /* Manx */

2025-03-20T21:46:14Z

Manx

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:46, 20 March 2025
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	The relative form is also preserved:		The relative form is also preserved:
	* ''yn thie hroggys shiu'' ‘the house ye will build’		* ''y thie hroggys shiu'' ‘the house ye will build’

	== Notes ==		== Notes ==

Silmeth: /* Irish */

2025-03-20T21:45:04Z

Irish

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	Munster keeps the old form for the verb ''inis'': ''neosfad'' ‘I will tell’ from classical ''inneósad'', compare it to standard ''inseoidh''.		Munster keeps the old form for the verb ''inis'': ''neosfad'' ‘I will tell’ from classical ''inneósad'', compare it to standard ''inseoidh''.

	In the present tense of the ''-igh'' verbs syncope was lost, thus ''(ní) éir'''gh'''~~ean~~'' became ''éir'''igh'''eann'', today spelt ''éiríonn''.		In the present tense of the ''-igh'' verbs syncope was lost, thus ''(ní) éir'''gh'''eann'' became ''éir'''igh'''eann'', today spelt ''éiríonn''.

	One more thing worth noting is that Munster dialects lost the relative ending (and most Standard Irish texts don’t use it either, although it’s allowed in ''An Caighdeán Oifigiúil''):		One more thing worth noting is that Munster dialects lost the relative ending (and most Standard Irish texts don’t use it either, although it’s allowed in ''An Caighdeán Oifigiúil''):

Silmeth at 21:44, 20 March 2025

2025-03-20T21:44:29Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:44, 20 March 2025
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	Munster keeps the old form for the verb ''inis'': ''neosfad'' ‘I will tell’ from classical ''inneósad'', compare it to standard ''inseoidh''.		Munster keeps the old form for the verb ''inis'': ''neosfad'' ‘I will tell’ from classical ''inneósad'', compare it to standard ''inseoidh''.

			In the present tense of the ''-igh'' verbs syncope was lost, thus ''(ní) éir'''gh'''ean'' became ''éir'''igh'''eann'', today spelt ''éiríonn''.

	One more thing worth noting is that Munster dialects lost the relative ending (and most Standard Irish texts don’t use it either, although it’s allowed in ''An Caighdeán Oifigiúil''):		One more thing worth noting is that Munster dialects lost the relative ending (and most Standard Irish texts don’t use it either, although it’s allowed in ''An Caighdeán Oifigiúil''):
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	Another thing to notice is that there’s no trace of this ''-ann'' ending. As was mentioned earlier in this article, this ending was an innovation – specifically an Irish innovation that seems to not have ever reached Scotland. The ending must have been known to Gaelic poets in Scotland as it was a part of bardic linguistic training, but it just never was a part of the common speech in Scotland. The only exception to this is the phrase ''nach maireann'' ‘deceased’ (lit. ‘who does not live’) which might have been borrowed from the classical register.<ref>And worth noting that ''maireann'' from this phrase got reanalyzed in Scotland as an adjective meaning ‘alive’ and you get sentences like ''tha e maireann'' ‘he is alive’ too in Scottish Gaelic.</ref>		Another thing to notice is that there’s no trace of this ''-ann'' ending. As was mentioned earlier in this article, this ending was an innovation – specifically an Irish innovation that seems to not have ever reached Scotland. The ending must have been known to Gaelic poets in Scotland as it was a part of bardic linguistic training, but it just never was a part of the common speech in Scotland. The only exception to this is the phrase ''nach maireann'' ‘deceased’ (lit. ‘who does not live’) which might have been borrowed from the classical register.<ref>And worth noting that ''maireann'' from this phrase got reanalyzed in Scotland as an adjective meaning ‘alive’ and you get sentences like ''tha e maireann'' ‘he is alive’ too in Scottish Gaelic.</ref>

			Like in Irish, there is no syncope in the ''-ich'' (Irish ''-igh'') verbs: the independent form is ''èir'''ich'''idh'' (cf. classical ''éir'''gh'''idh'').

			The relative ending is preserved:
			* ''am fear a mholas mi'' ‘the man who praises/will praise me’.

			== Manx ==

			Like Scottish Gaelic, Manx preserves the dependent / independent distinction in what historically had been present tense endings – but typically expressing the future:
			* ''trogg'''ee''' ad'' ‘they shall build’ (cf. classical ''tóg'''aidh''' sé'' ‘he takes / builds’),
			* ''cha drog oo'' ‘thou shalt not lift up’ (cf. classical ''no-chan tóg tú'' ‘thou dost not take’).

			Manx generalized eclipsis of voiceless stops as a marker of dependent forms (hence ''cha drog'' even though classically ''t-'' there would be unmutated).

			The relative form is also preserved:
			* ''yn thie hroggys shiu'' ‘the house ye will build’

	== Notes ==		== Notes ==

Silmeth: /* Scottish Gaelic */

2025-03-20T15:20:34Z

Scottish Gaelic

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	* ''èirichidh i'' ‘she will rise’, ''chan èirich i'' ‘she will not rise’.		* ''èirichidh i'' ‘she will rise’, ''chan èirich i'' ‘she will not rise’.

	They… don’t really look like classical future tense, do they? The fact is, historically those are the '''present''' forms! And if you look at texts written by native Gaelic speakers in the 19th and 20th century, you’ll see plenty of those used to express the present, some fixed expression being very common still today (''saoilidh mi'' ‘I think’ is definitely present tense!). In fact some grammars (like William Lamb’s ''Scottish Gaelic: A Comprehensive Grammar'') choose to call this tense “non-past” rather than “future” as it clearly covers the present too. What disappeared from Scottish Gaelic is the original future tense (as the present took over its semantics).		They… don’t really look like classical future tense, do they?

			The fact is, historically those are the '''present''' forms! And if you look at texts written by native Gaelic speakers in the 19th and 20th century, you’ll see plenty of those used to express the present, some fixed expression being very common still today (''saoilidh mi'' ‘I think’ is definitely present tense!). It’s commonly used to express habitual present: ''sgrìobhaidh mi litir a h-uile latha'' ‘I write a letter every day’.

			In fact some grammars (like William Lamb’s ''Scottish Gaelic: A Comprehensive Grammar'') choose to call this tense “non-past” rather than “future” as it clearly covers the present too. What disappeared from Scottish Gaelic is the original future tense (as the present took over its semantics).

	Another thing to notice is that there’s no trace of this ''-ann'' ending. As was mentioned earlier in this article, this ending was an innovation – specifically an Irish innovation that seems to not have ever reached Scotland. The ending must have been known to Gaelic poets in Scotland as it was a part of bardic linguistic training, but it just never was a part of the common speech in Scotland. The only exception to this is the phrase ''nach maireann'' ‘deceased’ (lit. ‘who does not live’) which might have been borrowed from the classical register.<ref>And worth noting that ''maireann'' from this phrase got reanalyzed in Scotland as an adjective meaning ‘alive’ and you get sentences like ''tha e maireann'' ‘he is alive’ too in Scottish Gaelic.</ref>		Another thing to notice is that there’s no trace of this ''-ann'' ending. As was mentioned earlier in this article, this ending was an innovation – specifically an Irish innovation that seems to not have ever reached Scotland. The ending must have been known to Gaelic poets in Scotland as it was a part of bardic linguistic training, but it just never was a part of the common speech in Scotland. The only exception to this is the phrase ''nach maireann'' ‘deceased’ (lit. ‘who does not live’) which might have been borrowed from the classical register.<ref>And worth noting that ''maireann'' from this phrase got reanalyzed in Scotland as an adjective meaning ‘alive’ and you get sentences like ''tha e maireann'' ‘he is alive’ too in Scottish Gaelic.</ref>

Silmeth: /* Present forms */

2025-03-20T11:38:36Z

Present forms

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:38, 20 March 2025
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	* ''molaidh sé'' ‘he praises’ vs ''ní mhol sé'' ‘he does not praise’,		* ''molaidh sé'' ‘he praises’ vs ''ní mhol sé'' ‘he does not praise’,
	* ''sáormáoid'' ‘we free’ vs ''go sáoram'' ‘that we free’, ''cuirmíd'' ‘we put’ vs ''ní chuiream'' ‘we do not put’,		* ''sáormáoid'' ‘we free’ vs ''go sáoram'' ‘that we free’, ''cuirmíd'' ‘we put’ vs ''ní chuiream'' ‘we do not put’,
	* ''~~éirighid~~'' ‘they rise’ vs ''ní ~~éirighead~~'' ‘they do not rise’,		* ''éirghid'' ‘they rise’ vs ''ní éirghead'' ‘they do not rise’,
	* ''imridh sí'' ‘she plays’ vs ''go n-imir sí'' ‘that she plays’.		* ''imridh sí'' ‘she plays’ vs ''go n-imir sí'' ‘that she plays’.

Silmeth: /* Classical Gaelic */

2025-03-20T11:28:43Z

Classical Gaelic

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	If you know Modern Irish well, you’ll notice the verbal system overall hasn’t changed ''much'' in Irish, the tenses and moods are all still there although subjunctive forms are used pretty much only in set phrases (conditional replaced them in conditions) – but some of the endings certainly differ here. And some definitely look more Scottishy than Irishy.		If you know Modern Irish well, you’ll notice the verbal system overall hasn’t changed ''much'' in Irish, the tenses and moods are all still there although subjunctive forms are used pretty much only in set phrases (conditional replaced them in conditions) – but some of the endings certainly differ here. And some definitely look more Scottishy than Irishy.

	We’re interested in the present tense here, so let’s zoom on to these forms. And also let’s take a look at the future (since Scottish Gaelic supposedly has a future tense but no present, right? Right?).		We’re interested in the present tense here, so let’s zoom in on these forms. And also let’s take a look at the future (since Scottish Gaelic supposedly has a future tense but no present, right? Right?).

	=== Present forms ===		=== Present forms ===

Silmeth: /* Future forms */

2025-03-20T10:32:14Z

Future forms

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:32, 20 March 2025
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	* ''an fear mholfas mhé'' ‘the man who will praise me’.		* ''an fear mholfas mhé'' ‘the man who will praise me’.

	This overview is very simplified: many forms will have variants (with short or long vowels, with ''-eó-'' or ''-é-'' in the stem, etc.), irregular verbs will often use the dependent endings even in independent context<ref>Because they continue Old Irish compound verbs – they have a preverb in their stem which works as a conjunct particle itself, forcing them to use the conjunct, ie. dependent, endings.</ref> (that’s why it’s ''ad-chí'', ''do-ní'' and not ~~''*ad-chídh''~~ or anything like that), etc. If you want more details you should look at Léamh.org grammar and read the ''Nua-Ghaeilge Chlasaiceach'' chapter in ''Stair na Gaeilge''.		This overview is very simplified: many forms will have variants (with short or long vowels, with ''-eó-'' or ''-é-'' in the stem, etc.), irregular verbs will often use the dependent endings even in independent context<ref>Because they continue Old Irish compound verbs – they have a preverb in their stem which works as a conjunct particle itself, forcing them to use the conjunct, ie. dependent, endings.</ref> (that’s why it’s ''ad-chí'', ''do-ní'' and not <s>''*ad-chídh''</s> or anything like that), etc. If you want more details you should look at Léamh.org grammar and read the ''Nua-Ghaeilge Chlasaiceach'' chapter in ''Stair na Gaeilge''.

	== Irish ==		== Irish ==

Silmeth: /* Classical Gaelic */

2025-03-20T09:55:45Z

Classical Gaelic

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	* ''inneósad'' ‘I will tell’, ''ní inneós'' ‘I will not tell’		* ''inneósad'' ‘I will tell’, ''ní inneós'' ‘I will not tell’

	Notice that some verbs will add an ''-fa-'' to the stem (''mol-'' becomes ''molfa-'', ''cuir-'' becomes ''cuirfe-''), some verbs will change its vowel to ''-eó-'' (''éirigh-'' becomes ''éireóch-'', ''imir-'' becomes ''~~imreó~~-''; ''innis-'' becomes ''inneós-'').		Notice that some verbs will add an ''-fa-'' to the stem (''mol-'' becomes ''molfa-'', ''cuir-'' becomes ''cuirfe-''), some verbs will change its vowel to ''-eó-'' (''éirigh-'' becomes ''éireóch-'', ''imir-'' becomes ''imeór-''; ''innis-'' becomes ''inneós-'').

	Here too we have the relative ending:		Here too we have the relative ending: