1. Focal "anois".
Sa Rinn, sa Chiarraí,sa Chonamara,sa Mhaigh Eo's sa Tuar Mhic Eadaigh - the pronunciation is with slender "n" (Source: "Irish of ...")
Má chreidimíd an leabhar le hÓ Cuív - tá sé leathan sa Mhúscraí. But in Dillon's TYI - again slender. And that particular textbook is based on Múscraí - it is known for sure.

The question - is it ever pronounced broad? Especially that I don't have info on Ulladh. What is the origin of this word? Is it anois = an + aois? like nuair = an + uair

2. A while ago I asked about if Gaelainn is ever pronounced with slender "l" as in my Doyle's book. It appears it is - in An Rinn. This is strange as the Doyle's textbook is surely based on Ciarraí's dialect. So maybe An Rinn's ways is to be found there as well? I also wonder what was the word in Clare - Gaeilge, Gaelainn or Gaeilinn as in An Rinn? Clare seems to have been almost carbon copy of An Rinn.
And why there was never a Gaeltacht there - many people mentioned "because of political motives" - but not being native - I don't know anything about politics in Clare. Why has genitive become a base form in Chonamara - does anybody know (Gaeilge vs Gaeilg)?

3. Táid vs táid siad. Táid siad appears to be a characteristic Múscraí (and Oileán Chléire) feature. But they also say (at least used to say) Ólaid na garsúin as opposed to Ólann na garsúin sa Chiarraí. Can anyone comment on the current Ciarraí's usage? Is the form "deinid siad" more often than "deinid" or vice versa? [I know that deineann siad is the most often - don't remind me of this :)]

Le meas

A Eonais!

Tá áthas orm gur fhillis. B'fhéidir go bhfuil an fhios agat?

Le meas

Tá súil agam go bhfuil :-)

1. Mar a deireann tú, deirtear 'anois' mar [i'n´is´] go minic agus is mar sin a deirtear é i gCiarraí. N'fheadar conas a deireann siad i dTír Chonaill, ach is í [nis´] an fhuaim a chuala Wagner.

2. Nílim cinnte go raibh an chanúint sa Chláir chomh cosúil leis an gcanúint sa Rinn. Tá cosúlachtaí ann (go leor!) cinnte, ach ba dóigh liom go raibh sí níos cosúile leis an gcanúint ar Inis Oírr ná le aon chanúint bheo eile.

Bhí Gaeltacht ann sa Chláir - 1922-1953, is dóigh liom - agus is é 'Gaeilge' an t-ainm a bhí ar an dteanga ansan.

3. Aríst, nílim cinnte. Mar a scríobhann tú, deireann na daoine "deineann siad" anois. Is féidir "deinid" agus "deinid siad" a chloisint, ach ní féidir liom a rá go mbíonn ceann acu i mbéal na ndaoine níos minice ná an ceann eile.

"Why has genitive become a base form in Chonamara - does anybody know (Gaeilge vs Gaeilg)? "

I do not know but, in other parts of Ireland the dative becaem the basic form (is that why we have all the 'ballys' /bailigh/ in Ballytermon etc?)

where I come form it seems to ahve stayed 'baile' (nominative).

I'm using Gaeilg from now on (especially as it it the form in Mayo), and if it is OK for Erris....

Donegal: anois [əˈnˠɪʃ] (uh-nish) or 'nois [nˠɪʃ] (nish)

A Lughaidh,

Ní fheicim dada, tá brón orm :(

A Robeirt,

Nílim cinnte go "Bally" bailigh. The dative of "baile" is "baile" in all Irish dialects, as far as I know. The special form for dative is to be found in 2nd declension (words like fuineog -> fuineoig, lámh -> láimh, teach -> tigh) and 5th (Éire -> Éirinn, cara -> caraid). 1st declension used to have it as well but lost in Middle Ages. there are several petrified forms like ceann -> cionn, but nobody is advocating seriously restoration of those.
We are left with 3rd and 4th declensions - as far as I know - there dative = nominative i gcónaí.

To sum up it is rather impossible that baile would have "bailigh" as dative, and keeping in mind that this word would be pronounced [bal'ig'] in Munster you would have had several towns with "Ballig-smth". But this is not what happened.

According to O'Rahilly all those "Bally-" come from simple "Baile" what can be easily proved looking at official towns' name registrar.

Le meas

Róman,
I agree with you. I said it because of all the old recordins that seem to have /i:/ endings for the nominative form, so maybe that was me been selcective. originally, I have felt 'baile' was the form as yo said

One question:

How come the pre-caighdeán "léaghadh" has become "léamh"? What was the point of mis-constructing the word? If the northern pronounciation is [l'e:u:] the spelling "léadh" would serve as good, while not introducing some irregular verbal noun formation paterns where there was none! -adh is a standard ending, while -amh is not.

I hate caighdeán!!!

(Message edited by Róman on March 15, 2006)