quote:One quick question. Why is the word gainimh not also lenited? I thought the rule required lenition for genetive... Thanks!
Oh, if only life were that simple!
Here's a good way to look at it:
Lenition always* happens because of the immediately preceding word. So if the preceding word is another noun, whether lenition happens or not is determined by the gender, case and number of that preceding noun.
If the preceding word is an article, lenition is determined by the gender, case and number of that article.
If the preceding word is a possessive pronoun, lenition is determined by the gender, person and number of that pronoun.
(and so on)
This is true for everything*, not just genitives. In no* case does lenition depend on the gender, case or number of the noun in question itself.
The alternative - and this is the way I've always seen it taught for whatever reason - I don't think it makes sense! - is to present a list of "Rules for Lenition in the Genitive". It's the same information, of course, but organization gets horrendously complicated: in the genitive singular, if you do have the article, then it matters what gender the
second word is; if you don't have the article, then it matters what gender the
first word is.
Lenition after a Noun nominative singular: masculine doesn't lenite, feminine does*
Ex.:
buidéal fíona,
gloine fhíona nominative plural: lenition after slender consonants (i.e. masculine nouns with a weak plural)
Ex.:
buidéil fhíona,
gloiní fíona genitive singular: lenition after slender consonants
Ex.:
praghas an bhuidéil fhíona,
praghas na gloine fíona genitive plural: no lenition
Ex.:
praghas na mbuidéal fíona,
praghas na ngloiní fíona Lenition after the Definite Article nominative singular: masculine is
an which doesn't lenite, feminine is
an which does lenite
Ex.:
an fear,
an bhean nominative plural:
na for both genders, no lenition
Ex.:
na fir,
na mná genitive singular: masculine is
an which lenites, feminine is
na which doesn't lenite
Ex.:
cóta an fhir,
cóta na mná genitive plural:
na for both genders, eclipsis
Ex.:
cótaí na bhfear,
cótaí na mban Lenition after Possessive Pronouns 1st person singular:
mo which lenites
Ex.:
mo theach 2nd person singular:
do which lenites
Ex.:
do theach 3rd person singular: masculine is
a which lenites, feminine is
a which doesn't lenite
Ex.:
a theach,
a teach 1st person plural:
ár which eclipses
Ex.:
ár dteach 2nd person plural:
bhur which eclipses
Ex.:
bhur dteach 3rd person plural:
a which eclipses
Ex.:
a dteach (* = not quite true; there are exceptions.)
