A chairde, could you give me the rundown about "ea"?

I know that "Is fear é" means "He's a man" and " Fear is ea é" is "He's a man (i.e. not a woman, for example).

What is the difference between "Más ea" and "Más é" and "Is fíor sin, nach ea" and "Is fíor sin, nach é"? (Maybe some of those expressions might not be used.)

And what is correct: "Nach ea" or "Nach é"?

What about the sanasaíocht of "ea"?

Does it mean "it"?

GRMA.

(Message edited by acco on September 19, 2009)

Yeah, ea was "eadh" before the 1950s and it corresponds to Latin "id" and to English "it", ie. it's the old neuter pronoun. Now it is only used with the copula, when speaking about indefinite things.

Ex:
An múinteoir é? - Is ea.
An é an múinteoir é? - Is é.

Is fear é agus Fear is ea é

The second structure is common in Munster and Connacht. They are equivalent.

(Message edited by seánw on September 19, 2009)

Acco, I can't give any linquistic terminology nor even the history of the word but here's my understanding of it:

An tusa an Acco scríobhann ar fhóram Daltaí? (Are you the Acco who writes on the Daltaí forum?)
Is ea! Is mé! (It is so. It is I.)

Céard é sin? Ainmhí, an ea? (What is that? An animal, is it?)
Ní hea. Is dealbh é. (No = It is not so. It is a statue.)

"ea" is a pronoun that can stand for masculine feminine or something already said.

Is it also used in sentences like this:
An fear sin thall, iascaire is ea é. (That man over there, he is a fisherman.)

If you learn all you can find about An Chopail / The Copula you will see how "ea" is used. I'm sure Ó Dónaill has lots of examples.

ea = it, a remnant of neuter gender.

Fear is ea é = very literally "man is it he", less literally "A man: he is it", i.e. He is a man

Lars

While y'aller about it, can anyone simply explain when é is repeated in sentences with the copula?

Mar sampla: Is fear é vs. Is Seán é fear é. I'm guessing one of these is incorrect, but I don't know which or why.

The second.

Is fear é
Is * a man * he
verb * subject * object

The second should be:
Is fear Séan
Is * a man * Seán
verb subject object

or
Is é Seán an fear
*is * he * seán * the man
(As is, the right man for the job. In this case, "é" is emphasising Seán)

"É" isn't repeated, actually.
There are two different kinds of "é":

Is é an fear é = He is the man.
- First é: Necessary because it is impossibile to put a definite noun next to the copula
(never ever: Is an fear ...; Is Seán ...; Is m'athair ...; etc.)
This é isn't subject, it is a so-called "subpredicate" (fofhaisnéis). So it s part of the predicate ("é an fear" is the whole predicate)
- Second é: That's the subject "he".

quote:

Is Seán é fear é

That's impossible.
Is fear é Seán = Séan is a man (é here is a "sub-subject", fo-ainmní. It isn't really necessary.
Is fear Seán would be OK, too.
Is é Seán an fear = Seán is the man (é here subpredicate again though Seán is subject)

quote:

Is fear é
Is * a man * he
verb * subject * object

Rather:
copula * predicate * subject
(There's no object in copula clauses)

Lars

Géillim dod eolas, a Mháistir! GRMA! Bhí fhios agam gur ar oighear thanaí a bhí mise ag dul i ngleic le gramadach!

(A t-aon scrúdú scoile ar theip mé riamh ann - scrúdú Béarla agus mé san Ostair. Bhíos i rang 6 ag an am. Níor thuig mé na téarmaí gramadaí a bhí ar mo chomhghleacaithe thall dul i ngleic leo. Ní gá a rá gurbh mór an spóirt dóibh siúd é!)