Eistigi a dhaoine,
how is the word 'ea' used in a copula? is it purely for emphasis or what?

Is féidir ceist a fhreagairt leis, más ceist í a chuireadh le copail agus ainmfhocal éiginnte (classification sentence mar a deirtear scaití sna graiméir.)

An é d'athair é? - Is he your father?
Is é / Ní hé.

An iascaire é? - Is he a fisherman?
Is ea / Ní hea.

An é seo an rud a bhí i gceist agat - is this the usage you were asking about?
(Is é / Ní hé.)

mar shampla:
is 'ea' e...,
An dtuigeann tu?

Mac léinn is ea Séamas.

malairt slí lena rá

Is mac léinn Séamas.

Sa chás sin, deir na Bráithre gur treisiú atá i gceist.

quote:

13.56 Is minic a úsáidtear forainmneach iomarcach d'fhonn treise nó cothromaíochta. Sna
cásanna sin bíonn an téarma saor de ghnáth, is é sin, seasann sé lasmuigh de chomhréir na
habairte: na fir a bhí anseo aréir tháinig siad ar ais inniu; an rud a fheiceann an leanbh is é a
dhéanann sé; ag Oireachtas na bliana seo caite is ann a labhair sé liom; capall is ea é; dá
dheirge iad is ea is fearr.

To summarize:
Ea is regarded as a "neuter" pronoun ( "it"), a remnant of the (today otherwise absent) neuter gender.
It can only be used with the copula and then only in such cases as:

1) classification sentences (with an indefinite predicate noun)
This is a form of left shift, ea occurs as analeptic pronoun instead of the left-shifted predicate to which it refers back (normal sentence form: Is múinteoir í ( "Is a teacher she")
* Múinteoir is ea an bhean = The woman is a teacher,
* Múinteoir is ea í = She is a teacher (literal translation: "Teacher, is it she)."

2) Referring to an afore-mentioned indefinite predicate noun.
* Is múinteoir ise ach ní hea mise = She is a teacher, but I am it not.

3) In response to classification questions,
* An múinteoir thú? - Is ea. = Are you a teacher? - Yes.
* An dochtúir thú? - Ní hea, ach múinteoir. = Are you a doctor? - No, I'm a teacher.

4) In "question tags" and answers:
* Rinne Seán é, an ea? - Is ea. = Seán has done it, has he? - Yes.

5) ní hea as a corrective:
* Is dócha, ní hea, is deimhin gur rinne sé é = Probably, no certainly, he did it.

6) ea referring to adverbial phrases:
* Thall ansiúd is ea atá sí ina cónaí = Over there is where she lives.
This is also a left shift. (normal word order: Is thall ansiúd atá sí ina cónaí.)

7) "an ea go" in the meaning of "is it that ..." (ní hea go = it is not so that ...)
* An ea nach bhfuil tú sásta? = Is it so that you are not satisfied?;
* Ní hea nar maith liom í = It's not so that I don't like her.

8) más ea (féin) = (even) if it is so:
* Ach más ea, déanfaidh mé é! = But even if it is so, I'm going to do it!

9) to anticipate the action
* Is ea a chuamar ar fud na tíre = What we did was to go through the country.

10) "is ea is" + comparative constructions with the abstract noun:
* Dá mhéad é is ea is fearr é. = the bigger it is the better it is.

Lars

(Message edited by Lars on November 28, 2009)

oh god in the highest, go raibh maith agat a Lars.