Caibidil a Ceathair Déag: Initial Mutations (na hAthruithe Tosaigh)

Causes of Initial Mutations in Irish

s

z

lenition

sinda

sindos

sindi

eclipsis and n-prefix

m

m

m

After preposition + article, either eclipsis or lenition can occur, depending on the dialect. Why?: The original accusative singular form of the articles were * sindon (masc.) and * sindan (fem.). It endes then with an -n as a nasal, and this is why today eclipsis follows: ar an mbord = on the table.

Just as in German, there was the possibility of the accusative or the dative after certain prepositions (depending on the desired meaning: motion or position, in German e.g.: auf dem Tisch and auf den Tisch). The dative form of the article was now * sindu (masc.) or * sinda (fem.), which of course caused lenition (this is why in Ulster today still following preposition and article lenition is always used).

Today this lexical differentiation between dative and accusative following a preposition no longer is used. After most prepositions now follows always the dative or what remains of it. If lenition or eclipsis is used, ist now more a question of dialect (Connacht/Munster: ar an mbord = on(to) the table , Ulster: ar an bhord = on(to) the table )

In the genitive plural, the article once was also * sindan , from which eclipsis resulted.

The plural possessive pronouns ár, bhur, a are old genitive plural forms of the personal pronoun, probably ended in a nasal as well and therefore still cause eclipsis today.

t-prefix

sindos

sindos

sind

sint

int

an t-

sinda

sint'

int'

h-prefix

esjas

sindas

sindas



The masculine nominative article was then * sindos , but this suffix -os was probably weaker in its vowel and had another effect: the leniting final -s made the -d , after the devoicing of -o- , voiceless to -t, so that the t-prefix preceding a vowel remained (sindos > sindoh > sind-h > sint > an t-)

(Note: with * the old or antiquated forms also consciously denoted orthographically as incorrect forms)

© Lars Braesicke 2000