Middle Irish: Difference between revisions

Middle Irish
Middle Irish
Middle Gaelic
Gaoidhealg
Pronunciation	[ˈɡəiðeɫɡ]
Native to	Ireland, Scotland, Isle of Man
Era	c. 900–1200
Language family	Indo-European Celtic Insular Celtic Goidelic Middle Irish; ; ; ;
Early forms	Primitive Irish Old Irish ;
Writing system	Latin (Gaelic alphabet)
Language codes
ISO 639-2	mga
ISO 639-3	mga
Glottolog	midd1360

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Middle Irish, also called Middle Gaelic^[1] (Irish: An Mheán-Ghaeilge, Scottish Gaelic: Meadhan-Ghàidhlig),^[2] is the Goidelic language which was spoken in Ireland, most of Scotland and the Isle of Man from c. 900–1200 AD; it is therefore a contemporary of Late Old English and Early Middle English.^[3]^[4] The modern Goidelic languages—Modern Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Manx Gaelic—are all descendants of Middle Irish.

Grammar

Middle Irish is a fusional, VSO, nominative-accusative language, and makes frequent use of lenition.

Nouns decline for two genders: masculine and feminine, though traces of neuter declension persist; three numbers: singular, dual, plural; and five cases: nominative, accusative, genitive, prepositional, vocative. Adjectives agree with nouns in gender, number, and case.

Verbs conjugate for three tenses: past, present, future; four moods: indicative, subjunctive, conditional, imperative; independent and dependent forms. Verbs conjugate for three persons and an impersonal, agentless form (agent). There are a number of preverbal particles marking the negative, interrogative, subjunctive, relative clauses, etc.

Prepositions inflect for person and number. Different prepositions govern different cases, depending on intended semantics.

Sample texts

Poem on Eogan Bél

The following is an untitled poem in Middle Irish about Eógan Bél, King of Connacht.^[7]

Middle Irish	Modern Irish	Late Modern English
Dún Eogain Bél forsind loch forsrala ilar tréntroch,	Dún Eogain Bél fosna locha cois tráthnóna cléir tréan.	Fort of Eoghan the Stammerer upon the lake, enduring its powerful waves.
ní mair Eogan forsind múr ocus maraid in sendún.	ní chónaíonn Eoghan ar an mhuirbhalla ach mhairfidh an sean-dún.	Eoghan no longer lives within the wall, but the old fort remains.
Maraid inad a thige irraibe ’na chrólige,	Fanann áit a theach fá chlúid an aeir,	The place of his dwelling remains under the protection of the wind,
ní mair in rígan re cair nobíd ina chomlepaid.	níl banríon leis an gceartú ná caithfidh sí ina chomhléarscáil.	The queen no longer lives with him, nor must she abide in his companion.
Cairptech in rí robúi and, innsaigthech oirgnech Érenn,	bhí carrthach sa ríocht, an-uaireanta fiach ón Éirinn,	A charioteer was in the kingdom, often indebted from Ireland,
ní dechaid coll cána ar goil, rocroch tríchait im óenboin.	níor shiúl sé coirce cách, rinneadh sceach tríocha timpeall ar a chinn.	He didn't walk the rye's path, a bushel of thirty was hung around his neck.
Roloisc Life co ba shecht, rooirg Mumain tríchait fecht,	scáilteadh na lámha in aois go 30 bliain, dhein Mumhan greim 30 uair,	His hands were stretched until he was thirty years old, Munster grasped thirty times,
nír dál do Leith Núadat nair co nár dámair immarbáig.	níor láidir Leith Núadat ná mí-neart daonra chomh maith.	Leith Núadat was not strong nor of insufficient human force.
Doluid fecht im-Mumain móir do chuinchid argait is óir,	chuaigh sé go minic go Mumhain mór le haghaidh airgid agus óir a bhailiú,	He often went to great Munster to gather silver and gold,
d’iaraid sét ocus móine do gabail gíall [n]dagdóine.	d'fhéach sé taoibh leis agus gearán a dhéanamh faoi ghealladh na ndaoine dána.	He looked around and complained about the promise of the bold people.
Trían a shlúaig dar Lúachair síar co Cnoc mBrénainn isin slíab,	thriail a thríúr a shlí trí Luachair siar go Cnoc mBrénainn san fhásach,	A third of his host went through Luachair westward to Hill of Brénainn in the mountain,
a trían aile úa fo dess co Carn Húi Néit na n-éces.	an tríúr eile thriall siar go Carn Uí Néit i gcéin sna clanna eolais.	Another third went southward to Carn Uí Néit far away in the tribes of knowledge,
Sé fodéin oc Druimm Abrat co trían a shlúaig, nísdermat,	dó féin ag Druim Abhrat le tríúr de a shlua, gan ach suaitheadh,	He himself at Druim Abhrat with three of his host, with no more than a break,
oc loscud Muman maisse, ba subach don degaisse.	ag loiscint Mumhan mar gheall air, bhí sé sona le haghaidh an spóirt.	burning Munster because of him, he was happy for the sport.
Atchím a chomarba ind ríg a mét dorigne d’anfhír,	bhím i mo thodhchaí i gcumhacht a rinne an rí dearmad faoi,	I see his successor in the power the king made a mistake about,
nenaid ocus tromm ’malle, conid é fonn a dúine.	a mhaighdean agus a theampall le chéile, sin an tslí a dúirt an duine.	a maiden and a heavy load together, that's the way the man said.
Dún Eogain.	Dún Eogain.	Fort of Eoghan.

References

^ Mittleman, Josh. "Concerning the name Deirdre". Medieval Scotland. Retrieved 13 February 2013. Early Gaelic (a.k.a. Old Irish) is the form of Gaelic used in Ireland and parts of Scotland from roughly 600–900 AD. Middle Gaelic (a.k.a. Middle Irish) was used from roughly 900–1200 AD, while Common Classical Gaelic (a.k.a. Early Modern Irish, Common Literary Gaelic, etc.) was used from roughly 1200–1700 AD
^ "Middle Irish". www.uni-due.de.
^ Mac Eoin, Gearóid (1993). "Irish". In Martin J. Ball (ed.). The Celtic Languages. London: Routledge. pp. 101–44. ISBN 0-415-01035-7.
^ Breatnach, Liam (1994). "An Mheán-Ghaeilge". In K. McCone; D. McManus; C. Ó Háinle; N. Williams; L. Breatnach (eds.). Stair na Gaeilge in ómós do Pádraig Ó Fiannachta (in Irish). Maynooth: Department of Old Irish, St. Patrick's College. pp. 221–333. ISBN 0-901519-90-1.
^ Healy, John (8 June 2016). Insula Sanctorum Et Doctorum Or Ireland's Ancient Schools And Scholars. Read Books Ltd. ISBN 9781473361331 – via Google Books.
^ "CISP - CLMAC/13". www.ucl.ac.uk.
^ "A Middle Irish Poem on Eogan Bél [text]". www.ucd.ie.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|Goidelic language}}
-{{Infobox Language
+{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
-  |name=Middle Irish
+{{Infobox language
-  |nativename=Gaoidhealg
+|name          = Middle Irish
-  |pronunciation=[ˈgɯːjelg]
+|altname       = Middle Gaelic
-  |states=[[Ireland]], [[Scotland]], [[Isle of Man]]
+|nativename    = {{lang|mga|Gaoidhealg}}
-  |familycolor=Indo-European
+|pronunciation = {{IPA|mga|ˈɡəiðeɫɡ|}}
-  |fam1=[[Indo-European languages|Indo-European]]
+|states        = Ireland, Scotland, [[Isle of Man]]
-  |fam2=[[Celtic languages|Celtic]]
+|era           = {{circa|900–1200}}
-  |fam3=[[Insular Celtic languages|Insular Celtic]]
+|familycolor   = Indo-European
-  |fam4=[[Goidelic languages|Goidelic]]
+|fam2          = [[Celtic languages|Celtic]]
-  |script=[[Latin alphabet|Latin]]
+|fam3          = [[Insular Celtic languages|Insular Celtic]]
-  |extinct=Evolved into [[Irish language|Modern Irish]], [[Scottish Gaelic]], and [[Manx language|Manx]] about the 16th century
+|fam4          = [[Goidelic languages|Goidelic]]
-  |notice=nonotice
+|ancestor      = [[Primitive Irish]]
+|ancestor2     = [[Old Irish]]
+|script        = [[Latin script|Latin]] ([[Insular script|Gaelic alphabet]])
+|iso2  = mga
+|iso3  = mga
+|glotto= midd1360
+|glottorefname=Middle Irish (10-12th century)
 }}
+'''Middle Irish''', also called '''Middle Gaelic'''<ref>{{cite web |last=Mittleman |first=Josh |url=http://medievalscotland.org/problem/names/deirdre.shtml |title=Concerning the name Deirdre |quote=Early Gaelic (a.k.a. Old Irish) is the form of Gaelic used in Ireland and parts of Scotland from roughly 600–900 AD. Middle Gaelic (a.k.a. Middle Irish) was used from roughly 900–1200 AD, while Common Classical Gaelic (a.k.a. Early Modern Irish, Common Literary Gaelic, etc.) was used from roughly 1200–1700 AD |publisher=Medieval Scotland |access-date=13 February 2013 }}</ref> ({{langx|ga|An Mheán-Ghaeilge}}, {{langx|gd|Meadhan-Ghàidhlig}}),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.uni-due.de/DI/DI_Middle_Irish.htm|title=Middle Irish|website=www.uni-due.de}}</ref> is the [[Goidelic languages|Goidelic language]] which was spoken in Ireland, most of Scotland and the [[Isle of Man]] from {{circa|900–1200}} AD; it is therefore a contemporary of [[Late Old English]] and [[Early Middle English]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Mac Eoin |first=Gearóid |author-link=Gearóid Mac Eoin |chapter=Irish |pages=101–44 |title=The Celtic Languages |editor=Martin J. Ball |publisher=Routledge |location=London |year=1993 |isbn=0-415-01035-7}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Breatnach |first=Liam |chapter=An Mheán-Ghaeilge |pages=221–333 |editor=K. McCone |editor2=D. McManus |editor3=C. Ó Háinle |editor4=N. Williams |editor5=L. Breatnach |title=Stair na Gaeilge in ómós do Pádraig Ó Fiannachta |location=Maynooth |publisher=Department of Old Irish, St. Patrick's College |year=1994 |isbn=0-901519-90-1 |language=Irish }}</ref> The modern Goidelic languages—[[Modern Irish]], [[Scottish Gaelic]] and [[Manx Gaelic]]—are all descendants of Middle Irish.
+==Grammar==
-'''Middle Irish''' is the name given by [[historical linguistics|historical philologists]] to the form of the [[Irish language]] from the [[10th century|10th]] to [[16th century|16th]] centuries; it is therefore a contemporary of [[Middle English]].  The modern [[Goidelic languages]] Irish, [[Scottish Gaelic language|Scottish Gaelic]], and [[Manx language|Manx]] are all descendants of Middle Irish.
+{{Unreferenced section|date=February 2024}}
+[[File:Oroit plaque, Clonmacnoise.jpg|thumb|Middle Irish inscription from [[Clonmacnoise]]: {{lang|mga|Oroit ar Thurcain lasan dernad in chrossa}}: "Pray for Turcan by whom this cross was made."<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yDVRDAAAQBAJ&q=OROIT+AR+THURCAIN+LASAN+DERNAD+IN+CHROSSA&pg=PT456|title=Insula Sanctorum Et Doctorum Or Ireland's Ancient Schools And Scholars|first=John|last=Healy|date=8 June 2016|publisher=Read Books Ltd|isbn=9781473361331|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology/cisp/database/stone/clmac_13.html|title=CISP - CLMAC/13|website=www.ucl.ac.uk}}</ref>]]
+Middle Irish is a [[fusional language|fusional]], [[verb-subject-object|VSO]], [[nominative-accusative language]], and makes frequent use of [[lenition]].
+Nouns [[declension|decline]] for two [[grammatical gender|genders]]: masculine and feminine, though traces of neuter declension persist; three [[grammatical number|numbers]]: [[grammatical number#singular vs plural|singular]], [[dual (grammatical number)|dual]], [[plural]]; and five [[grammatical case|cases]]: [[nominative]], [[accusative]], [[genitive]], [[prepositional case|prepositional]], [[vocative]]. [[Adjective]]s [[agreement (linguistics)|agree]] with nouns in [[grammatical gender|gender]], [[grammatical number|number]], and [[grammatical case|case]].
-At its height, Middle Irish was spoken throughout [[Ireland]] and [[Scotland]]; from [[Munster]] to the [[North Sea]] island of [[Inchcolm]]. Its geographical range  made it the most widespread of all Insular languages before the late [[twelfth century|12th]] century, when Middle English began to make inroads into Ireland, and many of the Celtic regions of northern and western [[Britain]].
+Verbs [[Grammatical conjugation|conjugate]] for three [[grammatical tense|tenses]]: [[past tense|past]], [[present tense|present]], [[future tense|future]]; four [[grammatical mood|moods]]: [[indicative mood|indicative]], [[subjunctive mood|subjunctive]], [[conditional mood|conditional]], [[imperative mood|imperative]]; [[Dependent and independent verb forms|independent]] and [[Dependent and independent verb forms|dependent]] forms. Verbs [[Grammatical conjugation|conjugate]] for three [[grammatical person|persons]] and an impersonal, agentless form ([[agent (grammar)|agent]]). There are a number of preverbal [[grammatical particle|particles]] marking the [[affirmative and negative|negative]], [[interrogative]], [[subjunctive mood|subjunctive]], [[relative clause]]s, etc.
-Few medieval European languages can rival the volume of literature extant in Middle Irish. Much of this survival is due to the tenacity of a few early modern Irish antiquarians, but the sheer volume of sagas, annals, hagiographies (etc) which survive shows how much confidence members of the medieval Gaelic learned orders had in their own [[vernacular]]. Almost all survives from Ireland, and little from Scotland or [[Isle of Man|Man]]. This can be misleading though. In Scotland, the continentalization of the [[Kings of Scotland|Scottish monarchy]] and anglicization of the later medieval Scottish elite meant that Gaelic manuscripts would never be preserved there. [[Thomas Owen Clancy]] has recently all but proven that the [[Lebor Bretnach]], the so-called "Irish Nennius," was written in Scotland, and probably at the [[monastery]] in [[Abernethy]]. Yet this text survives only from manuscripts preserved in Ireland.
+[[prepositions and postpositions|Prepositions]] [[inflection|inflect]] for [[grammatical person|person]] and [[grammatical number|number]]. Different [[prepositions and postpositions|prepositions]] [[government (linguistics)|govern]] different [[grammatical case|cases]], depending on intended [[semantics]].
-A form of Middle Irish, known as 'Classical Gaelic', was used as a literary language in Ireland until the [[17th century]] and in Scotland until the [[18th century]]; the [[Ethnologue]] gives the name "'''Hiberno-Scottish Gaelic'''" (and the [[ISO 639-3|ISO/DIS 639-3]] code <code>ghc</code>) to this purely written language.
+==Sample texts==
+=== Poem on Eogan Bél ===
+The following is an untitled poem in Middle Irish about [[Eógan Bél]], King of Connacht.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ucd.ie/tlh/text/km.acl.3.010.text.html|title=A Middle Irish Poem on Eogan Bél [text]|website=www.ucd.ie}}</ref>
+{| class="wikitable"
+! Middle Irish
+! [[Modern Irish]]
+! [[Late Modern English]]
+|-
+| Dún Eogain Bél forsind loch forsrala ilar tréntroch,
+| Dún Eogain Bél fosna locha cois tráthnóna cléir tréan.
+| Fort of Eoghan the Stammerer upon the lake, enduring its powerful waves.
+|-
+| ní mair Eogan forsind múr ocus maraid in sendún.
+| ní chónaíonn Eoghan ar an mhuirbhalla ach mhairfidh an sean-dún.
+| Eoghan no longer lives within the wall, but the old fort remains.
+|-
+| Maraid inad a thige irraibe ’na chrólige,
+| Fanann áit a theach fá chlúid an aeir,
+| The place of his dwelling remains under the protection of the wind,
+|-
+| ní mair in rígan re cair nobíd ina chomlepaid.
+| níl banríon leis an gceartú ná caithfidh sí ina chomhléarscáil.
+| The queen no longer lives with him, nor must she abide in his companion.
+|-
+| Cairptech in rí robúi and, innsaigthech oirgnech Érenn,
+| bhí carrthach sa ríocht, an-uaireanta fiach ón Éirinn,
+| A charioteer was in the kingdom, often indebted from Ireland,
+|-
+| ní dechaid coll cána ar goil, rocroch tríchait im óenboin.
+| níor shiúl sé coirce cách, rinneadh sceach tríocha timpeall ar a chinn.
+| He didn't walk the rye's path, a bushel of thirty was hung around his neck.
+|-
+| Roloisc Life co ba shecht, rooirg Mumain tríchait fecht,
+| scáilteadh na lámha in aois go 30 bliain, dhein Mumhan greim 30 uair,
+| His hands were stretched until he was thirty years old, Munster grasped thirty times,
+|-
+| nír dál do Leith Núadat nair co nár dámair immarbáig.
+| níor láidir Leith Núadat ná mí-neart daonra chomh maith.
+| Leith Núadat was not strong nor of insufficient human force.
+|-
+| Doluid fecht im-Mumain móir do chuinchid argait is óir,
+| chuaigh sé go minic go Mumhain mór le haghaidh airgid agus óir a bhailiú,
+| He often went to great Munster to gather silver and gold,
+|-
+| d’iaraid sét ocus móine do gabail gíall [n]dagdóine.
+| d'fhéach sé taoibh leis agus gearán a dhéanamh faoi ghealladh na ndaoine dána.
+| He looked around and complained about the promise of the bold people.
+|-
+| Trían a shlúaig dar Lúachair síar co Cnoc mBrénainn isin slíab,
+| thriail a thríúr a shlí trí Luachair siar go Cnoc mBrénainn san fhásach,
+| A third of his host went through Luachair westward to Hill of Brénainn in the mountain,
+|-
+| a trían aile úa fo dess co Carn Húi Néit na n-éces.
+| an tríúr eile thriall siar go Carn Uí Néit i gcéin sna clanna eolais.
+| Another third went southward to Carn Uí Néit far away in the tribes of knowledge,
+|-
+| Sé fodéin oc Druimm Abrat co trían a shlúaig, nísdermat,
+| dó féin ag Druim Abhrat le tríúr de a shlua, gan ach suaitheadh,
+| He himself at Druim Abhrat with three of his host, with no more than a break,
+|-
+| oc loscud Muman maisse, ba subach don degaisse.
+| ag loiscint Mumhan mar gheall air, bhí sé sona le haghaidh an spóirt.
+| burning Munster because of him, he was happy for the sport.
+|-
+| Atchím a chomarba ind ríg a mét dorigne d’anfhír,
+| bhím i mo thodhchaí i gcumhacht a rinne an rí dearmad faoi,
+| I see his successor in the power the king made a mistake about,
+|-
+| nenaid ocus tromm ’malle, conid é fonn a dúine.
+| a mhaighdean agus a theampall le chéile, sin an tslí a dúirt an duine.
+| a maiden and a heavy load together, that's the way the man said.
+|-
+| Dún Eogain.
+| Dún Eogain.
+| Fort of Eoghan.
+|}
+==See also==
+{{wiktionarycat|type=Middle Irish|category=Middle Irish language}}
+*''[[Dictionary of the Irish Language]]''
 ==References==
+{{reflist}}
+==Further reading==
+*{{Cite journal |title=A chronology of the Latin loan words in early Irish |first=Damian |last=MacManus |journal=Ériu |volume=34 |year=1983 |pages=21–71 }}
+*{{Cite journal |title=The dative singular of Old Irish consonant stems |first=Kim |last=McCone |journal=[[Ériu (journal)|Ériu]] |volume=29 |year=1978 |pages=26–38 }}
+*{{Cite journal |title=Final /t/ to /d/ after unstressed vowels, and an Old Irish sound law |first=Kim |last=McCone |journal=Ériu |volume=31 |year=1981 |pages=29–44 }}
+*{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Prehistoric, Old and Middle Irish |first=Kim |last=McCone |encyclopedia=Progress in medieval Irish studies |pages=7–53 |year=1996 }}
+*{{Cite book |first=Kim |last=McCone |title=A First Old Irish Grammar and Reader, Including an Introduction to Middle Irish |year=2005 |series=Maynooth Medieval Irish Texts 3 |location=Maynooth }}
+{{Irish linguistics}}
-*Clancy, Thomas Owen, "Scotland, the ‘Nennian’ recension of the Historia Brittonum, and the Lebor Bretnach," in Simon Taylor (ed.) ''Kings, Clerics and Chronicles in Scotland, 500-1297''. (Dublin & Portland, 2000), pp. 87-107 ISBN 1851825169
+{{Scottish Gaelic linguistics}}
+{{Manx linguistics}}
+{{Celtic languages}}
+{{Authority control}}
-*Müller, Nicole. ''Agents in Early Welsh and Early Irish''. Oxford University Press, 2000. ISBN 0198235879
-[[Category:Irish language]]
+[[Category:Languages attested from the 10th century]]
-[[Category:Medieval languages|Irish, Middle]]
+[[Category:History of the Irish language]]
-[[Category:Medieval Scotland]]
+[[Category:Medieval languages|Irish, 2]]
-[[Category:History of Ireland]]
+[[Category:Scottish Gaelic language]]
-[[Category:History of Scotland]]
+[[Category:Culture of medieval Scotland]]
+[[Category:Medieval history of Ireland]]
-[[de:Mittelirische Sprache]]
+[[Category:Manx language]]
-[[zh:中古愛爾蘭語]]

v t e Manx language
History	Proto-Indo-European Proto-Celtic Insular Celtic Proto-Goidelic Primitive Irish Old Irish Middle Irish Early Modern Irish Manx language
Grammar	Manx grammar