LESSON 9.


GRAMMAR (for study).


The verb she is used in certain combinations of verb with preposition, etc.:

Share lhiam (I prefer).
share lhiat, share-lesh, etc.

The past tense of she is by. Thus we get the form bare-lhiam (I preferred), etc.

The old future of this verb, bu, is also represented by the later form by, having now no separate existence in Manx; so that bare-lhiam may also mean "I would rather." Other expressions are, Bare dou (best for me), bare dhyt (best for you), etc. The present form, she, has, however, now almost wholly taken the place of the form by in general: "She'n dooinney ren eh."

From the old word ail (pleasing) we get saillym (I am willing or, I wish); sailt, saillish, saillee, saillin, sailliu sailleu. In the past the form is baillym (I would be pleased), bailt, etc. In the interrogative we have nailt? (Are you willing?), etc. A common phrase in which the present form is used is "My sailliu" (If you please).

She and eol (knowledge) combine in the form, shione dou (lit. she-eol dou—it is knowledge to me, I know), shione dhyt, etc. Cha nione dou (I don t know, I have no knowledge of), becomes n by assimilation.

"Share yn olk shione dooin ny yn olk nagh nione dooin." (better the evil that is known to us than the evil that is not known to us). She also combines with egin (compulsion): Shegin dou (I must), shegin dhyt, etc.; Cha nhegin dou (I must not), etc.

Following are further idiomatic phrases, formed similarly by combinations.

Shynney lhiam (I love—it is dear with me); shynney lhiat, etc.

Cha nhynney lhiam (I don't care for).

Bynney lhiam (I loved)

Cha bynney lesh (he did not love).

S'laik lhiam (I like).

Laik lhiat shoh? (Do you like this?).

Cha b'laik lhiam shen (I wouldn't like that ).

B'laik lhiam yn boayl shoh (I liked this place).

S'mie lhiam shen! (I like that, or that is well with me).

S'liooar lhiam shen! (that's enough for me, with the colloquial meaning of "I can hardly think it.").

Bliooar lhiam! (that was enough for me.)

S'cair dou shen y yannoo (I ought to do that).

Sheeu eh (it is worth).

Cha neeu eh (it is not worth).

S cooin lhiam (I remember); s'cooin lhiat. etc.

S'loys dhyt (You dare).

Loys dhyt? (dare you?)

Cha b'loys dhyt (you dare not).



TRANSLATION EXERCISE.


Cur Gaelg orroo shoh:—


"The wall was part of a white room which I had reached one evening when tired by the noise of the biggest city in the world. It was a cunning room, furnished by a cunning hand, and it was perfectly snow-white except for two plain curtains of a soft blue that hung at the large window. The walls were distempered; no gloss upon them and no pictures.

The large window gave on to a garden, then across a wide cornfield, and beyond it to the sea. In the early morning, the corners of the room were filled with a blue light. Upon the ceiling was a quivering movement of blue shadows—why? After some days, I learned to connect that rippling with sun and wind. It was the reflection of movement on the surface of the sea.

"The Welsh have a word 'Gwynfa' which means 'The white place, and that is the word they use for 'Paradise'."