Ирланд тілінің синтаксисі

Syntax of the Irish language

Irish syntax is rather different from that of most Indo European languages, especially because of its VSO word order.

In a command the imperative mood is used, and no subject is given. To express a negative command, the particle ná is used. This particle, which can be roughly translated "don't", causes neither eclipsis nor lenition, and attaches h to a following vowel.

A progressive aspect can be formed by connecting the verbal noun to the existential verb with the progressive particle ag. The object of a verbal noun is in the genitive, if it is definite. If a nonfinite clause forms the complement of the verb, the verbal noun stands alone (without a preposition) in the clause. The direct object of a verbal noun complement precedes the verbal noun; the leniting particle a "to" is placed between them. Other complements follow.

Irish commonly uses the impersonal form (also called the autonomous form) instead of the passive voice. In the perfect, the passive voice is formed by using the passive participle with the existential verb.

Some verbs describing the state or condition of a person form a progressive present with the existential verb plus 'in (my, your, his etc.)' plus the verbal noun.

Irish, like Spanish and other languages, has two forms that can express the English verb "to be". The two forms perform different grammatical functions.

The existential verb is bí. It is an irregular verb; see Irish verbs for its conjugation.

This verb expresses the absolute existence of something, its condition, or its location. When accompanied by the adverb ann "there", it means "exist" or "there is/are". Otherwise, the verb is complemented by an adjective, an adverb or a prepositional phrase.

A noun phrase alone cannot form the predicate of the existential verb. Instead, the noun complement is preceded by a form meaning "in my, in your, in his", etc.

Topicalization in Irish is formed by clefting: by fronting the topicalized element as the predicate of the copula, while the rest of the sentence becomes a relative clause. Compare Dúirt mise é "I said it" with Is mise a dúirt é "I said it."

In all dialects, the copula is may be omitted if the predicate is a noun. (Ba cannot be deleted.) If is is omitted, the following é, í, iad preceding the noun is omitted as well. (44a) (Is) mise an múinteoir. "I am the teacher." (44b) (Is é) Seán an múinteoir. "Seán is the teacher." (44c) (Is) dalta mé. "I am a student."

Both the existential verb and the copula may take a nominal predicate, but the two constructions have slightly different meanings: Is dochtúir é Seán sounds more permanent: it represents something absolute about Seán; it is a permanent characteristic of Seán that he is a doctor. That is known as an individual level predicate. In the sentence Tá Seán ina dhochtúir, one says rather that Seán performs the job of a doctor, he is a doctor at the moment, or he has become a doctor. That is known as a stage level predicate.

Most complementizers (subordinating conjunctions) in Irish cause eclipsis and require the dependent form of irregular verbs. The word order in an Irish subordinate clause is the same as in a main clause. The types of subordination discussed here are: complementation, relative clauses, and wh questions (which are formed as a kind of relative clause in Irish).

A wh question begins with a word such as "who, what, how, when, where, why" etc. In Irish, such questions are constructed as relative clauses, in that they can be constructed as either direct or indirect.