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LENITION WITHIN NOUN PHRASES
1 In closely bound compounds (taken here as being equivalent to hyphenated words) a noun in the genitive qualifying (following) another noun will be lenited or not as a qualifying adjective would be in the same position (according to the rules given in Calder A Gaelic Grammar).
Examples:
plana-gnìomha (masc) ‘action plan’ without lenition;
buidheann-ghnìomha (fem) ‘action group’ with lenition (cf.
glaine-fhìona, a wine glass).
2 In non-closely bound compounds (here taken as non-hyphenated groups) the qualifying
genitive noun will not be lenited.
Example:
buidheann (fem) comhairleachaidh ‘an advisory body’ without lenition (cf. glaine fìona, a glass of wine).
GENITIVES WITHIN NOUN PHRASES
3 In compounds of the type genitive noun1 + genitive noun2 (i.e. in cases where a noun1 + noun2 compound as a whole qualifies another, preceding, noun), in current Gaelic usage the genitive in noun1 is unmarked in indefinite phrases and marked in definite phrases.
Examples:
In indefinite phrase (i.e. phrase without article in Gaelic)
(meud) cunntas cothromachaidh ‘(size) of a balance sheet’
(cunntas unmarked for genitive and cothromachaidh not lenited).
In definite phrase (i.e. phrase containing definite article)
(meud) a’ chunntais chothromachaidh ‘(size) of the balance sheet’
(a’ chunntais marked for genitive and chothromachaidh lenited.
Compounds of the type cunntas cothromachaidh are shown as:
cunntas (fir) cothromachaidh
cunntais chothromachaidh gin
i.e. in the second line of the entry noun1 is shown with marked genitive
although the definite article does not appear in the entry.
4 In compounds of the type genitive noun1 + article + genitive noun2 the
genitive is not marked before the definite article in normal Gaelic usage (though
the noun in question if a proper noun and masculine will generally if susceptible
undergo syntactic proper noun lenition).
Example:
Clàr nan Làraichean Àrsaidh ‘the Sites and Monuments
Register’
(meud) Chlàr nan Làraichean Àrsaidh ‘(the size) of
the Sites and Monuments Register’
Compounds of this type are shown as:
Clàr (fir) nan Làraichean Àrsaidh
Chlàr nan Làraichean Àrsaidh gin
5 Nouns in hyphenated compounds (and adjectives) following genitive singular feminine nouns which have lost or do not form genitive with final ‘-e’ will be lenited.
Example:
rianachd-cheartais ‘justiciary’
(cliù na) rianachd-cheartais ‘(the reputation of the) justiciary’
Compounds of this type are shown as:
rianachd-cheartais boir
rianachd-cheartais gin.
6 In groups which fall into two parts, having:
a) firstly, two closely bound nouns (whether hyphenated or
not), example: bòrd trèanaidh ‘training board’;
b) the rest of the noun phrase, example: gnìomhachas còmhdhail
ròidean ‘road transport industry’
The genitive is generally marked in the qualifying (second) noun of the first part, and the final noun of the second part, only (apart from proper noun lenition of the first noun of the first part).
Example:
Bòrd Trèanaidh Gnìomhachas Còmhdhail Ròidean
‘Road Transport Industry Training Board’
(buill) Bhòrd Trèanaidh Gnìomhachas Còmhdhail Ròidean
‘Road Transport Industry Training Board members’
Groups of this type are shown as:
Bòrd (fir) Trèanaidh Gnìomhachas Còmhdhail
Rathaidean / Ròidean
Bhòrd Trèanaidh Gnìomhachas Còmhdhail Rathaidean
/ Ròidean gin
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