faighnich dha v faighnich dheth

snathdag · Unread post by **snathdag** » Sun Apr 29, 2012 9:48 pm

Halo,

I've come across a couple of phrases in some prose I'm reading:

1. dh'fhaighnich mi dha càit an robh e dol

2. dh'fhaighnich i dheth dè thachair

and I'd be grateful if someone could tell me whether there's a difference in meaning between "dha" and "dheth" when used with "faighnich". As a learner, I would say that a literal tr*nsl*t**n would/could be:

1. I asked him where he was going

2. she asked _of_ him what happened

As the "a'" has been dropped from "a' dol" in the first example, I thought "dha" might be more colloquial?

Apologies if this has been asked before.

Cheers,

Craig

Unread post by **Níall Beag** » Sun Apr 29, 2012 11:12 pm

Sometimes it's not about a difference in "meaning" but rather in implication. If there's any difference, it's more about putting a bit more focus on one or other party.

Thrissel · Unread post by **Thrissel** » Mon Apr 30, 2012 11:48 am

It can also be a matter of dialect. Colin Mark's dictionary says "in some areas dha and dhi, and the other forms of do, rather than the forms of dhe, are used".

snathdag · Unread post by **snathdag** » Wed May 02, 2012 9:54 pm

Sometimes it's not about a difference in "meaning" but rather in implication. If there's any difference, it's more about putting a bit more focus on one or other party.

t can also be a matter of dialect. Colin Mark's dictionary says "in some areas dha and dhi, and the other forms of do, rather than the forms of dhe, are used".

Thanks for replying. You're right of course, I should have asked about a difference in register/emphasis/dialect rather than in meaning. Anyone know which of dha/dheth (do/de) is more emphatic or to which dialects they belong?

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