Fòram na Gàidhlig

litir gu caraid - a letter to a friend

<ainm> chòir - dear <name>
.....
Mar sin leat / Tìoraidh an-dràsda /... - Bye / Cheers / ...

litir foirmeil - a formal letter

? - Dear Mr/Mrs/Ms <name>
? - Dear Sirs (a bheil a' Bheurla ceart?)

Le deagh gach dùrachd - Yours sincerely

Mr = Mgr (Maighstir)
Mrs = A' Mh (A' Mhaighdeann)

So,

Mgr <name> toigh?
A' Mh <name> toigh?

Sir = Ridire

I'm probably wrong though.

Informally I'd address people using "X a charaid", i.e.

Màiri a charaid,

Then sign off with tìoraidh an-dràsta no chì mi a-rithist thu, bruidhinnidh mi riut a-rithist, gach beannachd, le deagh dhùrachd....

Very formal forms of address I might get my knickers in a twist with so I'll leave it to those on the board who can write Gàidhlig better than me

*Alasdair* wrote:Mr = Mgr (Maighstir)
Mrs = A' Mh (A' Mhaighdeann)

So,

Mgr <name> toigh?
A' Mh <name> toigh?

Sir = Ridire

I'm probably wrong though.

Mrs is actually A' Bh. Ph. (A' Bhean Phòsta), A' Mh. is Miss

I end a formal letter with:

Leis Gach Dèagh Dhùrachd

Stìophan wrote:Leis Gach Dèagh Dhùrachd

If you'll forgive me nitpicking "deagh" doesn't have an accent

Coinneach Cìr wrote:Informally I'd address people using "X a charaid", i.e.

Màiri a charaid,

Don't forget the vocative when you're addressing someone:

A Mhàiri, a charaid
A Mhàiri chòir
A Choinnich

Tapadh leibh!

eideard wrote:

Coinneach Cìr wrote:Informally I'd address people using "X a charaid", i.e.

Màiri a charaid,

Don't forget the vocative when you're addressing someone:

A Mhàiri, a charaid
A Mhàiri chòir
A Choinnich

I've seldom, if ever seen vocative used with a name which is followed by "a charaid", I know little about grammar but I think its the 'a charaid' that contains the vocative. I have had correspondence addressed to me as A Choinnich chòir (I think) which seems spot on....

I've seldom, if ever seen vocative used with a name which is followed by "a charaid", I know little about grammar but I think its the 'a charaid' that contains the vocative. I have had correspondence addressed to me as A Choinnich chòir (I think) which seems spot on....

I'm not sure what you mean by "seldom", but Scottish Gaelic requires the vocative whenever you're addressing someone, or even something. Yes, "a charaid" is in the vocative, but in your example "Màiri a charaid", if you took the "a charaid" away you'd be left with Màiri, which isn't correct.

You wouldn't say " Seumas a charaid", it would be "A Sheumais, a charaid."

You can check this out in Ronald Black's intimidating book "Cothrom Ionnsachaidh", page 173.

He gives "A Dhomhnaill, a charaid" where A Dh.... is the vocative of Dòmhnall.

Intimidating indeed, I have the book and didn't find it

Tapadh leat airson aireamh na duilleige

Seo mo bheachd:

Hi a Mhàiri informal

A Mhàiri a charaid kinda informal

A Mhàiri chòire kinda formal

A Bh Ph. very formal

eideard wrote:I'm not sure what you mean by "seldom"

Oh dear, how ironic that I'm posting on a Gaelic forum explaining my choice of English words. What I meant was I cannot ever recall seeing those 2 vocatives as it were written side by side at the start of a letter. In fact I can remember writing "Coinneach a charaid" or similar while I was an undergraduate student at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig during a class on letter writing and the lecturer did not (if memory serves me correctly) correct what I handed in. I have written using that form of address from then on (I couldn't really write Gaelic before I went to Sabhal Mòr) so for a period of about 4 years nobody has told me that I was wrong until now which I find surprising. That doesn't of course make me correct.

eideard wrote:Scottish Gaelic requires the vocative whenever you're addressing someone, or even something. Yes, "a charaid" is in the vocative, but in your example "Màiri a charaid", if you took the "a charaid" away you'd be left with Màiri, which isn't correct.

Being a native speaker who has explained at length to a non Gaelic speaking friend called Mhairi why her name was grammatically wrong (in the nicest way possible) I am well aware of the need to use the vocative.
I do not accept your example as if I took away the "a charaid" I would address someone called Màiri as "a Mhàiri" because there is no vocative anywhere in the sentence. I checked with my boss in the office (also a native Gaelic speaker) who says that naturally she would say "A Choinnich a Charaid" but considering I've been addressing emails to her as "Sìne a charaid" as opposed to "A Shìne a charaid" for the past 3 and a half years it can't have troubled her that much.

eideard wrote:You can check this out in Ronald Black's intimidating book "Cothrom Ionnsachaidh", page 173.

He gives "A Dhòmhnaill, a charaid" where A Dh.... is the vocative of Dòmhnall.

I'm sure he does. I avoid grammar as much as possible

Coinneach Cìr wrote:

Stìophan wrote:Leis Gach Dèagh Dhùrachd

If you'll forgive me nitpicking "deagh" doesn't have an accent

I realised that after I typed it, but forgot to edit it!

Related question (and I should know this):
How do you put a full name into the vocative? Do all name elements go into the vocative, or just one?

eg Nìall Nìall Néill -> Néill Néill Néill?

Níall Beag wrote:Related question (and I should know this):
How do you put a full name into the vocative? Do all name elements go into the vocative, or just one?

eg Nìall Nìall Néill -> Néill Néill Néill?

Yes, all elements change:

Aonghas MacLeòid > Aonghais MhicLeòid
Coinneach Rothach > a Choinnich Rothaich

Although female names only change for the first name:
[because female names don't slenderise in the vocative]

Catrìona NicAoidh > a Chatrìona NicAoidh
Màiri Mhoireasdan > a Mhàiri Mhoireasdan