Fòram na Gàidhlig

Hi all,

I am sort of new to these forums and Gaelic learning and have a question that has been burning for a while.
I know that the word 'am flat' is masculine and that in the genitive lenition should occur so would that mean it would become; 'an fhlat'?

Such as in the phrase; Buidheann an fhlat - the group the of the flat?


Thank you all,

A

Yep. Masculine nouns exhibit the same lenition in the genitive as in the dative. There is also a general rule that they slenderise a final broad vowel sound as in an cat -> a' chait, but that is not indicated in Am Faclair Beag, so I'd say that an fhlat is correct.

http://www.faclair.com/?txtSearch=flat

cf

http://www.faclair.com/?txtSearch=cat

It's in a way a bad example because it's a recent loanword and doesn't necessarily follow the same/right rules. But even historically, some words don't show inflection for the genitive. In terms of lenition, with f in loanwords that seems to be a bit of a thorny issue so avoiding flat as a loanword and using furan, buidheann + furan would indeed yield buidheann an fhurain.

I wondered about the recent loanword thing, but does it not also mean 'saucer'...? Did it acquire both meanings at the same time?

Hard to prove but I would say that 'saucer' is way older than 'flat' given its prevalence in SW Argyll.

"Tha mi a' fuireach ann an saucer"?

"Treòraich mi gu do cheannard!"

'S e cuspair inseanach a th'ann. I'm happy to accept that "flat" is a borrowed word and this raises the question of
whether or to what extent such words should follow perceived conventions. I would say also there may be a question as to whether the consonant combination "fl" at the start of a Gàidhlig word would trigger lenition. I'm off to do some
research into initial clusters and I'll let you know how I get on.

fl can be lenited in general, e.g. in "A Fhleasgaich Oig Is Ceanalta"



And that CD sleeve could go on Sùil air a' mhearachd

The only ones you cannot lenite are:
st(r) sg sp sm