144
SELF-INSTRUCTION IN IRISH.
8. How
could
you know a
7ioun?
9.
It is
easy
for
a
person
to
know it
;
for the
7iame
of every
thing
that is created,
or
of
which
we can form a notion (it)
is
a noun;
for example,
the names of men and women, as
Achille's, Augustine,
Alexander, ^neas, or Kevin, Cormac, Edmund,. Amilia,
Angelica,
or
Barbara, Blathny, or Kate
;
or again the
names that appertain to men or to
women, in relation
to
their
duty or
in relation
to
their state,—such as father, mother,
sister and brother,
porter,
poet,
monk
;
or
the names of brutes
—
horse, mare,
filly,
bull
;
in one word,
the name
ofeverything
created, or
of which we can form
a
notion (it) is
a noun. 10.
How many genders in it (are there)
? 11.
There are only
two genders, that is, the
masculine
and
feminine
: and
since
from nature there are only two sexes (amongfet) mankind,
male and female,
in like manner,
nouns have
only
two
genders, masculine and feminine; 12. Oh,
I
know
well
that there are
only
two genders when we
speak
of those
names which present
to
our minds (ideas of
)
things living
;
but when we
treat of the names of things
that
are not living,
in what manner
will
we have
a
knowledge
of the
gender
of
the noun,
when the object is devoid of sex
?
1
3. 1
shall give
you
a
knowledge of
that
at another time, I have not
leisure
to-day. 14. At a
certain
time to
come, you and I shall be
together, and
we
shall
have a
conversation
on this subject.
15. Let it be so.
16. But
stay: you have
not told me
a
word of
the
manner
in
which a
young
man can
obtain
readily a knowledge
(of the grammatical meaning) of
every
word that occurs to
him in discourse. 17. Withal we shall
have an opportunity
for
that
on another occasion
;
I have
not
leisure just now.
I
am obliged
to
depart, the
bell
is
tolling;.
SEVENTEENTH LESSON—
EXERCISE
XXIX.—21M
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3M;'ltU52lb
211« nCTO,
1. Ceut) xr)]\e
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a
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a
b-vu^l
iu?
2.
Civ
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bujóeACAf
oujc. 3. C<v
b|tóiO
oitn?