Manx language
Manx | |
---|---|
Manx Gaelic | |
Gaelg Gailck | |
Pronunciation | |
Native to | Isle of Man |
Ethnicity | Manx |
Extinct | 27 December 1974 (death of Ned Maddrell)[1] |
Revival |
|
Early forms | |
Dialects |
|
Official status | |
Official language in | Isle of Man |
Regulated by | Coonceil ny Gaelgey (Manx Language Advisory Council) |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-1 | gv |
ISO 639-2 | glv |
ISO 639-3 | glv |
ISO 639-6 | glvx (historical) |
Glottolog | manx1243 |
ELP | Manx |
Linguasphere | 50-AAA-aj |
Manx is classified as Critically Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger[3] | |
Person | Manninagh |
---|---|
People | Manninee |
Language | Ghlare Vanninagh (Manninish) Ghlare Chowree |
Country | Isle of Man (Mannin, Ellan Vannin) |
Manx (
Although few children native to the Isle of Man speak Manx as a first language, there has been a steady increase in the number of speakers since the death of Ned Maddrell in 1974. He was considered to be the last speaker to grow up in a Manx-speaking community environment. Despite this, the language has never fallen completely out of use, with a minority having some knowledge of it as a heritage language, and it is still an important part of the island's culture and cultural heritage.
Manx is often cited as a good example of
Names
In Manx
The
To distinguish it from the two other forms of Gaelic, the phrases Gaelg/Gailck Vannin "Gaelic of Mann" and Gaelg/Gailck Vanninnagh "Manx Gaelic" are also used. In addition, the nickname Çhengey ny Mayrey "the mother tongue, lit. the mother's tongue" is occasionally used.
In English
The language is usually referred to in English as "Manx". The term "Manx Gaelic" is often used, for example when discussing the relationship between the three Goidelic languages (Irish, Scottish Gaelic, and Manx) or to avoid confusion with Manx English, the form of English spoken on the island. A feature of Manx English deriving from Gaelic is the use of the definite article, e.g. "the Manx", "the Gaelic", in ways not generally seen in standard English.[5]
The word "Manx", often spelled historically as "Manks" (particularly by natives of the island), means "Mannish" and originates from Old Norse *manskr.[6] The Isle of Man is named after the Irish god Manannán mac Lir, thus Ellan Vannin ("Mannanán's Island", Irish: Oileán Mhannanáin "Mannanán's Island").[7]
History
Manx is a Goidelic language, closely related to Irish and Scottish Gaelic. On the whole it is partially mutually intelligible with these, and native speakers of one find it easy to gain passive, and even spoken, competency in the other two.
It has been suggested that a little-documented
The basis of the modern Manx language is Primitive Irish (like modern Irish and Scottish Gaelic). The island either lends its name to or takes its name from Manannán, the Brythonic and Gaelic sea god who is said in myth to have once ruled the island. Primitive Irish is first attested in Ogham inscriptions from the 4th century AD. These writings have been found throughout Ireland and the west coast of Great Britain. Primitive Irish transitioned into Old Irish through the 5th century. Old Irish, dating from the 6th century, used the Latin script and is attested primarily in marginalia to Latin manuscripts, but there are no extant examples from the Isle of Man.
Latin was used for ecclesiastical records from the establishment of Christianity in the Isle of Man in the 5th century AD. Many lexical items concerning religion, writing and record keeping entered Manx at this time.
The Isle of Man was conquered by Norse Vikings in the 9th century. Although there is some evidence in the form of runic inscriptions that Norse was used by some of these settlers, the Vikings who settled around the Irish Sea and West Coast of Scotland soon became Gaelic speaking Norse–Gaels. During the 9th century AD, the Gaelic of the inhabitants of the Isle of Man, like those Scotland and the North of Ireland, may have been significantly influenced by Norse speakers. While Norse had very little impact on the Manx language overall,[9][10] a small number of modern place names on the Isle Of Man are Norse in origin, e.g. Laxey (Laksaa) and Ramsey (Rhumsaa). Other Norse legacies in Manx include loanwords and personal names.
By the 10th century, it is supposed that Middle Irish had emerged and was spoken throughout Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man.
The island came under Scottish rule in 1266, and alternated between Scottish and English rule until finally becoming the feudal possession of the Stanley family in 1405. It is likely that until that point, except for scholarly knowledge of Latin and courtly use of Anglo-Norman, Manx was the only language spoken on the island. Since the establishment of the Stanleys on the Isle of Man, first Anglo-Norman and later the English language have been the chief external factors in the development of Manx, until the 20th century, when Manx speakers became able to access Irish and Scottish Gaelic media.
Manx had diverged considerably from the Gaelic languages of Scotland and Ireland between 1400 and 1900. The 17th century Plantation of Ulster, the decline of Irish in Leinster and the extinction of Galloway Gaelic led to the geographic isolation of Manx from other dialects of Gaelic. The development of a separate orthography also led Manx to diverge from Irish and Scottish Gaelic.[9]
In the 17th century, some university students left the Isle of Man to attend school in England. At the same time, teaching in English was required in schools founded by governor Isaac Barrow. Barrow also promoted the use of English in churches; he considered that it was a superior language for reading the Bible; however, because the majority of ministers were monolingual Manx speakers, his views had little practical impact.[9][10]
Thomas Wilson began his tenure as Bishop of Mann in 1698 and was succeeded by Mark Hildesley. Both men held positive views of Manx; Wilson was the first person to publish a book in Manx, a translation of The Principles and Duties of Christianity (Coyrie Sodjey), and Hildesley successfully promoted the use of Manx as the language of instruction in schools. The New Testament was first published in Manx in 1767. In the late 18th century, nearly every school was teaching in English. This decline continued into the 19th century, as English gradually became the primary language spoken on the Isle of Man.[9][10]
In 1848, J.G. Cumming wrote, "there are ... few persons (perhaps none of the young) who speak no English." Henry Jenner estimated in 1874 that about 30% of the population habitually spoke Manx (12,340 out of a population of 41,084). According to official census figures, 9.1% of the population claimed to speak Manx in 1901; in 1921 the percentage was only 1.1%.[11] Since the language was used by so few people, it had low linguistic "prestige", and parents tended to not teach Manx to their children, thinking it would be useless to them compared with English.[10]
Revival
Following the decline in the use of Manx during the 19th century,
In 2009, UNESCO's Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger declared Manx an extinct language, despite the presence of hundreds of speakers on the Isle of Man.[15] Since then, UNESCO's classification of the language has changed to "critically endangered".[12]
In the 2011 census, 1,823 out of 80,398 Isle of Man residents, or 2.27% of the population, claimed to have knowledge of Manx,[16] an increase of 134 people from the 2001 census.[17] These individuals were spread roughly uniformly over the island: in Douglas 566 people professed an ability to speak, read or write Manx; 179 in Peel, 146 in Onchan, and 149 in Ramsey.[16]
Traditional Manx given names have experienced a marked resurgence on the island, especially Moirrey and Voirrey (Mary), Illiam (
Estimated number of speakers by year
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
Year | Manx speakers | Isle of Man population |
Ref. | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Total | Of Manx population | |||
1874 | 16,200 | 30% | 54,000 (1871) | [11] |
1901 | 4,419 | 8.07% | 54,752 | [19] |
1911 | 2,382 | 4.58% | 52,016 | [19] |
1921 | 915 | 1.52% | 60,284 | [19] |
1931 | 529 | 1.07% | 49,308 | [19] |
1951 | 355 | 0.64% | 50,253 | [19] |
1961 | 165 | 0.34% | 48,133 | [11] |
1971 | 284 | 0.52% | 54,481 | [citation needed] |
1974 | Last native speaker dies | [11] | ||
1991 | 643 | 0.90% | 71,267 | [20] |
2001 | 1,500 | 1.95% | 78,266 | [21] |
2011 | 1,650 | 1.97% | 84,497 | [22] |
2015 | 1,800 | 2% | 88,000 | [12] |
2021 | 2,223 | 2.64% | 84,069 | [23] |
Status
This section needs additional citations for verification. (March 2023) |
Manx is not officially recognised by any national or regional government, although its contribution to Manx culture and tradition is acknowledged by some governmental and non-governmental bodies.
The Standing Orders of the House of Keys provide that: "The proceedings of the House shall be in English; but if a Member at any point pronounces a customary term or sentence in Manx Gaelic or any other language, the Speaker may call upon the Member for a translation."[24] An example was at the sitting on 12 February 2019, when an MHK used the expression boghtnid,[25] stated to mean "nonsense".[26][27]
Manx is used in the annual Tynwald ceremony and Manx words are used in official Tynwald publications.[28]
For the purpose of strengthening its contribution to local culture and community, Manx is recognised under the
The Isle of Man comprised the one site for the Manx language in the Atlas Linguarum Europae, a project that compared dialects and languages across all countries in Europe.[29]
Manx is taught as a second language at all of the island's primary and secondary schools. The lessons are optional and instruction is provided by the
The Bunscoill Ghaelgagh, a primary school at St John's, has 67 children, as of September 2016, who receive nearly all of their education through the medium of the language. Children who have attended the school have the opportunity to receive some of their secondary education through the language at Queen Elizabeth II High School in Peel.
The playgroup organisation
Bilingual road, street, village and town boundary signs are common throughout the Isle of Man. All other road signs are in English only.
Business signage in Manx is gradually being introduced but is not mandated by law; however, the 1985 Tynwald Report on the use of Manx states that signage should be bilingual except where a Manx phrase is the norm.
Classification and dialects
Manx is one of the three
Similarities and differences with Irish and Scottish Gaelic
Manx and Scottish Gaelic share the partial loss of phonemic
Medial and final *⟨bh, mh⟩ have generally become /u/ and /w/ in Manx, thus shiu 'you pl.' (Irish and Scottish Gaelic sibh; Lewis Gaelic siù), sharroo "bitter" (Scottish searbh /ˈʃɛɾˠɛv/, Irish searbh (Northern/Western) /ʃaɾˠu/, (Southern) /ʃaɾˠəβˠ/), awin "river" (Scottish abhainn /aviɲ/, Irish abhainn (Northern) /oːn̠ʲ/) (Western) /aun̠ʲ/ (Southern) /aunʲ/, laaue "hand" (Scottish làmh /l̪ˠaːvˠ/, Irish lámh (Northern) /l̪ˠæːw/, (Western) /l̪ˠɑːw/, (Southern) /l̪ˠɑːβˠ/), sourey "summer" (Scottish samhradh /saurəɣ/, Irish samhradh (Northern) /sˠauɾˠu/, (Western/Southern) /sˠauɾˠə/). Rare retentions of the older pronunciation of ⟨bh⟩ include Divlyn, Divlin "Dublin", Middle Irish Duibhlind /d̪uβʲlʲin̠ʲː/.
Moreover, similarly to Munster Irish, historical ⟨bh⟩ ([βʲ]) and ⟨mh⟩ (nasalised [βʲ]) tend to be lost word medially or finally in Manx, either with compensatory lengthening or vocalisation as [u] resulting in diphthongisation with the preceding vowel, e.g. geurey "winter" [ˈɡʲeurə, -uːrə] (Irish geimhreadh (Southern) [ˈɟiːɾʲə]) and sleityn "mountains" [ˈsleːdʒən] (Irish sléibhte (Southern) [ˈʃlʲeːtʲə]).[34] Another similarity to Munster Irish is the development of the Old Irish diphthongs [ai oi] before velarised consonants (⟨ao⟩ in Irish and Scottish Gaelic) to [eː], as in seyr "carpenter" [seːr] and keyl "narrow" [keːl] (Irish and Scottish saor and caol).[35]
Like
Unstressed Middle Irish word-final syllable [iʝ] (-⟨(a)idh, (a)igh⟩) has developed to [iː] (-⟨ee⟩) in Manx, as in kionnee "buy" (cf. Irish ceannaigh) and cullee "apparatus" (cf. Gaelic culaidh),[38] like Northern/Western Irish and Southern dialects Scottish Gaelic (e.g. Arran, Kintyre).
Another property Manx shares with Ulster Irish and some dialects of Scottish Gaelic is that /a/ rather than /ə/ appears in unstressed syllables before /x/ (⟨agh⟩ in Manx), e.g. jeeragh "straight" [ˈdʒiːrax] (Irish díreach), cooinaghtyn "to remember" [ˈkuːnʲaxt̪ən] (Scottish Gaelic cuimhneachd).[39]
Like Southern and Western Irish and Northern Scottish Gaelic, but unlike the geographically closer varieties of
Another similarity with Southern Irish is the treatment of Middle Irish word-final unstressed [əð] (-⟨(e)adh⟩ in Irish and Scottish Gaelic). In nouns (including verbal nouns), this became [ə] in Manx, as it did in Southern Irish, e.g. caggey "war" [ˈkaːɣə], moylley "to praise" [ˈmɔlə] (cf. Irish cogadh and moladh (Southern Irish) [ˈkɔɡə] and [ˈmˠɔl̪ˠə]).[41] In finite verb forms before full nouns (as opposed to pronouns) [əð] became [ax] in Manx, as in Southern Irish, e.g. voyllagh [ˈvɔlax] "would praise" (cf. Irish mholfadh (Southern Irish) [ˈβˠɔl̪ˠhəx]).[42]
Dialects
Linguistic analysis of the last few dozen native speakers reveals a number of
and surrounding areas.In Southern Manx, older ⟨á⟩, and in some cases ⟨ó⟩, became [æː]. In Northern Manx the same happened, but ⟨á⟩ sometimes remained [aː] as well, e.g. laa "day" (cf. Irish lá) was [læː] in the South but [læː] or [laː] in the North. Old ⟨ó⟩ is always [æː] in both dialects, e.g. aeg "young" (cf. Irish óg) is [æːɡ] in both dialects.[43] ⟨á, ó⟩ and lengthened ⟨a⟩ before ⟨rt, rd, rg⟩ became /œː/, as in paayrt '"part" /pœːrt/, ard "high" /œːrd/, jiarg "red" /dʒœːrɡ/, argid "money, silver" /œːrɡid/ and aarey "gold gen." /œːrə/.
In Northern Manx, older ⟨(e)a⟩ before ⟨nn⟩ in the same syllable is diphthongised, while in Southern Manx it is lengthened but remains a monophthong, e.g. kione "head" (cf. Irish ceann) is [kʲaun] in the North but [kʲoːn] in the South.[44]
Words with ⟨ua⟩, and in some cases ⟨ao⟩, in Irish and Scottish are spelled with ⟨eay⟩ in Manx. In Northern Manx, this sound was [iː], while in Southern Manx it was [ɯː], [uː], or [yː], e.g. geay "wind" (cf. Irish gaoth) is [ɡiː] in the north and [ɡɯː] in the South, while geayl "coal" (cf. Irish gual) is [ɡiːl] in the North and [ɡyːl], [ɡɯːl], or [ɡuːl] in the South.[45]
In both the North and the South, there is a tendency to insert a short [d] before a word-final [n] in monosyllabic words, as in [sleᵈn] for slane "whole" and [beᵈn] for ben "woman". This is known as
Southern Manx tended to lose word-initial [ɡ] before [lʲ], which was usually preserved in the North, e.g. glion "glen" and glioon "knee" are and [lʲɔᵈn] and [lʲuːᵈn] in the South but [ɡlʲɔᵈn] and [ɡlʲuːn] in the North.[47]
In modern times, the small size of the island and the improvement in communications precludes any regional dialect variations.
Phonology
Stress
Stress generally falls on the first syllable of a word in Manx, but in many cases, stress is attracted to a long vowel in the second syllable.[48] Examples include:
- buggane /bəˈɣæːn/ "sprite"
- tarroogh /t̪aˈruːx/ "busy"
- reeoil /riːˈoːl/ "royal"
- vondeish /vonˈd̪eːʃ/ "advantage"
Consonants
The consonant phoneme inventory of Manx:[49]
Labial | Dental | Alveolar | Post- alveolar |
Palatal | Palato- velar |
Velar | Glottal | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Plosive | p | b | t̪ |
d̪
|
tʲ | dʲ | kʲ | ɡʲ | k | ɡ | ||||||
Fricative | f | v | s | ʃ | xʲ | ɣʲ | x | ɣ | h | |||||||
Nasal
|
m | n
|
nʲ | ŋʲ | ŋ | |||||||||||
Trill | r
|
|||||||||||||||
Lateral | l
|
lʲ | ||||||||||||||
Semivowel | j | w |
The
Manx has an optional process of lenition of plosives between vowels, where voiced plosives and voiceless fricatives become voiced fricatives and voiceless plosives become either voiced plosives or voiced fricatives. This process introduces the allophones [β ð z ʒ]. The voiced fricative [ʒ] may be further lenited to [j], and [ɣ] may disappear altogether. Examples include:[50]
Voiceless plosive to voiced plosive:
- /t̪/ > [d̪]: brattag [ˈbrad̪aɡ] "flag, rag"
- /k/ > [ɡ]: peccah [ˈpɛɡə] "sin"
Voiceless plosive to voiced fricative:
- /p/ > [v]: cappan [ˈkavan] "cup"
- /t̪/ > [ð]: baatey [ˈbɛːðə] "boat"
- /k/ > [ɣ]: feeackle [ˈfiːɣəl] "tooth"
Voiced plosive to voiced fricative:
- /b/ > [v]: cabbyl [ˈkaːvəl] "horse"
- /d̪/ > [ð]: eddin [ˈɛðənʲ] "face"
- /dʲ/ > [ʒ]: padjer [ˈpaːʒər] "prayer"
- /dʲ/ > [ʒ] > [j]: maidjey [ˈmaːʒə, -jə] "stick"
- /ɡ/ > [ɣ]: ruggit [ˈroɣət] "born"
Voiceless fricative to voiced fricative:
- /s/ > [ð] or [z]: poosit [ˈpuːðitʲ/ˈpuːzitʲ] "married"
- /s/ > [ð]: shassoo [ˈʃaːðu] "stand"
- /ʃ/ > [ʒ]: aashagh [ˈɛːʒax] "easy"
- /ʃ/ > [ʒ] > [j]: toshiaght [ˈt̪ɔʒax, -jax] "beginning"
- /x/ > [ɣ]: beaghey [ˈbɛːɣə] "live"
- /x/ > [ɣ] > ∅: shaghey [ʃaː] "past"
Another optional process is
- /m/ > [ᵇm]: trome /t̪roːm/ > [t̪roᵇm] "heavy"
- /n/ > [ᵈn]: kione /kʲoːn/ > [kʲoᵈn] "head"
- /nʲ/ > [ᵈnʲ]: ein /eːnʲ/ > [eːᵈnʲ], [eᵈnʲ] "birds"
- /ŋ/ > [ᶢŋ]: lhong /loŋ/ > [loᶢŋ] "ship"
- /l/ > [ᵈl]: shooyll /ʃuːl/ > [ʃuːᵈl] "walking"
The trill /r/ is realised as a one- or two-contact
- ribbey "snare" [ˈɾibə]
- arran "bread" [ˈaɾan]
- mooar "big" [muːr], [muːɹ̝], [muːə̯], [muː]
Vowels
The vowel phoneme inventory of Manx:[54]
Front | Central | Back | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Short | Long | Short | Long | Short | Long | |
Close | i | iː | u | uː | ||
Mid | e | eː | ə | øː | o | oː |
Open | æ | æː | a | aː | ɔ | ɔː |
The status of [æ] and [æː] as separate phonemes is debatable, but is suggested by the allophony of certain words such as ta "is", mraane "women", and so on. An alternative analysis is that Manx has the following system, where the vowels /a/ and /aː/ have allophones ranging from [ɛ]/[ɛː] through [æ]/[æː] to [a]/[aː]. As with Irish and Scottish Gaelic, there is a large amount of vowel allophony, such as that of /a/, /aː/. This depends mainly on the 'broad' and 'slender' status of the neighbouring consonants:
Phoneme | "Slender" | "Broad" |
---|---|---|
/i/, /iː/ | [i], [iː] | [ɪ], [ɪː] |
/e/, /eː/ | [e]/[eː] | [ɛ]/[ɛː] |
/a/, /aː/ | [ɛ~æ]/[ɛː~æː] | [a]/[aː]/[øː] |
/ə/ | [ɨ] | [ə] |
/əi/ (Middle Gaelic) | [iː] | [ɛː], [ɯː], [ɪː] |
/o/, /oː/ | [o], [oː] | [ɔ], [ɔː] |
/u/, /uː/ | [u], [uː] | [ø~ʊ], [uː] |
/uə/ (Middle Gaelic) | [iː], [yː] | [ɪː], [ɯː], [uː] |
When stressed, /ə/ is realised as [ø].[55]
Manx has a relatively large number of
Second element | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
/i/ | /u/ | /ə/ | ||
First element |
Close | ui | iə, uə | |
Mid | ei, əi, oi | eu, əu | ||
Open | ai | au |
Grammar
Syntax
Like most
main verb
Hug
put-PRET
yn
the
subject
saggyrt
priest
e
his
direct object
laue
hand
urree.
on her
"The priest put his hand on her."[57]
aux. verb
Va
were
ny
the
subject
eayin
lambs
main verb
gee
eat-V.N.
yn
the
direct object
conney.
gorse
"The lambs used to eat the gorse."[58]
Cha
not
modal verb
jarg
can
subject
shiu
you-PL
main verb
fakin
see-V.N.
direct object
red erbee.
anything
"You can't see anything."[59]
When the auxiliary verb is a form of jannoo ("do"), the direct object precedes the verbal noun and is connected to it with the particle y:
aux. verb
Ren
did
subject
ad
they
direct object
my choraa
my voice
y
PTCL
main verb
chlashtyn.
hear-V.N.
"They heard my voice."[60]
As in Irish (cf.
t'
is
eh
it
agglagh
awful/frightening
"It is awful/frightening."
t'
is
eh
he
dy mie
well
"He is well"
Where the predicate is a noun, it must be converted to a prepositional phrase headed by the preposition in ("in") + possessive pronoun (agreeing with the subject) in order for the substantive verb to be grammatical:
Otherwise, the copula is used when the predicate is a noun. The copula itself takes the form is or she in the present tense, but it is often omitted in affirmative statements:
In questions and negative sentences, the present tense of the copula is nee:
Morphology
Initial consonant mutations
Like all modern Celtic languages, Manx shows
Unmutated | Lenition | Eclipsis | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sp. | IPA | Sp. | IPA | Sp. | IPA |
p | /p/ | ph | /f/ | b | /b/[65] |
t(h) | /t̪/ | h | /h/, /x/ | d(h) | /d̪/ |
çh | /tʲ~tɕ/ | h | /h/, /xʲ/ | j | /dʲ/[65] |
c, k | /kʲ/ | ch | /xʲ/ | g | /ɡʲ/[65] |
c, k qu |
/k/ /kw/ |
ch wh |
/x/, /h/ /hw/ |
g gu |
/ɡ/ |
b bw |
/b/ /bw/ |
b w |
/v/ /w/ |
m mw |
/m/[65] /mw/[65] |
d(h) | /d̪/ | gh | /ɣ/, /w/ | n | /n/[65] |
j | /dʲ~dʑ/ | gh, y | /ɣʲ/, /j/ | n | /nʲ/ |
g | /ɡʲ/ | gh, y | /ɣʲ/, /j/ | ng | /ŋ/?[65] |
m mw |
/m/ /mw/ |
v w |
/v/ /w/ |
— | |
f fw |
/f/ /fw/ |
∅ wh |
∅ /hw/ |
v w |
/v/[65] /w/[65] |
s sl sn |
/s/ /sl/ /snʲ/ |
h l n |
/h/ /l/ /nʲ/ |
— | |
sh | /ʃ/ | h | /h/, /xʲ/ | — |
In the corpus of the late spoken language, there is also one example of the eclipsis (nasalisation) of /ɡ/: the sentence Ta mee er ngeddyn yn eayn ("I have found the lamb"), where ⟨ng⟩ is pronounced /n/. However, probably this was a mis-transcription; the verbal noun in this case is not geddyn "get, fetch", but rather feddyn "find".[66]
Nouns
Manx nouns display gender, number and sometimes case, for instance, for feminine cass "foot".
Singular | Plural | |
---|---|---|
Nominative | cass | cassyn |
Vocative | chass | chassyn |
Genitive | coshey | cassyn |
Pronouns
In addition to regular forms, personal pronouns also have emphatic versions.
Regular | Emphatic | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Singular | 1st person | mee | mish | |
2nd person | oo | uss | ||
3rd person |
masculine | eh | eshyn | |
feminine | ee | ish | ||
Plural | 1st person | shin | shinyn | |
2nd person | shiu | shiuish | ||
3rd person | ad | adsyn |
Verbs
Manx verbs generally form their
Tense | Periphrastic form (literal translation) |
Inflected form | Gloss |
---|---|---|---|
Present | ta mee tilgey (I am throwing) |
– | I throw |
Imperfect | va mee tilgey (I was throwing) |
– | I was throwing |
Perfect | ta mee er jilgey (I am after throwing)[68] |
– | I have thrown |
Pluperfect | va mee er jilgey (I was after throwing)[68] |
– | I had thrown |
Preterite | ren mee tilgey (I did throwing) |
hilg mee | I threw |
Future | neeym tilgey (I will do throwing) |
tilgym | I will throw |
Conditional | yinnin tilgey (I would do throwing) |
hilgin | I would throw |
Imperative | jean tilgey (Do throwing!) |
tilg | Throw! |
Past participle | – | tilgit | thrown |
The fully inflected forms of the regular verb tilgey "to throw" are as follows. In addition to the forms below, a past participle may be formed using -it: tilgit "thrown".
Tense | Independent | Dependent | Relative |
---|---|---|---|
Preterite | hilg | (same as independent) | |
Future | tilgym[1], tilgmayd[2], tilgee[3] | dilgym[1], dilgmayd[2], dilgee[3] | tilgys |
Conditional | tilgin[1], tilgagh[3] | dilgin[1], dilgagh[3] | |
Imperative | tilg[4], tilg-jee[5] | (same as independent) |
1.^ First person singular, making the use of a following subject pronoun redundant
2.^ First person plural, making the use of a following subject pronoun redundant
3.^ Used with all other persons, meaning an accompanying subject must be stated, e.g. tilgee eh "he will throw", tilgee ad "they will throw"
4.^ Singular subject.
5.^ Plural subject.
There are a few peculiarities when a verb begins with a vowel, i.e. the addition of d' in the preterite and n' in the future and conditional dependent. Below is the conjugation of aase "to grow".
There is a small number of irregular verbs, the most irregular of all being ve "be".
Form | Independent | Dependent | Relative |
---|---|---|---|
Present | ta | vel, nel | – |
Preterite | va | row | – |
Future | bee'm, beemayd, bee | (same as independent) | vees |
Conditional | veign, veagh | beign, beagh | – |
Imperative | bee | (same as independent) | – |
Prepositions
Like the other
1st person | 2nd person | 3rd person | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
singular | plural | singular | plural | singular | plural | ||
masculine | feminine | ||||||
ayns "in" | aynym | ayn, ayndooin | aynyd | ayndiu | ayn | aynjee | ayndoo, ayndaue |
da "to" | dou | dooin | dhyt | diu | da | jee | daue |
ec "at" | aym | ain | ayd | orroo | echey | eck | oc |
er "on" | orrym | orrin | ort | erriu | er | urree | orroo |
lesh "with" | lhiam | lhien | lhiat | lhiu | lesh | lhee | lhieu |
veih, voish "from" | voym | voin | voyd | veue | voish, veih | voee | voue |
Numbers
Numbers are traditionally vigesimal in Manx, e.g. feed "twenty", daeed "forty" ("two twenties"), tree feed "sixty" ("three twenties").
*In the northern dialects of Irish /dʲ tʲ/ may be affricated to [dʒ tʃ] or [dʑ tɕ].[70][71][72]
Orthography
Manx
There is no evidence of Gaelic type being used on the island.
Spelling to sound correspondences
Letter(s) | Phoneme(s) | Examples | |
---|---|---|---|
a | stressed | /a/ /aː/ |
Ghaelgagh, cooinaghtyn padjer, cabbyl |
unstressed | /ə/ /i/ /a/ |
ardnieu, bodjal collaneyn duillag | |
a...e, ia...e | /eː/ | slane, buggane, kiare | |
aa, aa...e | /ɛː/ /øː/ /eːa/ /eː/ /aː/ (north) |
baatey, aashagh faarkey jaagh blaa, aane | |
aai | /ɛi/ | faaie | |
ae | /i/ /ɪ/ /eː/ |
Gaelg Ghaelgagh aeg, aer | |
aew | /au/ | braew | |
ah | /ə/ | peccah | |
ai, ai...e | /aː/ /ai/ /e/ |
maidjey aile paitçhey | |
aiy | /eː/ | faiyr | |
aue | /eːw/ | craue, fraue | |
ay | /eː/ | ayr, kay | |
e | stressed | /e/ /eː/ /ɛ/ /i/ |
ben, veggey mess peccah, eddin chengey |
unstressed | /ə/ | padjer | |
ea | /ɛː/ | beaghey | |
eai | /eː/ | eairk | |
eau, ieau | /uː/ | slieau | |
eay | /eː/ /iː/ (north) /ɯː/, /uː/ or /yː/ (south) |
eayst, cleaysh geay, keayn | |
ee | /iː/ | kionnee, jees | |
eea | /iːə/ /iː/ /jiː/ |
yeeast, keead feeackle, keeagh eeast | |
eei, eey | /iː/ | feeid, dreeym, meeyl | |
ei | /eː/ /e/ /a/ |
sleityn, ein queig geinnagh | |
eih | /ɛː/ | jeih | |
eoie | /øi/ | leoie | |
eu, ieu | /uː/ /eu/ |
geurey ardnieu | |
ey | stressed | /eː/ | seyr, keyl |
unstressed | /ə/ | veggey, collaneyn | |
i | unstressed | /ə/ /i/ |
eddin, ruggit poosit |
ia | /aː/ /a/ /iː/ /iːə/ |
çhiarn, shiaght toshiaght, sniaghtey grian skian | |
ie | /aɪ/ | mie | |
io | /ɔ/ | glion | |
io...e | /au/ (north) /oː/ (south) |
kione | |
o, oi | /ɔ/ or /ɑ/ /ɔː/ or /ɑː/ /o/ /oː/ /u/ |
lhong, toshiaght bodjal, logh, moir vondeish, bolg, bunscoill hoght, reeoil stroin | |
o...e | /ɔː/ /oː/ |
dhone trome | |
oa | /ɔː/ /au/ |
cloan joan | |
oh | /ɔ/ | shoh | |
oie | /ei/ or /iː/ | oie | |
oo, ioo, ooh | /uː/ | shassoo, cooney, glioon, ooh | |
ooa, iooa | /uː/ | mooar | |
ooi | /u/ | mooinjer, cooinaghtyn | |
ooy | /uː/ | shooyl | |
oy | /ɔ/ | moylley, voyllagh | |
u, ui, iu | stressed | /ʊ/ /o/ /ø/ |
bunscoill ruggit, ushag, duillag, fuill lurgey |
unstressed | /ə/ | buggane | |
ua | /uːa/ | y Yuan | |
ue | /u/ | credjue | |
uy | /ɛi/ or /iː/ | nuy | |
wa | /o/ | mwannal | |
y | /ə/ /i/ /ɪ/ /j/ |
cabbyl, sleityn yngyn fys y Yuan, yeeast |
Letter(s) | Phoneme(s) | Examples | |
---|---|---|---|
b, bb | usually | /b/ | bunscoill, ben |
between vowels | /β/ or /v/ | cabbyl | |
c, cc, ck | usually | /k/ | bunscoill, cloan |
between vowels | /ɡ/ /ɣ/ |
peccah, gaccan feeackle, crackan | |
ch | /x/ | cha | |
çh, tçh | /tʃ/ | çhiarn, çhengey, paitçhey | |
d, dd, dh | broad | /d̪/ | keead, ardnieu, tedd, dhone |
slender | /dʲ/ or /dʒ/ | feeid | |
broad, between vowels | /ð/ | eddin, moddey | |
f | /f/ | fys, feeackle | |
g, gg | broad | /ɡ/ | Gaelg, Ghaelgagh |
slender | /ɡʲ/ | geurey, geinnagh | |
between vowels | /ɣ/ | veggey, ruggit | |
gh | usually | /ɣ/ ∅ |
Ghaelgagh, beaghey shaghey |
finally or before t | /x/ | jeeragh, clagh, cooinaghtyn | |
-ght | /x/ | toshiaght, hoght | |
h | /h/ | hoght | |
j, dj | usually | /dʒ/ | mooinjer, jeeragh |
between vowels | /ʒ/ /j/ |
padjer maidjey, fedjag | |
k | broad | /k/ | keyl, eairk |
slender | /kʲ/ | kione, kiare | |
l, ll | broad | /l/ | Gaelg, sleityn, moylley |
slender | /lʲ/ | glion, blein, feill, billey | |
finally, in monosyllabic words (S only) | /ᵈl/ | shooyl | |
-le | /əl/ | feeackle | |
lh | /l/ | lhong | |
m, mm | normally | /m/ | mooinjer, dreeym, famman |
finally, in monosyllabic words (N only) | /ᵇm/ | eeym, trome | |
n | broad | /n/ | bunscoill, cooinaghtyn, ennym |
slender | /nʲ/ | ardnieu, collaneyn, dooinney, geinnagh | |
finally, in monosyllabic words | /ᵈn/ | slane, ben | |
slender, finally, in monosyllabic words | /ᵈnʲ/ | ein | |
ng | usually | /ŋ/ /nʲ/ |
yngyn chengey |
finally, in monosyllabic words (S only) | /ᶢŋ/ | lhong | |
p, pp | usually | /p/ | peccah, padjer |
between vowels | /v/ | cappan | |
qu | /kw/ | queig | |
r, rr | usually | /r/ | geurey, jeeragh, ferrishyn |
finally | [ɹ̝] or [ə̯] | aer, faiyr | |
s, ss | usually | /s/ /z/ |
bunscoill, sleityn, cass fys |
initially before n | /ʃ/ | sniaghtey | |
between vowels | /ð/ /z/ |
shassoo poosit | |
sh | usually | /ʃ/ | shooyl, vondeish |
between vowels | /ʒ/ /j/ |
aashagh, ushag toshiaght | |
-st | /s/ | eayst, eeast | |
t, tt, th | broad | /t̪/ | trome, cooinaghtyn, thalloo |
slender | /tʲ/ or /tʃ/ | poosit, ushtey, tuittym | |
broad, between vowels | /d̪/ /ð/ |
brattag baatey | |
slender, between vowels | /dʲ/ or /dʒ/ | sleityn | |
v | /v/ | veggey, voyllagh | |
w | /w/ | awin |
Diacritics
Manx uses only one diacritic, a cedilla, which is (optionally) used to differentiate between the two phonemes represented by ⟨ch⟩:
- Çhiarn (/ˈt͡ʃaːrn/) "lord", is pronounced with /t͡ʃ/, as in the English "church"
- Chamoo (/xaˈmu/) "nor" or "neither", is pronounced with Scottish English "loch" (/ˈlɒx/) or Irish English"lough" (/ˈlɒx/), a sound commonly represented by ⟨gh⟩ at the ends of words in Manx (and Irish English).
Example
The following examples are taken from Broderick 1984–86, 1:178–79 and 1:350–53. The first example is from a speaker of Northern Manx, the second from Ned Maddrell, a speaker of Southern Manx.
Orthography (+ phonetic transcription) | Gloss |
---|---|
V'ad vod̪ smooinaghtyn ˈsmuːnʲaxt̪ən dy d̪ə beagh biəx cabbyl ˈkaːbəl jeeaghyn dʒiːən skee skiː as as deinagh ˈd̪øinʲax ayns uns y ə voghree ˈvoːxəri dy d̪ə beagh biəx eh e er er ve vi ec ek ny nə ferrishyn ˈferiʃən fud fod̪ ny nə h-oie høi as as beagh biəx ad əd̪ cur kør lesh leʃ yn ən saggyrt ˈsaːɡərt̪ dy d̪ə cur kør e ə vannaght ˈvanax er. er |
They used to think if a horse was looking tired and weary in the morning then it had been with the fairies all night and they would bring the priest to put his blessing on it. |
Va və ben ˈbɛn aynshoh əˈsoː yn ən çhiaghtin ˈtʃaːn chaie ˈkai as as v'ee vai laccal ˈlaːl mish ˈmiʃ dy ði ynsagh ˈjinðax ee i dy ðə gra ˈɡreː yn in Padjer ˈpaːdʒər yn ən Çhiarn. ˈtʃaːrn
‖ Dooyrt d̪ot̪ ee i dy ðə row ˈrau ee i gra ɡreː eh a tra ˈt̪reː v'ee vai inneen iˈnʲin veg, ˈveːɡ
‖ agh ax t'eh t̪e ooilley ˈolʲu jarroodit dʒaˈrud̪ətʃ eck, ek
‖ as as v'ee vei laccal ˈlaːl gynsagh ˈɡʲinðax eh a reesht ˈriːʃ son san dy ðə gra ˈɡreː eh ə ec əɡ vrastyl ˈvraːst̪əl ny nə red ˈrið ennagh. ənax
‖ As as dooyrt ˈd̪ut̪ mish miʃ dy ðə jinnagh ˈdʒinax mee mi jannoo ˈdʒinu my mə share ˈʃeː son san dy ðə cooney ˈkunə lhee lʲei as as ren ˈrenʲ ee i çheet ˈtʃit̪ aynshoh oˈsoː son san dy ðə clashtyn ˈklaːʃtʲən eh, a
‖ as as vel vel oo u laccal ˈlaːl dy ðə clashtyn ˈklaːʃtʲən mee mi dy ðə gra ˈɡreː eh? a
‖ |
There was a woman here last week and she wanted me to teach her to say the Lord's Prayer. She said that she used to say it when she was a little girl, but she has forgotten it all, and she wanted to learn it again to say it at a class or something. And I said I would do my best to help her and she came here to hear it, and do you want to hear me say it? |
Vocabulary
Manx vocabulary is predominantly of Goidelic origin, derived from Old Irish and has cognates in Irish and Scottish Gaelic. However, Manx itself, as well as the languages from which it is derived, borrowed words from other languages, especially Latin, Old Norse, French (particularly Anglo-Norman), and English (both Middle English and Modern English).[75]
The following table shows a selection of nouns from the Swadesh list and indicates their pronunciations and etymologies.
Manx | IPA[69] | English | Etymology[76] |
---|---|---|---|
aane | [eːn] | liver | Goidelic; from Mid.Ir. ae < O.Ir. óa; cf. Ir. ae, Sc.G. adha |
aer | [eːə] | sky | Latin; from O.Ir. aer < L. aër; cf. Ir. aer, Sc.G. adhar |
aile | [ail] | fire | Goidelic; from O.Ir. aingel "very bright"; cf. Ir., Sc.G. aingeal |
ardnieu | [ərd̪ˈnʲeu] | snake | Apparently "highly poisonous" (cf. ard "high", nieu "poison") |
awin | [aunʲ], [ˈawənʲ] | river | Goidelic; from the M.Ir. dative form abainn of aba < O.Ir. abaind aba; cf. Ir. abha/abhainn, dative abhainn, Sc.G. abhainn (literary nominative abha). |
ayr | [ˈæːar] | father | Goidelic; from M.Ir. athair, O.Ir. athir; cf. Ir., Sc.G. athair |
beeal | [biəl] | mouth | Goidelic; from O.Ir. bél; cf. Ir. béal, Sc.G. beul/bial |
beishteig | [beˈʃtʲeːɡ], [prəˈʃtʲeːɡ] | worm | Latin; from M.Ir. piast, péist < O.Ir. bíast < L. bēstia |
ben | [beᵈn] | woman | Goidelic; from M.Ir and O.Ir. ben; cf. Ir., Sc.G. bean |
billey | [ˈbilʲə] | tree | Goidelic; from O.Ir. bile |
blaa | [blæː] | flower | Goidelic; from O.Ir. bláth, Ir. bláth, Sc.G. blàth |
blein | [blʲeːnʲ], [blʲiᵈn] | year | Goidelic; from O.Ir. bliadain; cf. Ir. blian, dat. bliain, Sc.G. bliadhna |
bodjal | [ˈbaːdʒəl] | cloud | English/French; shortened from bodjal niaul "pillar of cloud" (cf. Sc.G. baideal neòil); bodjal originally meant "pillar" or "battlement" < E. battle < Fr. bataille |
bolg | [bolɡ] | belly, bag | Goidelic; from O.Ir. bolg, Ir., Sc.G bolg |
cass | [kaːs] | foot | Goidelic; from O.Ir. cos, cf. Sc.G. cas, Ir.dialect cas, Ir. cos |
çhengey | [ˈtʃinʲə] | tongue | Goidelic; from O.Ir. tengae; cf. Ir., Sc.G. teanga |
clagh | [klaːx] | stone | Goidelic; from O.Ir. cloch; cf. Sc.G. clach, Ir. cloch |
cleaysh | [kleːʃ] | ear | Goidelic; from O.Ir. dative clúais "hearing"; cf. Ir., Sc.G. cluas, dative cluais, Ir. dialect cluais |
collaneyn | [ˈkalinʲən] | guts | Goidelic; from O.Ir. cáelán; cf. Ir. caolán, Sc.G. caolan, derived from caol "thin, slender", -án nominaliser |
crackan | [ˈkraːɣən] | skin | Goidelic; from O.Ir. croiccenn; cf. Ir., Sc.G. craiceann, dialect croiceann |
craue | [kræːw] | bone | Goidelic; from O.Ir. cnám; cf. Ir. cnámh, dative cnáimh, Sc.G. cnàimh |
cree | [kriː] | heart | Goidelic; from O.Ir. cride; cf. Ir. croí, Sc.G. cridhe |
dooinney | [ˈd̪unʲə] | person | Goidelic; from O.Ir. duine, cf. Ir., Sc.G duine |
dreeym | [d̪riːm], [d̪riᵇm] | back | Goidelic; from O.Ir. dative druimm, nominative dromm; cf. Ir. drom, dialect droim, dative droim, Sc.G. drom, dialect druim, dative druim |
duillag | [ˈd̪olʲaɡ] | leaf | Goidelic; from O.Ir. duilleóg; cf. Ir. duilleóg, Sc.G. duilleag |
eairk | [eːak] | horn | Goidelic; from O.Ir. adarc; cf. Ir., Sc.G. adharc, Ir. dialect aidhearc |
eayst | [eːs] | moon | Goidelic; from O.Ir. ésca; cf. archaic Ir. éasca, Sc.G. easga |
eeast | [jiːs] | fish | Goidelic; from O.Ir. íasc; cf. Ir. iasc, Ul. /jiəsk/, Sc.G. iasg |
ennym | [ˈenəm] | name | Goidelic; from O.Ir. ainmm; cf. Ir., Sc.G. ainm |
faarkey | [ˈføːɹkə] | sea | Goidelic; from O.Ir. fairrge; cf. Ir. farraige, Sc.G. fairge |
faiyr | [feːə] | grass | Goidelic; from O.Ir. fér; cf. Ir. féar, Sc.G. feur, fiar |
famman | [ˈfaman] | tail | Goidelic; from O.Ir. femm+ -án nominaliser (masculine diminutive); cf. Ir. feam, Sc.G. feaman |
fedjag | [ˈfaiaɡ] | feather | Goidelic; from O.Ir. eteóc; cf. Ir. eiteog "wing", Sc.G. iteag |
feeackle | [ˈfiːɣəl] | tooth | Goidelic; from O.Ir. fíacail; cf. Ir., Sc.G. fiacail |
feill | [feːlʲ] | meat | Goidelic; from O.Ir. dative feóil; cf. Ir. feoil, Sc.G. feòil |
fer | [fer] | man | Goidelic; from O.Ir. fer; cf. Ir., Sc.G. fear |
fliaghey | [flʲaːɣə] | rain | Goidelic; from O.Ir. flechud; cf. Ir. fleachadh "rainwater; a drenching", related to fliuch "wet" |
folt | [folt̪] | hair | Goidelic; from O.Ir. folt, Ir.folt, Sc.G. falt |
fraue | [fræːw] | root | Goidelic; from O.Ir. frém; cf. Ir. fréamh, préamh, Sc.G. freumh |
fuill | [folʲ] | blood | Goidelic; from O.Ir. fuil, Ir., Sc.G. fuil |
geay | [ɡiː] | wind | Goidelic; from O.Ir. dative gaíth; cf. Ir., Sc.G. gaoth, dative gaoith |
geinnagh | [ˈɡʲanʲax] | sand | Goidelic; from O.Ir. gainmech; cf. Sc.G. gainmheach, Ir. gaineamh |
glioon | [ɡlʲuːnʲ] | knee | Goidelic; from O.Ir. dative glúin; cf. Ir. glúin, Sc.G. glùn, dative glùin |
grian | [ɡriːn], [ɡriᵈn] | sun | Goidelic; from O.Ir. grían; cf. Ir., Sc.G. grian |
jaagh | [ˈdʒæːax] | smoke | Goidelic, from M.Ir. deathach < O.Ir. dé; cf. Sc.G. deathach |
joan | [dʒaun] | dust | Goidelic; from O.Ir. dend; cf. Ir. deannach |
kay | [kʲæː] | fog | Goidelic; from O.Ir. ceó; cf. Ir. ceo, Sc.G. ceò |
keayn | [kiᵈn] | sea | Goidelic; from O.Ir. cúan; cf. Ir. cuan "harbor", Sc.G. cuan "ocean" |
keeagh | [kiːx] | breast | Goidelic; from O.Ir. cíoch; cf. Ir. cíoch, Sc.G. cìoch |
keyll | [kiːlʲ], [kelʲ] | forest | Goidelic; from O.Ir. caill; cf. Ir. coill, Sc.G. coille |
kione | [kʲaun], [kʲoːn] | head | Goidelic; from O.Ir. cend, dative ciond; cf. Ir., Sc.G. ceann, dative cionn |
laa | [læː] | day | Goidelic; from O.Ir. láa; cf. Ir. lá, Sc.G. latha, là |
laue | [læːw] | hand | Goidelic; from O.Ir. lám; cf. Ir. lámh, Sc.G. làmh |
leoie | [løi] | ashes | Goidelic; from O.Ir. dative lúaith; cf. Ir. luaith, Sc.G. luath |
logh | [lɒːx] | lake | Goidelic; from O.Ir. loch |
lurgey | [løɹɡə] | leg | Goidelic; from O.Ir. lurga "shin bone"; cf. Ir. lorga |
maidjey | [ˈmaːʒə] | stick | Goidelic; from O.Ir. maide, Ir., Sc.G. maide |
meeyl | [miːl] | louse | Goidelic; from O.Ir. míol; cf. Ir. míol, Sc.G. mial |
mess | [meːs] | fruit | Goidelic; from O.Ir. mes; cf. Ir., Sc.G. meas |
moddey | [ˈmaːðə] | dog | Goidelic; from O.Ir. matrad; cf. Ir. madra, N.Ir. mada,madadh [madu], Sc.G. madadh |
moir | [mɒːɹ] | mother | Goidelic; from O.Ir. máthir; cf. Ir. máthair, Sc.G. màthair |
mwannal | [ˈmonal] | neck | Goidelic; from O.Ir. muinél; cf. Ir. muineál, muinéal, Sc.G. muineal |
oie | [ei], [iː] | night | Goidelic; from O.Ir. adaig (accusative aidchi); cf. Ir. oíche, Sc.G. oidhche |
ooh | [au], [uː] | egg | Goidelic; from O.Ir. og; cf. Ir. ubh,ugh, Sc.G. ugh |
paitçhey | [ˈpætʃə] | child | French; from E.M.Ir. páitse "page, attendant" < O.Fr. page; cf. Ir. páiste, Sc.G. pàiste |
raad | [ræːd̪], [raːd̪] | road | English; from Cl.Ir. rót,róat< M.E. road; cf. Ir. ród, Sc.G. rathad |
rass | [raːs] | seed | Goidelic; from O.Ir. ros |
rollage | [roˈlæːɡ] | star | Goidelic; from M.Ir. rétlu < O.Ir. rétglu + feminine diminutive suffix -óg; cf. Ir. réaltóg, Sc.G. reultag |
roost | [ruːs] | bark | Brythonic; from O.Ir. rúsc Brythonic (cf. Welsh rhisg(l); cf. Ir. rúsc, Sc.G. rùsg |
skian | [ˈskiːən] | wing | Goidelic; from O.Ir. scíathán; cf. Ir. sciathán, Sc.G. sgiathan |
slieau | [slʲuː], [ʃlʲuː] | mountain | Goidelic, from O.Ir. slíab; cf. Ir., Sc.G. sliabh |
sniaghtey | [ˈʃnʲaxt̪ə] | snow | Goidelic; from O.Ir. snechta; cf. Ir. sneachta, Sc.G. sneachd |
sollan | [ˈsolan] | salt | Goidelic; from O.Ir., Ir., Sc.G. salann |
sooill | [suːlʲ] | eye | Goidelic; from O.Ir. súil; cf. Ir. súil, Sc.G. sùil |
stroin | [st̪ruᵈnʲ], [st̪raiᵈnʲ] | nose | Goidelic; from O.Ir. dative sróin; cf. Ir. srón, dialect sróin, dative sróin, Sc.G. sròn, dative sròin |
tedd | [t̪ed̪] | rope | Goidelic; from O.Ir. tét; cf. Ir. téad, Sc.G. teud, tiad |
thalloo | [ˈtalu] | earth | Goidelic; from O.Ir. talam; cf. Ir., Sc.G. talamh |
ushag | [ˈoʒaɡ] | bird | Goidelic; from O.Ir. uiseóg "lark"; cf. Ir. fuiseog, Sc.G. uiseag |
ushtey | [ˈuʃtʲə] | water | Goidelic; from O.Ir. uisce; cf. Ir. uisce, Sc.G. uisge |
yngyn | [ˈiŋən] | fingernail | Goidelic; from O.Ir. ingen; cf. Ir., Sc.G. ionga, dative iongain, plural Ir. iongna, Sc.G. iongnan, etc. |
See Celtic Swadesh lists for the complete list in all the Celtic languages.
Phrases
Manx (Gaelg) | English (Baarle) |
---|---|
Moghrey mie | Good morning |
Fastyr mie | Good afternoon/evening |
Oie vie | Good night |
Kys t'ou? ("tu" form) Kys ta shiu? (plural) Kanys ta shiu? ("vous" form) |
How are you |
Feer vie | Very well |
Gura mie ayd ("tu" form) Gura mie eu ("vous" form) |
Thank you |
As oo hene? As shiu hene? |
And yourself |
Slane lhiat Slane lhiu |
Goodbye |
Whooiney | Yessir (Manx English equivalent of "man" (US: "dude"), as an informal term of address; found as a dhuine in Irish and Scottish Gaelic) |
Ellan Vannin | Isle of Man |
Loanwords
English loanwords were common in late (pre-revival) Manx, e.g. boy "boy", badjer "badger", rather than the more usual native Gaelic guilley and brock. In more recent years, there has been a reaction against such borrowing, resulting in coinages for technical vocabulary. Despite this, calques exist in Manx, not necessarily obvious to its speakers. To fill gaps in recorded Manx vocabulary, revivalists have referred to modern Irish and Scottish Gaelic for words and inspiration.
Some religious terms come ultimately from Latin, Greek and Hebrew, e.g. casherick "holy" (from Latin consecrātus), agglish "church" (from Greek ἐκκλησία/ekklesia "assembly") and abb "abbot" (from Hebrew אבא/abba "father"). These did not necessarily come directly into Manx, but via Old Irish. In more recent times, ulpan has been borrowed from modern Hebrew. Many Irish and English loanwords also have a classical origin, e.g. çhellveeish "television" (Irish teilifís) and çhellvane "telephone". Foreign language words (usually via English) are used occasionally especially for ethnic food, e.g. chorizo and spaghetti.
Going in the other direction, Manx Gaelic has influenced Manx English (Anglo-Manx). Common words and phrases in Anglo-Manx originating in the language include tholtan "ruined farmhouse",[77] quaaltagh "first-foot", keeill "(old) church", cammag, traa-dy-liooar' "time enough", and Tynwald (tinvaal), which is ultimately of Norse origin, but comes from Manx. It is suggested that the House of Keys takes its name from Kiare as Feed (four and twenty), which is the number of its sitting members.
Vocabulary comparison examples
Manx | Irish | Scottish Gaelic | Welsh | English |
---|---|---|---|---|
Moghrey mie | Maidin mhaith | Madainn mhath | Bore da | good morning |
Fastyr mie | Tráthnóna maith | Feasgar math | Prynhawn da Noswaith dda |
good afternoon/evening |
Slane lhiat, Slane lhiu | Slán leat, Slán libh | Slàn leat, Slàn leibh | Hwyl fawr | goodbye |
Gura mie ayd, Gura mie eu |
Go raibh maith agat, Go raibh maith agaibh |
Tapadh leat, Tapadh leibh |
Diolch | thank you |
baatey | bád | bàta | cwch | boat |
barroose | bus | bus | bws | bus |
blaa | bláth | blàth | blodyn | flower |
booa | bó | bò | buwch/bo | cow |
cabbyl | capall | each | ceffyl | horse |
cashtal | caisleán, caiseal | caisteal | castell | castle |
creg | carraig | carraig, creag | carreg, craig | crag, rock |
eeast | iasc | iasg | pysgodyn | fish [sg.] |
ellan | oileán | eilean | ynys | island, eyot |
gleashtan | gluaisteán, carr | càr | car | car |
kayt | cat | cat | cath | cat |
moddey | madra, madadh | cù | ci | dog, hound |
shap | siopa | bùth | siop | shop |
thie | tigh, teach | taigh | tŷ | house |
eean | éan | eun, ian | aderyn, edn | bird |
jees, daa | dá, dhá, dó; (people) beirt, dís | dà, dhà; (people) dithis | dau (m.)/dwy (f.) | two |
oik | oifig | oifis | swyddfa | office |
ushtey | uisce | uisge | dŵr, dwfr | water |
Gaelic versions of the Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer has been translated into all of the Gaelic languages (and Old Irish). Although not direct, it is a good demonstration of the differences between their orthographies.
Ayr ain t'ayns niau, |
Ayr Ain, t'ayns Niau;
|
A athair fil hi nimib, |
Ár n-Athair, atá ar neamh: |
Ar n-Athair a tha air nèamh,
|
Example text
Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Manx:
|
|
Media
Two weekly programmes in Manx are available on medium wave on Manx Radio: Traa dy liooar on Monday and Jamys Jeheiney on Friday. The news in Manx is available online from Manx Radio, who have three other weekly programmes that use the language: Clare ny Gael; Shiaght Laa and Moghrey Jedoonee. Several news readers on Manx Radio also use a good deal of incidental Manx.
The Isle of Man Examiner has a monthly bilingual column in Manx.
The first film to be made in Manx, 22-minute-long Ny Kirree fo Niaghtey "The Sheep Under the Snow", premiered in 1983 and was entered for the 5th Celtic Film and Television Festival in Cardiff in 1984. It was directed by Shorys Y Creayrie (George Broderick) for Foillan Films of Laxey, and is about the background to an early 18th-century folk song. In 2013, a short film, Solace in Wicca, was produced with financial assistance from Culture Vannin, CinemaNX and Isle of Man Film.[82] A series of short cartoons about the life of Cú Chulainn which were produced by BBC Northern Ireland are available[83] as are a series of cartoons on Manx mythology.[84] Most significant is a 13-part DVD series Manx translation of the award-winning series Friends and Heroes.[85]
Literature
Manx never had a large number of speakers, so it would not have been practical to mass-produce written literature. However, a body of oral literature did exist. The "
There is no record of literature written distinctively in Manx before the
The
The
Other works produced in the 18th and 19th centuries include catechisms, hymn books and religious tracts. A translation of Paradise Lost was made by Rev. Thomas Christian of Marown in 1796.[87]
A considerable amount of secular literature has been produced in the 20th and 21st centuries as part of the language revival. In 2006, the first full-length novel in Manx, Dunveryssyn yn Tooder-Folley ("The Vampire Murders") was published by Brian Stowell, after being serialised in the press. There is an increasing amount of literature available in the language, and recent publications include Manx versions of the Gruffalo and Gruffalo's Child.[88]
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince was translated into Manx by Rob Teare in 2019.[89]
Manx and Christianity
The Manx Bible
In the time of Bishop Wilson it had been a constant source of complaint among the Manx clergy that they were the only church in Christendom that had no version of the Bible in the vulgar tongue. Wilson set to work to remedy the defect, and, with the assistance of some of his clergy, managed to get some of the Bible translated, and the Gospel of St. Matthew printed. Bishop Hildesley, his successor, with the help of the whole body of Manx clergy, completed the work, and in 1775 the whole Bible was printed.[90]
The
Yn Vible Casherick "The Holy Bible" of the Old and New Testaments was published as one book by the SPCK in 1775, effectively fixing the modern orthography of Manx, which has changed little since. Jenner claims that some
There was a translation of the Psalmyn Ghavid ("Psalms of David") in metre in Manx by the Rev John Clague, vicar of Rushen, which was printed with the
The British and Foreign Bible Society (BFBS) published the Conaant Noa "New Testament" in 1810 and reprinted it in 1824. Yn Vible Casherick "The Holy Bible" of the Old Testament and New Testament (without the two books of the Apocrypha) was first printed as a whole in 1819. BFBS last printed anything on paper in Manx in 1936 when it reprinted Noo Ean "the Gospel of St John"; this was reprinted by Yn Çheshaght Ghailckagh in 1968. The Manx Bible was republished by Shearwater Press in July 1979 as Bible Chasherick yn Lught Thie (Manx Family Bible), which was a reproduction of the BFBS 1819 Bible.
Since 2014 the BFBS 1936 Manx Gospel of John has been available online on YouVersion and Bibles.org.
Church
Manx has not been used in Mass since the late 19th century,[90] though Yn Çheshaght Ghailckagh holds an annual Christmas service on the island.[91]
See also
- Celtic language.
- Irish language revival
- List of Celtic-language media
- List of revived languages
- List of television channels in Celtic languages
References
- ^ Broderick, George (2017). "The Last Native Manx Gaelic Speakers. The Final Phase: 'Full' or 'Terminal' in speech?". Studia Celtica Fennic. XIV: 18–57.
- ^ a b Isle of Man Government (27 January 2021). Isle of Man Census Report (PDF) (Report). Isle of Man Government. pp. 27–28. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
- ISBN 978-92-3-104096-2. Archivedfrom the original on 23 July 2022.
- ^ Jackson 1955, 49
- ^ Moore, A.W. (1924). A Vocabulary of the Anglo-Manx Dialect. Oxford University Press.
- ^ "Manx", Wiktionary, 5 March 2022, retrieved 9 April 2022
- ISBN 978-1851094400.
- ^ West, Andrew (30 June 2011). "The Ogham Stones of the Isle of Man". BabelStone. Archived from the original on 11 November 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f Ager, Simon. "A Study of Language Death and Revival with a Particular Focus on Manx Gaelic." Master's Dissertation University of Wales, Lampeter, 2009. PDF.
- ^ OCLC 300505991.
- ^ a b c d Gunther 1990, 59–60
- ^ a b c Whitehead, Sarah (2 April 2015). "How the Manx language came back from the dead". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
- ^ "Isle of Man Government - Five year strategy salutes and celebrates Manx language". www.gov.im. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
- ^ "Lifelines for indigenous languages | The World Weekly". www.theworldweekly.com. Archived from the original on 7 January 2018. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
- ^ "UN declares Manx Gaelic 'extinct'". BBC News. 20 February 2009. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
- ^ a b "Isle of Man Census Report 2011" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 November 2012.
- ^ "Manx Gaelic Revival 'Impressive'". BBC News. 22 September 2005.
- ^ The Art of Naming. "World-Wide Wednesday: Manx Names". Retrieved 24 November 2021.
- ^ a b c d e "Censuses of Manx Speakers". www.isle-of-man.com. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
- ISBN 9780853237266 – via Google Books.
- ^ "2001 Isle of Man Census: Volume 2" (PDF). Gov.im. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
- ^ "2011 Isle of Man Census" (PDF). Gov.im. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
- ^ "2021 Isle of Man Census" (PDF). Gov.im. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
- ^ "Standing Orders of the House of Keys" (PDF). p. 17. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- ^ http://www.tynwald.org.im/business/hansard/20002020/k190212.pdf House of Keys Hansard
- ^ "Kathleen Faragher's Manx Words & Manx Dialect Words". 18 January 2015.
- ^ However this word appears to have been adopted into Manx English, see [1] Braaid Eisteddfod: A poem by Annie Kissack (at 20 seconds)
- ^ "Tynwald - the Parliament of the Isle of Man". Retrieved 15 June 2018.
- ISBN 3631528736.
- ^ "Isle of Man Department of Education, Sport and Culture". Retrieved 16 June 2018.
- ^ Broderick 1984–86, 1:xxvii–xxviii, 160
- ^ Jackson 1955, 66. Jackson claims that northern Irish has also lost the contrast between velarised and palatalised labials, but this seems to be a mistake on his part, as both Mayo Irish and Ulster Irish are consistently described as having the contrast (cf. Mhac an Fhailigh 1968, 27; Hughes 1994, 621; see also Ó Baoill 1978, 87)
- ^ O'Rahilly 1932, 77–82; Broderick 1984–86, 2:152
- ^ O'Rahilly 1932, 24; Broderick 1984–86 3:80–83; Ó Sé 2000:15, 120
- ^ Jackson 1955, 47–50; Ó Cuív 1944, 38, 91
- ^ O'Rahilly 1932, 22
- ^ O'Rahilly 1932, 203
- ^ O'Rahilly 1932, 57
- ^ O'Rahilly 1932, 110; Jackson 1955, 55
- ^ O'Rahilly 1932, 51; Jackson 1955, 57–58; Holmer 1957, 87, 88, 106; 1962, 41
- ^ O'Rahilly 1932, 68; Broderick 1984–86, 2:56, 308
- ^ O'Rahilly 1932, 75
- ^ Broderick 1984–8,6 1:160
- ^ Broderick 1984–86, 1:161
- ^ Broderick 1984–86, 1:161–62
- ^ Broderick 1984–86, 1:162–63
- ^ Broderick 1984–86, 1:164–65
- ^ Broderick 1993, 236
- ^ Thomson 1992, 128–29; Broderick 1993, 234
- ^ Broderick 1984–86, 3:3–13; Thomson 1992, 129
- ^ Broderick 1984–86, 3:28–34; 1993, 236
- ^ Broderick 1984–86; 3:17–18
- ^ Jackson 1955, 118; Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language, 1998, Isle of Man, retrieved 28 September 2008
- ^ Broderick 1993, 230–33
- ^ Broderick 1993, 232–33
- ^ Broderick 1993, 276
- ^ Broderick 1984–86, 1:181
- ^ Broderick 1984–86, 1:179
- ^ Broderick 1993, 274
- ^ a b c d Thomson 1992, 105
- ^ Broderick 1993, 276–77
- ^ Broderick 1993, 277
- ^ Broderick 1993, 278
- ^ Broderick 1984–86, 1:7–21; 1993, 236–39; Thomson 1992, 132–35
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Not attested in the late spoken language (Broderick 1984–86, 3:66)
- ^ (Broderick 1984–86 2:190, 3:66).
- ^ Broderick 1984–86, 75–82; 1993, 250, 271; Thomson 1992, 122
- ^ a b The particle er is identical in form to the preposition er "on"; however, it is etymologically distinct, coming from Old Irish íar "after" (Williams 1994, 725).
- ^ a b Broderick 1984–86, vol. 2
- ISBN 0-901282-49-9.
- ISBN 0-901282-02-2.
- ISBN 1-85500-055-5.
- ^ Kelly 1870:xiii footnote in Spoken Sound as a Rule for Orthography, credited to W. Mackenzie.
- ^ O'Rahilly 1932, p. 128.
- ^ Broderick 1993, pp. 282–283.
- ^ Macbain 1911; Dictionary of the Irish Language; Broderick 1984–86, vol. 2
- ^ "A snapshpot of Manx history". Stamp and Coin Mart. Warners Group Publications. February 2018. p. 38.
- ^ MANX GAELIC ( Gaelig, Gaelg ) Archived 27 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine from www.christusrex.org. Source of text: "ORATIO DOMINICA – Polyglottos, Polymorphos – Nimirum, Plus Centum Linguis, Versionibus, aut Characteribus Reddita & Expressa" ("Lord's Prayer - many languages and forms - restored and rendered in certainly over 100 languages, versions or types"), Daniel Brown, London, 1713.
- ^ Ta'n lhieggan shoh jeh'n Phadjer aascreeuit 'sy chlou Romanagh veih'n çhenn chlou Yernagh. Son d'akin er y lhieggan shen jeh'n phadjer gow dys y duillag shoh Archived 15 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine ec www.christusrex.org
- ^ "Fockley-Magh Cairyssyn Deiney cour y Theihll Slane". udhr.audio (in Manx).
- ^ "Universal Declaration of Human Rights". United Nations.
- ^ "Solace: A Film in Manx Gaelic". YouTube. 17 February 2014. Archived from the original on 11 December 2021.
- ^ "Cuchulainn Part One". YouTube. 17 February 2013. Archived from the original on 11 December 2021.
- ^ "Manannan Episode 4 (part two) Come Dine With Us". YouTube. 3 March 2014. Archived from the original on 11 December 2021.
- ^ "Gaelg (Manx) | Children's Animated Bible Stories | Friends and Heroes | UK Website". Friends and Heroes. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
- ^ "pp2/5 Manx Ballads - Fin as Oshin". Isle-of-man.com. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
- ^ "Shenn Recortyssyn". learnmanx.com. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ "Books - Lioaryn | Culture Vannin | Isle of Man". Culture Vannin. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
- ^ "Antoine de Saint-Exupery - "The Little Prince" / Gaelic Manx / 2019, Edition Tintenfass, Neckarsteinach". petit-prince-collection.com.
- ^ a b c "Henry Jenner - The Manx Language, 1875". Isle-of-man.com. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
- ^ "Manx Gaelic Christmas Service". YouTube. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
Bibliography
- Broderick, George (1984–1986). A Handbook of Late Spoken Manx (3 volumes ed.). Tübingen: Niemeyer. ISBN 3-484-42903-8. (vol. 1), (vol. 2), (vol. 3).
- Broderick, George (1993). "Manx". In Ball, M. J.; Fife, J. (eds.). The Celtic Languages. London: ISBN 0-415-01035-7.
- Cumming, Joseph George (1848). The Isle of Man. London: John Van Voorst.
- Dictionary of the Irish Language based mainly on Old and Middle Irish materials. Dublin: ISBN 0-901714-29-1.
- Gunther, Wilf (1990). "Language conservancy or: Can the anciently established British minority languages survive?". In Gorter, D.; Hoekstra, J. F.; Jansma, L. G.; Ytsma, J. (eds.). Fourth International Conference on Minority Languages (Vol. II: Western and Eastern European Papers ed.). Bristol, England: Multilingual Matters. pp. 53–67. ISBN 1-85359-111-4.
- Holmer, Nils M. (1957). The Gaelic of Arran. ISBN 0-901282-44-8.
- Holmer, Nils M. (1962). The Gaelic of Kintyre. ISBN 0-901282-43-X.
- Hughes, Art (1994). "Gaeilge Uladh" [Ulster Irish]. In McCone, K.; McManus, D.; Ó Háinle, C.; Williams, N.; Breatnach, L. (eds.). Stair na Gaeilge in ómós do Pádraig Ó Fiannachta [History of Irish in honor of Pádraig Ó Fiannachta] (in Irish). Maynooth: Department of Old Irish, St. Patrick's College. pp. 611–660. ISBN 0-901519-90-1.
- Jackson, Kenneth Hurlstone (1955). Contributions to the Study of Manx Phonology. Edinburgh: Nelson.
- Kelly, John (1870). Gill, William (ed.). A Practical Grammar of the Antient Gaelic, or Language of the Isle of Man, Usually Called Manks. Douglas: The Manx Society.
- Kewley-Draskau, Jennifer (2008). Practical Manx. ISBN 978-1-84631-131-4.
- ISBN 978-0-404-17564-1.
- Macbain, Alexander (1911). An Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language (2nd ed.). Stirling: E. Mackay. Reprinted 1998, New York: Hippocrene. ISBN 0-7818-0632-1.
- Mhac an Fhailigh, Éamonn (1968). The Irish of Erris, Co. Mayo. ISBN 0-901282-02-2.
- Ó Baoill, Colm (1978). Contributions to a Comparative Study of Ulster Irish and Scottish Gaelic. Institute of Irish Studies, Queen's University of Belfast.
- ISBN 0-901282-55-3.
- Ó Cuív, Brian (1944). The Irish of West Muskerry, Co. Cork. ISBN 0-901282-52-9.
- Ó Sé, Diarmuid (2000). Gaeilge Chorca Dhuibhne [Chorca Dhuibhne Irish] (in Irish). Dublin: Institiúid Teangeolaíochta Éireann. ISBN 0-946452-97-0.
- Thomson, Robert L. (1992). "The Manx language". In MacAulay, Donald (ed.). The Celtic Languages. ISBN 0-521-23127-2.
- Williams, Nicholas (1994). "An Mhanainnis" [Manx]. In McCone, K.; McManus, D.; Ó Háinle, C.; Williams, N.; Breatnach, L. (eds.). Stair na Gaeilge in ómós do Pádraig Ó Fiannachta [History of Irish in honor of Pádraig Ó Fiannachta] (in Irish). Maynooth: Department of Old Irish, St. Patrick's College. pp. 703–44. ISBN 0-901519-90-1.
External links
- Percentage of resident population with a knowledge of Manx Gaelic
- A bit of Manx Gaelic history
- Manx language, alphabet and pronunciation at Omniglot
- Information about the language
- isle-of-man.com language section
- Manx dictionaries via Multidict
- Online Manx Lessons with MP3 recordings
- Bilingual Bible in Manx and English by the Manx Language Project
- Manx: Bringing a language back from the dead
- Media article about the Manx revival
- Manx free online course