#23 | Lenition Impossible – Séimhiú Nation
“Éist means listen, péist is a worm, éistphéist is an earworm”.
Just like Alan Rickman’s character in Die Hard, Darach rhapsodises over the benefits of a classical education in today’s episode. The genitive case is the grammatical device in languages that applies to possession… and as possession is nine-tenths of the law, it gets our attention today.
In the lucid company of Gearóidín and Peadar, Darach examines the séimhiú – when it is and isn’t used and what to watch out for. Did all the Cockney dropped aitches fall off words and land in Irish? What is the dental rule? Why do female surnames have a séimhiú but not male surnames? Are there regional issues? All will be revealed.
It’s just a little h.
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