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Middle Irish
Goidelic language From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Middle Irish, also called Middle Gaelic[1] (Irish: An Mheán-Ghaeilge, Scottish Gaelic: Meadhan-Ghàidhlig, Manx: Mean Ghaelg),[2] is the Goidelic language which was spoken in Ireland, most of Scotland and the Isle of Man from c. 900–1200 AD; it is therefore a contemporary of Late Old English and Early Middle English.[3][4] The modern Goidelic languages—Modern Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Manx Gaelic—are all descendants of Middle Irish.
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Grammar

Middle Irish is a fusional, VSO, nominative-accusative language, and makes frequent use of lenition.
Nouns decline for two genders: masculine and feminine, though traces of neuter declension persist; three numbers: singular, dual, plural; and five cases: nominative, accusative, genitive, prepositional, vocative. Adjectives agree with nouns in gender, number, and case.
Verbs conjugate for three tenses: past, present, future; four moods: indicative, subjunctive, conditional, imperative; independent and dependent forms. Verbs conjugate for three persons and an impersonal, agentless form (agent). There are a number of preverbal particles marking the negative, interrogative, subjunctive, relative clauses, etc.
Prepositions inflect for person and number. Different prepositions govern different cases, depending on intended semantics.
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Sample texts
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Poem on Eogan Bél
The following is an untitled poem in Middle Irish about Eógan Bél, King of Connacht.[7]
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See also
For a list of words relating to Middle Irish, see the Middle Irish language category of words in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
References
Further reading
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