sibh

Irish

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Old Irish sib (compare Scottish Gaelic sibh, Manx shiu, from Proto-Celtic *swiswis (compare Welsh chwichwi), a reduplicated form of *swīs (“you, ye”) (see Old Irish síi), from Proto-Indo-European *wos.

Pronunciation

  • (Munster, Mayo, Ulster) IPA(key): /ʃɪvʲ/
  • (Galway) IPA(key): /ʃɪbʲ/ (as if spelled sib)

Pronoun

sibh (emphatic form sibhse, conjunctive and disjunctive)

  1. you (plural), ye
    Bhí sibh ansin. ― You were there.
    Cluinim sibh. ― I hear you.

Usage notes

Unlike many European languages, Irish does not distinguish between "familiar" and "polite" second-person pronouns. Sibh is used to address two or more people, regardless of how well known those people are to the speaker. It is not used to address one single person.

See also

Further reading

  • "sibh" in Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla, An Gúm, 1977, by Niall Ó Dónaill.
  • “sib” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.
  • “tú” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish sib (compare Irish sibh, Manx shiu, from Proto-Celtic *swiswis (compare Welsh chwichwi), a reduplicated form of *swīs (“you, ye”) (see Old Irish síi), from Proto-Indo-European *wos.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ʃiv]

Pronoun

sibh

  1. you (plural or formal singular)

Derived terms

  • sibhse (emphatic)
  • sibh-fhéin (reflexive)

See also

  • mi (“I, me”)
  • thu (“you”) (informal singular)
  • e (“he, him”)
  • i (“she, her”)
  • sinn (“we, us”)
  • iad (“they, them”)

References

  • Faclair Gàidhlig Dwelly Air Loidhne, Dwelly, Edward (1911), Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan/The Illustrated [Scottish] Gaelic-English Dictionary (10th ed.), Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
  • “sib” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.
  • “tú” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.