Nouns

Common Nouns

Common noun stems can be simple or compound (cf. Macaulay 1992, 207). Compound sterns are most often formed by noun-noun combinations, adjective-noun ones18, and/or by adding prefixes and suffiXes:

bUth-obrach (brith 'shop' + obrach gen. ofobair 'work')

mor-shluagh (mor adj., 'big'+ sluagh 'people')

ro-shealladh (ro prep., 'before' + sea//adh 'view')

bodachan (bodach 'old man' +-an diminutive suffix)

The stem, or final suffix if present, indicates case and number. Nouns that are headed by another noun, even in compounds, take the genitive case although this is not always heard in informal speech.

See Also

• Noun Declension
• Noun Phrases