Cuid question

Redwolf · **Posted:** Fri 07 Apr 2017 10:58 pm

Hey all! Got a question for you!

I've always heard "cuid" used when speaking of something of which different people or creatures may possess an indefinite number or amount of (hair, for example, or money). Is it ever used to refer to something of which most people (or creatures) have a definitely number/amount? "Hands," for example, or "wings"?

I'm encountering a rendering of "she flies with her own wings" as "eitlíonn sí lena cuid sciathán féin," and it sounds very odd to me, though I can't say if it's incorrect or not.

Redwolf

galaxyrocker · **Posted:** Sat 08 Apr 2017 12:13 am

Yes, it's correct. South Connemara uses cuid for all plurals. The "may possess an indefinite number or amount of" is a very general way to describe when to use it. Linguistically, it's used for mass nouns (hair, money, water) and non-'inalienable' plurals (so things like 'books', 'papers', 'bottles', etc. but not 'parents', 'feet', etc.). However, South Connemara, at least, has extended to all plurals, so 'mo chuid leabhartha' is correct in all dialects (with correct plural, obviously), but 'mo chuid cosa' would be correct in Connemara, but not necessarily the standard.

I did a write-up about cuid on Reddit here

Gumbi · **Joined:** Tue 06 Sep 2011 8:09 pm **Posts:** 943

galaxyrocker wrote:

Yes, it's correct. South Connemara uses cuid for all plurals. The "may possess an indefinite number or amount of" is a very general way to describe when to use it. Linguistically, it's used for mass nouns (hair, money, water) and non-'inalienable' plurals (so things like 'books', 'papers', 'bottles', etc. but not 'parents', 'feet', etc.). However, South Connemara, at least, has extended to all plurals, so 'mo chuid leabhartha' is correct in all dialects (with correct plural, obviously), but 'mo chuid cosa' would be correct in Connemara, but not necessarily the standard.

I did a write-up about cuid on Reddit here

Outside of South Connemara, though, is it applicable here? It seems to me that wings, being that they have a set number (2), and also being like a bodily appendage/limb they would within the scope of what isn't used with cuid (such as the examples you have).

So in that sense, using "cuid" is "incorrect" here, no?

Redwolf · **Posted:** Sat 08 Apr 2017 1:34 am

Gumbi wrote:

galaxyrocker wrote:

Yes, it's correct. South Connemara uses cuid for all plurals. The "may possess an indefinite number or amount of" is a very general way to describe when to use it. Linguistically, it's used for mass nouns (hair, money, water) and non-'inalienable' plurals (so things like 'books', 'papers', 'bottles', etc. but not 'parents', 'feet', etc.). However, South Connemara, at least, has extended to all plurals, so 'mo chuid leabhartha' is correct in all dialects (with correct plural, obviously), but 'mo chuid cosa' would be correct in Connemara, but not necessarily the standard.

I did a write-up about cuid on Reddit here

Outside of South Connemara, though, is it applicable here? It seems to me that wings, being that they have a set number (2), and also being like a bodily appendage/limb they would within the scope of what isn't used with cuid (such as the examples you have).

So in that sense, using "cuid" is "incorrect" here, no?

I'm actually less concerned about whether using cuid is incorrect than whether it's OK not to use it. Someone corrected me by changing "a sciatháin féin" to "a cuid sciathán féin," so my main question is would "a sciatháin féin be incorrect? (anywhere other than South Connemara)

Redwolf

galaxyrocker · **Posted:** Sat 08 Apr 2017 2:01 am

I'd say it's fine. There's plenty of examples - even on this forum! - of a sciatháin. And there's several in books as well. So it's likely probably the standard form.

Labhrás · **Joined:** Sat 03 May 2014 4:01 pm **Posts:** 1968

galaxyrocker wrote:

Yes, it's correct. South Connemara uses cuid for all plurals. The "may possess an indefinite number or amount of" is a very general way to describe when to use it. Linguistically, it's used for mass nouns (hair, money, water) and non-'inalienable' plurals (so things like 'books', 'papers', 'bottles', etc. but not 'parents', 'feet', etc.). However, South Connemara, at least, has extended to all plurals, so 'mo chuid leabhartha' is correct in all dialects (with correct plural, obviously), but 'mo chuid cosa' would be correct in Connemara, but not necessarily the standard.

I did a write-up about cuid on Reddit here

I'd expect things as "mo chuid súl" in Ulster Irish.

galaxyrocker · **Posted:** Sat 08 Apr 2017 11:53 pm

Labhrás wrote:

galaxyrocker wrote:

Yes, it's correct. South Connemara uses cuid for all plurals. The "may possess an indefinite number or amount of" is a very general way to describe when to use it. Linguistically, it's used for mass nouns (hair, money, water) and non-'inalienable' plurals (so things like 'books', 'papers', 'bottles', etc. but not 'parents', 'feet', etc.). However, South Connemara, at least, has extended to all plurals, so 'mo chuid leabhartha' is correct in all dialects (with correct plural, obviously), but 'mo chuid cosa' would be correct in Connemara, but not necessarily the standard.

I did a write-up about cuid on Reddit here

I'd expect things as "mo chuid súl" in Ulster Irish.

Would it be súl or súile? I thought the genitive plural was dead and they'd use that after cuid. But, taking about cuid, I was actually unaware it was used like that in Ulster as well as in Connemara.

Labhrás · **Joined:** Sat 03 May 2014 4:01 pm **Posts:** 1968

galaxyrocker wrote:

Labhrás wrote:

galaxyrocker wrote:

Yes, it's correct. South Connemara uses cuid for all plurals. The "may possess an indefinite number or amount of" is a very general way to describe when to use it. Linguistically, it's used for mass nouns (hair, money, water) and non-'inalienable' plurals (so things like 'books', 'papers', 'bottles', etc. but not 'parents', 'feet', etc.). However, South Connemara, at least, has extended to all plurals, so 'mo chuid leabhartha' is correct in all dialects (with correct plural, obviously), but 'mo chuid cosa' would be correct in Connemara, but not necessarily the standard.

I did a write-up about cuid on Reddit here

I'd expect things as "mo chuid súl" in Ulster Irish.

Would it be súl or súile? I thought the genitive plural was dead and they'd use that after cuid. But, taking about cuid, I was actually unaware it was used like that in Ulster as well as in Connemara.

Both (in written texts).

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