31 Jul 2010

Yu Ming is ainm dom

Submitted by Karl Hagen
This is a great video. I only studied Irish for one year in grad school (and it was Old Irish at that), but I still have a soft spot for the language, in both modern and old varieties, as well as a deep respect for the sort of autodidactic drive exemplified here.

[Via language hat]

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Hi Mr. Hagan, Is the usage of "It is her hat" correct? I thought that her is an objective pronoun, so therefore it cannot be used as a possessive pronoun. Why is it that "It is her hat" sounds correct and is commonly used? Thanks.

It sounds correct because it is correct. The form "her" is used for both the object and the possessive. It's a mistake to think that two roles (or in this instance, cases) always have to be filled by two forms that look distinct. English uses different forms of pronouns for the object case and the possessive for some pronouns (e.g., "him" vs. "his") but not all.