Page:Graimear na Gaedhilge.djvu/117

Rh form of the verb is passive voice. No, it is not passive voice, for it has a passive of its own; and, again, all intransitive verbs (even the verb ) possessespossess [sic] this form of conjugation. The nearest equivalents in sense and use to this Irish form are the German ‘mannman [sic]’ and the French ‘on’ with the third person singular of the verb.”&#8203;—Gaelic Journal.

The usual translation of the French phrase “on dit” is, “It is said.” “Is said” is certainly passive voice in English, but it does not follow that “dit” is passive voice in French. The same remark holds with regard to the Irish phrase “,” which is usually translated, “The dog is struck.” is not passive voice; it is active voice, autonomous form, and  is its object in the accusative case. The literal translation of the phrase is, “Somebody strikes the dog.” The passive voice of, someone strikes, is , someone is struck.

As this is the first grammar that has adopted the term “Autonomous form of the Verb,” we think it advisable to state that the form of the verb which we give as the Autonomous form is given in other Irish grammars as the passive voice. A fuller treatment of the Autonomous Verb will be found at the end of the book, where we endeavour to show that in modern Irish, at least, this form of the verb is active voice. The name by which this form of the verb ought to be called is not merely a matter of terms, for on it de-