cànan

See also: Canan and cǎn'àn

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

Derived from a long vowel form of cainnt.

Pronunciation

(Lewis) IPA^(key): /ˈkʰãːnan/^[1]
(North Uist) IPA^(key): /ˈkʰãːn̪ˠɛɲ/, /ˈkʰãːnal/^[2] (corresponding to the form cànain or cànail)

Noun

cànan m (genitive singular cànain, plural cànain or cànanan)

language
- 1986, Aonghas MacNeacail, “Thug Thu Dhomh Samhradh”, in The Avoiding And Other Poems; republished as An Aghaidh Na Sìorraidheachd / In The Face Of Eternity, 1991, page 124:
  ach m' aideachd àigheach-sa
  anns gach cànan a labhras daoine bidh
  d'ainm air gach teanga, pròiseil, prìseil
  's tu mo chànan bheag sheang
  but I proclaim exultantly
  in all the languages of men,
  your name will be on every tongue, proud, priceless
  you are my small slender language

Declension

Declension of *cànan* (type I masculine noun)
indefinite
	singular	plural
nominative	cànan	cànain
genitive	cànain	chànan
dative	cànan	cànain; cànanaibh^✝

definite
	singular	plural
nominative	(an) cànan	(na) cànain
genitive	(a') chànain	(nan) cànan
dative	(a') chànan	(na) cànain; cànanaibh^✝
vocative	chànain	chànana

^✝ obsolete form, used until the 19th century

Declension of *cànan* (type I masculine noun)
indefinite
	singular	plural
nominative	cànan	cànanan
genitive	cànain	chànanan
dative	cànan	cànanan; cànanaibh^✝

definite
	singular	plural
nominative	(an) cànan	(na) cànanan
genitive	(a') chànain	(nan) cànanan
dative	(a') chànan	(na) cànanan; cànanaibh^✝
vocative	chànain	chànanan

^✝ obsolete form, used until the 19th century

Synonyms

Derived terms

cànan balbhachd
cànan céin
cànan clasaigeach
cànan coimhearsnachd
cànan màthaireil
cànan na bodhaige
cànan prògramachaid
cànan sgriobtaidh
cànan targaid
cànan-eòlas
cànan-soidhnidh
cànanach
cànanachas
cànanaiche
cànanas
cnap-starra cànain
ioma-chànaineach
ioma-chànanach
Là Eadar-nàiseanta nan Cànan Màthaireil
mion-chànan

Mutation

Mutation of *cànan*
radical	lenition
cànan	chànan

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Scottish Gaelic.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

References

^ Oftedal, M. (1956) A linguistic survey of the Gaelic dialects of Scotland, Vol. III: The Gaelic of Leurbost, Isle of Lewis, Oslo: Norsk Tidsskrift for Sprogvidenskap
^ John MacPherson (1945) The Gaelic dialect of North Uist (Thesis)‎^[1], Edinburgh: University of Edinburgh

Further reading

MacBain, Alexander, Mackay, Eneas (1911) “cànan”, in An Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language‎^[2], Stirling, →ISBN