# Do Irish prefixed words like t-Anam (t-prosthesized form of Anam, meaning soul), count as Irish grammatical word forms? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 18, 2023, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-irish-prefixed-words-like-t-anam-t-prosthesized-form-of-anam-meaning-soul-count-as-irish-grammatical-word-forms/990288 "2023-09-18T00:42:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jagraze1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jagraze1/32/14870_2.png) [@Jagraze1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jagraze1)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2023, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-irish-prefixed-words-like-t-anam-t-prosthesized-form-of-anam-meaning-soul-count-as-irish-grammatical-word-forms/990288/1 "2023-09-18T00:42:30Z")
So there are times in Irish when the t- prefix Gets added to words that are masculine starting with vowels in Irish like t-Anam? Do these could as grammatical forms or words? ---
**Author:** ![UDS1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47774/32.png) [@UDS1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS1)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2023, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-irish-prefixed-words-like-t-anam-t-prosthesized-form-of-anam-meaning-soul-count-as-irish-grammatical-word-forms/990288/2 "2023-09-18T01:06:21Z")
They are grammatical forms. It’s the same word with the same meaning. ---
**Author:** ![Jagraze1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jagraze1/32/14870_2.png) [@Jagraze1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jagraze1)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2023, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-irish-prefixed-words-like-t-anam-t-prosthesized-form-of-anam-meaning-soul-count-as-irish-grammatical-word-forms/990288/3 "2023-09-18T01:13:59Z")
Ok thx very much ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2023, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-irish-prefixed-words-like-t-anam-t-prosthesized-form-of-anam-meaning-soul-count-as-irish-grammatical-word-forms/990288/4 "2023-09-18T15:23:39Z")
Think of it more like a contraction. If you were using the word “soul” like a person’s name, then you would add a respectful “An” or “T’” depending upon the case. I can only think of one rather formal example that I’ve seen in the wild: “May the soul of \_\_\_\_\_ be strengthened” Go neartófar \_\_\_\_\_ an t-anam. ---
**Author:** ![Jagraze1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jagraze1/32/14870_2.png) [@Jagraze1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jagraze1)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2023, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-irish-prefixed-words-like-t-anam-t-prosthesized-form-of-anam-meaning-soul-count-as-irish-grammatical-word-forms/990288/5 "2023-09-18T23:07:03Z")
So basically the t-anam is basically a contraction then? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2023, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-irish-prefixed-words-like-t-anam-t-prosthesized-form-of-anam-meaning-soul-count-as-irish-grammatical-word-forms/990288/6 "2023-09-18T23:23:22Z")
Any reason this isn’t in FQ? I could move it for you. ---
**Author:** ![Jagraze1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jagraze1/32/14870_2.png) [@Jagraze1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jagraze1)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2023, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-irish-prefixed-words-like-t-anam-t-prosthesized-form-of-anam-meaning-soul-count-as-irish-grammatical-word-forms/990288/7 "2023-09-18T23:29:38Z")
What is FQ? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2023, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-irish-prefixed-words-like-t-anam-t-prosthesized-form-of-anam-meaning-soul-count-as-irish-grammatical-word-forms/990288/8 "2023-09-18T23:43:56Z")
Factual Questions. ---
**Author:** ![Jagraze1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jagraze1/32/14870_2.png) [@Jagraze1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jagraze1)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2023, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-irish-prefixed-words-like-t-anam-t-prosthesized-form-of-anam-meaning-soul-count-as-irish-grammatical-word-forms/990288/9 "2023-09-18T23:54:17Z")
Ok sure! Go for it! ---
**Author:** ![UDS1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47774/32.png) [@UDS1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS1)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2023, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-irish-prefixed-words-like-t-anam-t-prosthesized-form-of-anam-meaning-soul-count-as-irish-grammatical-word-forms/990288/10 "2023-09-19T00:53:22Z")
> [@Jagraze1](#): > > So basically the t-anam is basically a contraction then? No, nothing is being contracted here. Irish (along with most other other Celtic languages) is characterised by initial mutation. The initial consonant or (in this case) vowel of a word changes, depending on context or sense. This puzzles English-speakers, though they are quite used to terminal mutation, altering the end of a word to indicate plural, possessive case, etc. If a masculine noun (like _anam_) takes the definite article (_an_) then the initial vowel is prosthesized with a t-. So: _Anam_: soul _An t-anam_: the soul (The hyphen is included because, although _tanam_ is not an Irish word, there are lots of Irish words that start with ‘t’. The hyphen indicates that the ‘t’ is a prosthesization. In other contexts an initial vowel may be prosthesized with ‘h’ — _a hanam_: his soul. There are no Irish words that begin with ‘h’, so no hyphen is needed.) ---
**Author:** ![Jagraze1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jagraze1/32/14870_2.png) [@Jagraze1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jagraze1)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2023, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-irish-prefixed-words-like-t-anam-t-prosthesized-form-of-anam-meaning-soul-count-as-irish-grammatical-word-forms/990288/11 "2023-09-23T02:37:38Z")
Oh ok. So the mind in Irish is “an t-intinn”. Get it! ---
**Author:** ![UDS1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47774/32.png) [@UDS1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS1)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2023, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-irish-prefixed-words-like-t-anam-t-prosthesized-form-of-anam-meaning-soul-count-as-irish-grammatical-word-forms/990288/12 "2023-10-02T00:53:15Z")
No, it’s “an intinn”. _Intinn_ is a feminine noun. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2023, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-irish-prefixed-words-like-t-anam-t-prosthesized-form-of-anam-meaning-soul-count-as-irish-grammatical-word-forms/990288/13 "2023-10-02T01:00:43Z")
Perhaps worth mentioning that the “t-“ is historically a part of the definite article, even though it’s pronounced and spelled as if part of the noun.