# sibh
## Irish
### Alternative forms

* ibh

### Etymology

From Old Irish sib (compare Scottish Gaelic sibh, Manx shiu, from Proto-Celtic *swīswīs (compare Middle Welsh chwichwi), a reduplicated form of *swīs (“you, ye”) (see Old Irish síi), from Proto-Indo-European *wos.

### Pronunciation

* (Munster, Mayo, Ulster) IPA: /ʃɪvʲ/
* (Galway) IPA: /ʃɪbʲ/ (as if spelled sib)

### Pronoun

sibh (emphatic form sibhse, conjunctive and disjunctive)
* you (plural), ye/you
    Bhí sibh ansin. ― You were there.
    Cloisim sibh. ― I hear you.

#### Usage notes

* Unlike many European languages, modern Irish does not have a T-V distinction, i.e. it does not distinguish between familiar/informal and polite/formal second-person pronouns. Sibh is used to address two or more people, regardless of how well known those people are to the speaker. It is no longer used to address one single person.
* The emphatic form sibhse is also used as the vocative: Haigh sibhse! — "Hey you (all)!"

#### See also

$^L$ Triggers lenition   $^E$ Triggers eclipsis   $^H$ Triggers h-prothesis
$^1$ Also used as the vocative
The reflexive is formed by adding féin to the relevant pronoun. For instance, "myself" = mé féin, "yourselves" = sibh féin.

### Further reading

* Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “sibh”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
* Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “sib”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
* Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “tú”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

## Scottish Gaelic
### Etymology

From Old Irish sib. Cognates include Irish sibh and Manx shiu.

### Pronunciation

* (Lewis) IPA: /ʃu/
* (Harris, Skye) IPA: /ʃiv/
* (Uist, Barra) IPA: /ʃu/, (accented) /ʃiːv/
* (Wester Ross) IPA: /ʃi/, /ʃiv/, /ʃip/

### Pronoun

sibh (emphatic sibhse)
* second-person plural/formal pronoun; ye, you

#### Usage notes

* sibh is used to address more than one person, or to address one person formally or politely, particularly if they are significantly older or of higher social rank than the speaker.
* Grandparents, teachers and clergymen are addressed as sibh, and parents often are also. Addressing them as thu would usually be considered rude.
* People significantly younger than the speaker, for instance a child addressed by a young adult, are never addressed as sibh. Children do not use sibh amongst themselves. Some people may find it uncomfortable to be addressed as sibh if they do not consider themselves to be significantly older than the speaker.
* The use of sibh varies by dialect, with some places being stricter about its usage than others.

#### Derived terms

* sibhsigeadh

#### See also

$^1$ Used when following a verb ending in -n, -s or -dh. $^2$ sibh and sibhse also act as the polite singular pronouns. To mark a direct object of a verbal noun, the derivatives of gam are used.

### 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
* ↑ Rev. C. M. Robertson (1902) “Skye Gaelic”, in Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness, Volume XXIII: 1898-99‎, Gaelic Society of Inverness, pages 54-88
* ↑ Mac Gill-Fhinnein, Gordon (1966) Gàidhlig Uidhist a Deas, Dublin: Institiúid Ard-Léinn Bhaile Átha Cliath
* ↑ John MacPherson (1945) The Gaelic dialect of North Uist (Thesis)‎, Edinburgh: University of Edinburgh
* ↑ Borgstrøm, Carl Hj. (1937) The dialect of Barra in the Outer Hebrides, Oslo: Norsk Tidsskrift for Sprogvidenskap
* ↑ Roy Wentworth (2003) Gaelic Words and Phrases From Wester Ross / Faclan is Abairtean à Ros an Iar, Inverness: CLÀR, →ISBN

### Further reading

* Edward Dwelly (1911) “sibh”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary]‎, 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
* Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “sib”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language