5) Archaic. Nowadays used for formal, literary or poetic purposes, and in fixed expressions. 6) To differentiate from the singular gij, gelle (object form elle) and variants are commonly used colloquially in Belgium. Archaic forms are gijlieden and gijlui ("you people").
Ie was made a letter in its own right only in the 1990s. In older dictionaries, lists, etc., it is treated as i + e.
Ie is used in stressed syllables only. When unstressed, it is reduced to e or i. In closed syllables, the reduction is generally e; in open syllables it is predominantly i, but both may be possible.
Before the letters għ, ħ, h, q, the long vowel phonemes i and ie merge. The orthographic distinction is based on etymology and morphological analogy, which causes rather frequent spelling errors even in edited texts.
Used to reply to questions or statements with a non-verbal element fronted for emphasis. For a regular unemphatic verb-initial question or statement, other words of agreement are employed.
This word is found in the standard language and also colloquially in south Wales. In the north, ia is the preferred colloquial form.
References
R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “ie”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies
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