Elements of Gaelic Grammar Part 37

[_From the_ REPORT _of the Committee of the_ HIGHLAND SOCIETY _of_ SCOTLAND, _appointed to inquire into the nature and authenticity of the Poems of_ OSSIAN.]

But there is one great disadvantage which we the Gaeil of Scotland and Ireland labour under, beyond the rest of the world, that our Gaelic language has never yet been printed, as the language of every other race of men has been. And we labour under a disadvantage which is still greater than every other disadvantage, that we have not the Holy Bible printed in Gaelic, as it has been printed in Latin and in English, and in every other language; and also that we have never yet had any account printed of the antiquities of our country, or of our ancestors; for though we have some accounts of the Gaeil of Scotland and Ireland, contained in ma.n.u.scripts, and in the genealogies of bards and historiographers, yet there is great labour in writing them over with the hand, whereas the work which is printed, be it ever so great, is speedily finished. And great is the blindness and sinful darkness, and ignorance and evil design of such as teach, and write, and cultivate the Gaelic language, that, with the view of obtaining for themselves the vain rewards of this world, they are more desirous, and more accustomed, to compose vain, tempting, lying, worldly histories, concerning the _Tuath de dannan_, and concerning warriors and champions, and _Fingal_ the son of _c.u.mhal_, with his heroes, and concerning many others which {182} I will not at present enumerate or mention, in order to maintain or reprove, than to write and teach and maintain the faithful words of G.o.d, and of the perfect way of truth[121].

_From the Preface to a Metrical Version of the Book of Psalms in Gaelic_, by Mr ROBERT KIRK, Minister of the Gospel at Balquhidder; Printed in the year 1684.

Ataid na Psalma taitneamhach, tarbhach: beag nach mion-fhlaitheas lan dainglibh, Cill fhonnmhar le ceol naomhtha. Mur abholghort Eden, lionta do chrannaibh brioghmhoire na beatha, & do luibhennibh iocshlainteamhail, amhluidh an leabhar Psalmso Dhaibhioth, ata na liaghais ar uile anshocair na nanma. Ata an saoghal & gach beo chreatuir da bfuil ann, na chlarsigh; an duine, se is Clairseoir & duanaire, chum moladh an mor-Dhia mirbhuileach do sheinn; & ata Daibhidh do ghna mar fhear don chuideachd bhias marso ag caoin-chaint gu ceolmhar ma nard-Ri.... Do ghabhas mar chongnamh don obairsi, dioghlum ughdairidh an uile chail, ar sheannos, phriomh chreideamh & eachdardha na nGaoidheal, sgriobhta & clo-bhuailte: achd gu ba reula iuil & soluis dhamh, bridh na nSalm fein. Anois maseadh a Chomharbadha ro chaomh, ata mar phlaneidi dhealroidh ag sdiurughadh na ngcorp ioch dardha gan mhonmar, is deaghmhaise dhaoibh an tsaothairse a sgrudadh & a ghnathughadh gu neimhfhiat, gan ghuth ar bheiginmhe & neimhnitheachd an tsaothairigh. Griosam oraibhse a Uaisle, & a Thuatha charthanacha araon, gun {183} bheith mur thacharain ar luaidrean a nunn & a nall go sbailpe breigi; achd le gcroidhibh daingne, dosgartha, deagh-fhreumhaighte, druididh re Firinn, Ceart, & Ceannsachd, mar fhuraileas na psalma: Ata clu & tarbha a nsdriocadh don choir; call & masladh a ntuitim le heugcoir.

Imthigh a Dhuilleachain gu dan, Le Dan glan diagha duisg iad thall; Cuir failte ar Fonn fial na bFionn, Ar Gharbh chriocha, 's Indseadh gall.

_In English._

The Psalms are pleasant and profitable. A church resounding with sacred melody is almost a little Heaven full of angels. As the Garden of Eden, replenished with trees of life of potent efficacy, and with medicinal plants, so is this Book of the Psalms of David, which contains a remedy for all the diseases of the soul. The world and every living creature it contains are the Harp; man is the Harper and Poet, who sings the praise of the great wonder-working G.o.d; and David is ever one of the company who are thus employed in sweetly and tunefully discoursing about the Almighty King.... I was a.s.sisted in this work by culling from authors of every kind, who have treated of the ancient manners, the primitive religion, and the history of the Gaels, both in ma.n.u.script and in print: but the star and light by which I steered was the sense of the Psalms themselves. Now, then, my very dear colleagues, who as shining luminaries guide the inferior bodies, it becomes you to examine and to use this work candidly, without regarding the meanness and insignificancy of the workman. I beseech you, men of high and of low degree alike, that you be not, like weak silly creatures, tossed to and fro by false conceits; but with firm, resolute, well-established hearts, adhere to Truth, Justice, and Temperance, as these Psalms exhort. There is honour and profit in complying with what is right, loss and disgrace in declining to what is wrong. {184}

Little Volume, move boldly on; In pure G.o.dly strains awaken yonder people; Salute the hospitable land of the Fingalians, The highland regions, and the Isles of strangers[122].

PRINTED BY NEILL AND COMPANY, EDINBURGH.

Notes

[1] a.n.a.lysis of the Gaelic Language, by William Shaw, A.M.

[2] A few examples of what I conceived to be deviations from grammatical propriety are given from the Gaelic version of the Bible. As the translation of the Prophetical Books underwent a revision, the exceptionable pa.s.sages in those Books have been changed in the second edition from what they were as they came out of the hands of the original translator. The criticism on those pa.s.sages is, however, allowed to remain in this edition of the Grammar, because the first edition of the Gaelic Prophets is still in the hands of many, and because it often happens that "we can best teach what is right by showing what is wrong."--_Lowth._

[3] It will immediately occur to any grammarian that there is a slight difference between this and the common division into _mutes_ and _liquids_, by the letter _m_ being removed from the cla.s.s of liquids to that of mutes.

This is not an oversight, but an intentional arrangement; as the _accidents_ of the letter _m_ are, in Gaelic, the same with those of the mute, not of the liquid consonants. For a like reason, _s_ is included in the cla.s.s of liquids.

[4] Writers, who have touched on this part of Gaelic Grammar, following the Irish grammarians, have divided the consonants further into _mutable_ and _immutable_. The former name has been given to consonants which, in writing, have been occasionally combined with the letter _h_; and the latter name to those consonants which have not, in writing, been combined with _h_. But, in fact, both cla.s.ses of consonants are alike _mutable_ in their p.r.o.nunciation; and their _mutation_ ought to have been marked in the orthography, though it has not. This defect in Gaelic orthography has been often observed and regretted, though it has never been corrected. Rather than continue a distinction which has no foundation in the structure of the language, I venture to discard the division of _mutable_ and _immutable_ consonants, as not merely useless, but as tending to mislead the learner.

[5] In explaining the sounds of the letters I have availed myself of the very correct and acute remarks on this subject annexed to the Gaelic version of the New Testament, 1767.

[6] If it be thought that this renders the language too monotonous, it may be observed, on the other hand, that it prevents ambiguities and obscurities in rapid speaking, as the accent marks the initial syllable of polysyllables. Declaimers, of either s.e.x, have often found their advantage in this circ.u.mstance.

[7] That is the second sound a.s.signed to a.

[8] The plural of la or latha _a day_, is sometimes written laeth; but it is doubtful how far this is a proper mode of writing it.

[9] The effect of the vowels in qualifying the sound of the adjoining consonants will be explained in treating of the Palatals and Linguals.

[10] This propensity is seen in the aspirating of consonants in Gaelic words, which have an evident affinity to words in other languages, where the same consonants are not so aspirated. The following list will sufficiently ill.u.s.trate and confirm the truth of this remark:--

_Greek._ _Latin._ _Gaelic._ [Greek: Diabolos] Dia_b_olus Diabhol.

Scri_b_o* Scriobh, _write_.

Fe_b_ris* Fiabhrus, _a fever_.

Ba_c_ulum Bacholl, _a staff_.

[Greek: Deka] De_c_em Deich, _ten_.

Lori_c_a Luireach, _a coat of mail_.

Cleri_c_us Cleireach, _a clerk_.

Mo_d_us Modh, _manner_.

Gla_d_ius Claidheamh, _a sword_.

[Greek: Kardia] } Cor_d_-is Cridhe, _the heart_.

[Greek: Kradia] } Me_d_ium Meadhon, _middle_.

Lau_d_o Luadh, _mention_.

Le_g_o Leugh, _read_.

Gre_g_-is Greigh, _a herd_.

Re_g_-is Righ, _a king_.

Pla_g_a Plaigh, _a plague_.

Sa_g_itta Saighead, _an arrow_.

Ma_g_ister Maighistir, _master_.

Ima_g_o Iomhaigh, _an image_.

Pri_m_us Priomh, _chief_.

Re_m_us Ramh, _an oar_.

Si_m_ilis Samhuil, _like_.

Hu_m_ilis Umhal, _humble_.

Ca_p_ra Gabhar, _a goat_.

[Greek: Meter] Ma_t_er Mathair, _mother_.

Ro_t_a Roth, Rath, _a wheel_.

Mu_t_o Muth, _change_.

It is probable that the consonants, thus aspirated, were p.r.o.nounced without aspiration in the older dialects of the Celtic tongue; for we are told that in the Irish ma.n.u.scripts of the first cla.s.s for antiquity, the consonants are for the most part written without any mark of aspiration. See "Lhuyd's Archaeol. Brit.," p. 301, col. 1.

The tendency to attenuate the articulations shows itself in a progressive state, in a few vocables which are p.r.o.nounced with an aspiration in some districts, but not universally. Such are deatach or deathach _smoke_, c.u.n.tart or c.u.n.thart _danger_, ta or tha _am_, _art_, tu or thu _thou_, troimh or throimh _through_, tar or thar _over_, am beil or am bheil _is there?_ dom or domh _to me_, &c. Has not this remission or suppression of the articulations the effect of enfeebling the speech, by mollifying its bones and relaxing its nerves? Ought not therefore the progress of this corruption to be opposed, by retaining unaspirated articulations in those instances where universal practice has not entirely superseded them, and even by restoring them in some instances, where the loss of them has been attended with manifest inconvenience? It is shameful to see how many monosyllables, once distinguished by their articulations, have in process of time, by dropping these articulations, come to be represented by the solitary vowel _a_, to the no small confusion of the language and embarra.s.sment of the reader. The place of the absent consonant is often supplied, indeed, in writing, by an apostrophe. This, however, is at best but an imperfect and precarious expedient.

* So in French, from Aprilis, _Avrilis_; habere, _avoir_; Febris, Fievre: [Greek: episkopos], _eveque_.

[11] Ph is found in no Gaelic word which is not inflected, except a few words transplanted from the Greek or the Hebrew, in which _ph_ represents the Greek [phi], or the Hebrew [Hebrew: P]. It might perhaps be more proper to represent [Hebrew: P] by _p_ rather than _ph_; and to represent [phi] by _f_, as the Italians have done in _filosofia_, _filologia_, &c., by which some ambiguities and anomalies in declension would be avoided.

[12] The affinity between the sounds of _v_ and _u_ is observable in many languages, particularly in the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin.

[13] Agreeably to the like p.r.o.nunciation, the Welsh write this word _marw_, the Manks _marroo_.

[14] It is still p.r.o.nounced fuair in the Northern Highlands, and it is so written in Irish. See Irish Bible, Gen. x.x.xv. 18, 19; John ii. 14, viii.

62, 53.

[15] So fathast _yet_, fein _self_, are in some places p.r.o.nounced as if they began with an _h_ instead of an _f_. The latter word is, by the Manks, written hene.

[16] Over a considerable part of the Highlands that propensity to aspiration, which has been already remarked, has affixed to _c_, in the end of a word, or of an accented syllable, the sound of _chc_; as, mac _a son_, torc _a boar_, acain _moaning_; p.r.o.nounced often machc, torchc, achcain.

There is reason to believe that this compound sound of _chc_ was not known of old, but is a modern corruption.