[48] The pronouns cach eile and cach a chéile are hardly known in Perthshire. Instead of the former, they use the single word càch pronounced long, and declined like a noun of the singular number; and instead of the latter, a chéile, as in this example, choinnich iad a chéile; thuit cuid, agus theich càch, they met each other; some fell, and the rest fled. Here càch may be considered as a simple pronoun; but the first clause, choinnich iad a cheile, they met his fellow, hardly admits of any satisfactory analysis. The phrases, in fact, seem to be elliptical, and to be expressed more fully, according to the practice of other districts, thus: choinnich iad cach a chiéle; thuit, cuid, agus theich cach eile. Now, if cach be nothing else than gach every, (a conjecture supported by the short pronunciation of the a, as well as by the authorities adduced in the preceding note,) the expressions may be easily analysed: choinnich iad gach [aon] a cheile; thuit cuid, agus theich gach [aon] eile; they met every [one] his fellow; some fell, and every other [one] fled, See 1 Thess. v. 11.
[49] In the older Irish MSS. the Particle do appears under a variety of forms. In one MS. of high antiquity it is often written dno. This seems to be its oldest form. The two consonants were sometimes separated by a vowel, and the n being pronounced and then written r, (See Part I. p. 19.) the word was written doro. (See Astle's Hist. of the Orig. and Progr. of Writing, page 126, Irish Specimen, No. 6.) The Consonants were sometimes transposed, suppressing the latter Vowel, and the Particle became nod (O Brien's Ir. Dict. voc. Sasat, Treas,) and rod (id. voc. Ascaim, Fial.) Sometimes one of the syllables only was retained; hence no (O'Br. voc. No,) ro (id. voc. Ro,) and do in common use. Do likewise suffered a transposition of letters, and was written sometimes ad. (O'Br. voc. Do.)
[50] This correspondence of the Termination with the Root was overlooked in the older editions of the Gaelic Psalms; as pronnfidh, cuirfar, molfidh, innsam, guidham, coimhdar, sinnam, gluaisfar, &c.
[51] The disposition in the Gaelic to drop articulations has, in this instance, been rather unfortunate; as the want of the f weakens the sound of the word, and often occasions a hiatus. There seems a propriety in retaining the f of the Future, after a Liquid, or an aspirated Mute; as, cuirfidh, mairfidh, molfidh, geillfidh, pronnfidh, brisfidh, &c., for these words lose much in sound and emphasis by being changed into caithidh, mairidh, &c.
[52] The incorporation of the Verb with a Personal Pronoun is a manifest improvement, and has gradually taken place in almost all the polished languages. There is incomparably more beauty and force in expressing the energy of the Verb, with its personal relation and concomitant circumstances, in one word, than by a periphrasis of pronouns and auxiliaries. The latter mode may have a slight advantage in point of precision, but the former is greatly superior in elegance and strength. The structure of the Latin and Greek, compared with that of the English Verb, affords a striking illustration of this common and obvious remark. Nothing can be worse managed than the French Verb; which, though it possesses a competent variety of personal inflections, yet loses all the benefit of them by the perpetual enfeebling recurrence of the personal Pronouns.
In comparing the Scottish and Irish dialects of the Gaelic, it may be inferred that the former, having less of inflection or incorporation, than the latter, differs less from the parent tongue, and is an older branch of the Celtic, than its sister dialect. It were unfair, however, to deny that the Irish have improved the Verb, by giving a greater variety of inflection to its Numbers and Persons, as well as by introducing a simple Present Tense. The authors of our metrical version of the Gaelic Psalms were sensible of the advantage possessed by the Irish dialect in these respects, and did not scruple to borrow an idiom which has given grace and dignity to many of their verses.
[53] Such at least is the common practice in writing, in compliance with the common mode of colloquial pronunciation. It might perhaps be better to retain the full form of the Preposition, in grave pronunciation, and always in writing. It is an object worthy of attention to preserve radical articulations, especially in writing; and particularly to avoid every unnecessary use of the monosyllable a, which, it must be confessed, recurs in too many senses.
[54] The Preposition iar has here been improperly confounded with air on. I have ventured to restore it, from the Irish Grammarians. Iar is in common use in the Irish dialect, signifying after. Thus, iar sin after that, iar leaghadh an tshoisgeil after reading the Gospel, iar sleachdadh do niomlan after all have kneeled down, iar seasamh suas after standing up, &c. See "Irish Book of Common Prayer." Air, when applied to time, signifies not after, but at or on, air an am so, air an uair so at this time, air an la sin on that day. There is therefore sufficient reason to believe that, in the case in question, iar is the proper word; and that it has been corruptly supplanted by air.
[55] The Imperative seems to have been anciently formed by adding tar to the Root. This form is still retained in Ireland, and in some parts of Scotland, chiefly in verbs ending in a Lingual; as, buailtear, deantar. (See the Lord's Prayer in the older editions of the Gaelic Version of the Assembly's Catechism; also, the "Irish N. Test." Matt. vi. 10. Luke xi. 2.) In other verbs, the t seems to have been dropped in pronunciation. It was, however, retained by the Irish in writing, but with an aspiration to indicate its being quiescent; thus, togthar, teilgthear, "Ir. N. T." Matt. xxi. 21, Mark xi. 23, crochthar, Matt. xxvii. 22. So also the "Gaelic N. T." 1767, deanthar. Matt. vi. 10, Luke xi. 2. In the later publications the t has been omitted altogether, with what propriety may be well doubted.
[56] To preserve a due correspondence with the pronunciation, the Pass. Part. should always terminate in te, for in this part of the verb, the t has always its small sound. Yet in verbs whereof the characteristic vowel is broad, it is usual to write the termination of the Pass. Part. ta; as, togta raised, crochta suspended. This is done in direct opposition to the pronunciation, merely out of regard to the Irish Rule of Leathan ri leathan, which in this case, as in many others, has been permitted to mar the genuine orthography.