The English Language

by R. G. Latham

In Welsh—the initials of adjectives become light when their substantive is feminine.

In Irish—the initials of adjectives singular, aspirated in the oblique cases only of the masculine, are aspirated throughout in the feminine.

In Welsh—after certain adverbs called formative, used like the English words to, as, &c., in the formation of the degrees of nouns, and the moods of verbs (in other words,

after certain particles), initial sounds become light; as rhy vyçan (byçan)=very (over) little; ni çarav (carav)=I do not love.

In Irish—the same, in respect to the change from lene to aspirate; ro veag=very little; ni vualim (bualim)=I do not beat; do vuaileas=I struck, &c.

In Welsh—initials are light after all prepositions except in and towards.

In Irish—the prepositions either eclipse the noun that they govern or else aspirate it. A Welsh grammarian would say that it made them light.

In Welsh—initials of feminines become light after the Articles.

In Irish—masculines are aspirated in the genitive and dative singular; feminines in the nominative and dative. N.B. The difference here is less than it appears to be. The masculine dative is changed, not as a masculine, but by the effect of the particle do, the sign of the dative; the genitive, perhaps, is changed ob differentiam. This being the fact, the nominative is the only case that is changed as such. Now this is done with the feminines only. The inflection explains this.

Masc.		Fem.
Nom.	an crann=the tree.	Nom.	an ços=the foot.
Gen.	an çrainn.	Gen.	an cos.
Dat.	don çrann.	Dat.	don ços.
Acc.	an crainn.	Acc.	an cos.