The Scottish Celtic review

286 Gaelic Orihographij— Common Mistakes.lands, but especially in the remoter islands/ would probablysuppose.It may be interesting to compare here the variations in thespelling oi gu'n in one chapter (5th of 2nd Cor.) in four differenteditions of the Gaelic Scriptures, viz., O'Donnell's (1G81), Stewart's(17G7), Gen. Assembly's (1826), and Nat. Bib. Society's RefEd. (1880) :—O'Donni'irs.V. 1. go bhfuil.3. go bhfaghtliar4.,, go .sUiigfiiIhe(i. go bhfuilmid9.10. go ngeubhadh11. go bhfuilmiil12. go nibiaclh14. go bhftiaradar1."). go bhfiiair16. go raibh.19.20.21. go nduuntaoiSti-warfs.gu bheil gu bJifeil.gii 'm bugu 'ill biodh.g\i bheil=gu bhfeil.gu'm bigu fuigb.gu bheil-gu blifeilgu 'in bi.gu 'n raibh.gu 'n d' fhuairgu raiijligu 'n cuireadh.gu bitheamaiil.Gnu Assemhii/'s.gu bheil=gu blifeil.gu 'm bu.gu bi.gu blieil=gu bhfeil.gu'iu bi.gu faigh.gu bheil=gu bhfeil.gu bi.gu 'n robh.gu 'n d' fhuair.gu robh.gu cuireadh.gu bitheamaid.Me/. Ed., ISSO.gu bheil=gu bhfeil.gu-m bu.gum bi.gu bheil^gu bhfeil.gu-ni bi.gu-m faigh.gu bheil-gu blifeil.gu-m bi.gu-n robh.gu-n d' fhuair.gu robh.gu-n cuireadh.gu-m bitheamid.The examples here given from O'Donnell's Translation arestrictly according to rule./being eclipsed by hh in "go bhfuil," "gobhfaghthar," "go bhfuilmid," "go bhfuaradar," and "go bhfuair,"g by n in " go ngdubhadh," b by m in " go mbiadh," and d by nin " go ndeuntaoi," all in consequence of the nasal termination ofthe conjunction, which is preserved before g and d in " geubhadh"and "d^untaoi," becomes m before b in " biodh," and is assimilatedunto and coalesces with r in " raibh."In the examples from Stewart's Eilition, the nasal is ]ireserved,contrary to rule, in "gu'n raibh" (v. 14) and " gu 'n cuireadh "(v. 20), and is irregularly dropped before b in " gu bitheamaid "1 In a long note on the "differences between Irish and Scotch Gaelic,"appended by Mr. Skene to the selections published by Dr. M'LaiicVilan fromthe Dean of Lismore's Book, we find the following statement: .... "inpure Scotch Gaelic the eclipsis is unknown, except in the case of the letters." It would, however, be difficult for a Gaelic speaker, in any part of theHighlands, to utter half-a-dozeu sentences in the course of ordinary conversationwithout using eclipsed forms ; and the letter s, although silent after t ofthe article, does not admit of eclipsis. O'Douovau's conjecture in regard tothis letter (cf. Gramra., p. 61) was perfectly correct.