The Scottish Celtic review

Cf29C Gaelic rthoyrophy— Common j\lidakes.samhail is not an abbreviated form of the article.In fact, a ( =«ii)is never used in any case of either the singular or the plural,before nouns beginning with I or s.2. That a before leithid and samhail is the poss. pronoun,is shown by such phrases in the ancient language as the following:"... arnifil inherinn filid alethet" (for there is not in Ireland a poethis equal), Gold., p. 126; "ni accai hi talmain a leitheid " (and onearth thou seest not its like), Ir. Glosses, p. 48 ; " ni fuair asanial(ligraig " (found not a stud its equal), Leabh. Uidh., p. 48^; " nifuair asamail dirig " (found not a king his equal), ibid., p. 48^X. The prep. a' = an or ann (in, into) erroneously substitutedfor the prep. a = do (to, unto).In such phrases as " thigibh a m' ionnsuidh " (come unto me)," tha sinn a' teachd a d' ionnsuidh " (we are coming unto thee),a 7n'=(lo mo (to my, unto my) and a d' = do do (to thy, unto thy).Compare Gen. xix. G :" chaidh Lot a mach d' an ionnsuidh " (Lotwent out unto them) ; 2 Kings xx. 1 : " thainig am faidh Isaiahmac Amois d' a ionnsuidh " (the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoscame unto him).The editors of the Nat. Bib. Society's 8vo. edition of the GaelicScriptures, mistaking a (unto) for a' (into), have frequently substituted" a' m' ionnsuidh " (into me) and "a'd' ionnsuidh" (intothee) for " a m' ionnsuidh " (unto me) and " a d' ionnsuidh " (untothee), as in Jer. i. 11, 13: "thainig focal an Tighearn m' a'ionnsuidh " (the word of the Lord came into me), for " thainigfocal an Tighearn a m' ionnsuidh " (the word of the Lord cameunto me) ; Gen. xviii. 14 : " pillidh mi a' d' ionnsuidh " (I shallreturn into thee), for " pillidh mi a t' ionnsuidh " (I shall returnunto thee) ; 2 Kings xx. 14 :" cia as a thainig iad a' d' ionnsuidh?"(whence came they into thee ?) for "cia as a thainig iada d' ionnsuidh ?" (whence came they unto thee?)So much importancedid the Rev. Dr. Clerk and his fellow-editor attach to thisabsurd emendation that they introduced it into one of thereprints of their edition by making an alteration in the stereotypeplates ! Is. Iv. 5 (1868) " ruithidh iad a' d' ionnsuidh ":(they shall run into thee), for " ruithidh iad a d' ionnsuidh " (theyshall run unto thee).We have before us several instances of similar errors occurring inrecent Gaelic publications, but our space prevents us from callingattention to them in the present number.