A Grammar of the Irish Language (Classic Reprint) Book

INTRODUCTION.Suction I.- Of the Origin of Writing and Letters in Ireland.The question whether the pagan Irish had the use of alphabetic writing has often been discussed. Bollandus3 and Inncsb deny that the Irish were a lettered people before they received the Roman alphabet from the Christian missionaries; but the question lias not been as yet handled on either side with a moderation likely to elicit the truth. O'Flaherty states that if Bollandus had consulted any Irishmen, well in formed in the antiquities of Ireland, they could have produced for him the names of writers who had flourished in different ages before the mission of St. Patrick0. And in this assertion he was perfectly borne out by the Bardic traditional history of pagan Ireland; for we read that letters were known not only to the Scotic or Milesian colony, but also to their predecessors, the Tuatha De Dananns3. Several poets of distinction arc raen-" Acta SS. ad 17 Mart. torn. 2, in Vit. S. Patr. sect. 4.b SeeTable of Contents CONTEXTS; pa ok; Introduction,xxvii; Section i-Of the Origin of Writing and Letters in Ireland, ib Section 2-Of the principal Writers of Irish Grammar, , Hv Section 3__Testimonies to the Value of the Study of Irish, ? Ixt; Section 4-Of the Dialects of TrishIxxv; PART I; ORTHOGRAPHY; CHAPTER I; classification of letters; TnE modern Irish alphabet, 1; Vowels divided into broad and slender, ib; Consonants divided into mutes and liquids ; also into labials,; palatals, and Unguals, ib; Classification of consonants according to Dr Darwin's system, 2; Commutablc consonants in the ancient language ib; Aspirable consonants, 3; Influence of the vowels on the consonants, ib; CHAPTER II of the vowels-Section 1-Of'the Sou fids oftiie simple VowU, 5-14 Long, short, and medial sounds,ib; x ConRead More