208 Essay Introductory to the Archceology of the fVest of England. 



governed by certain prepositions. But it is not easy, from considering the 

 force of these prepositions, to discover any uniformity of relation in those 

 which govern the same form, by which such forms may be identified with 

 the several cases in otiier languages. 



A\'jien two nonns concur in the relation of possession, which in other 

 languages requires a genitive of the noun possessing, no change takes place 

 in Welsh. 



In Cornisli the genitive is expressed by the preposition 'a,' of or from; 

 the dative by Dha, to, which are prefixed to the article ' an,' and form A'n 

 and Dlia'n. 



In Arraoric, Ens of or from, and De, to, are similarly employed. 



In Erse the cases are formed by clianging both the initial and final syl- 

 lables, aa in the following specimen, to which the article is prefixed. 



SINGULAR. PLURAL. 



Nom. An foghmhar Nom. Na foghmhara 



Gen. An flioghmiiair Gen. Na bfoghmhara 



Dat. _^ , > fhoghmhar Dat. Do na foglnnharaibh 



Ace. An foghmhar Ace. No foghmhara 



Abl. Gan fhoghmhar Abl. Gau foghmharaibh 



There are many forms of declension, but the termination Ibh in the da- 

 tive plural is common to all. 



Stewart's grammar of the Scoto-Gaelic, at the time of its publication 

 the only philosophical view of any Celtic language, distinguishes between 

 the initial and final variations of nouns. The latter express tlie relations 

 of case, and seem to depend upon a change of the last vowel, which may 

 be considered as the characteristic of case, rather than upon a change 

 of the final tetter. The initial variations may be divided into, first, those 

 which aspirate the initial letter when a consonant ; and secondly, those 

 which articnlate it when a vowel, with the prefix of a consonant, pre- 

 venting the open vowels. The relations expressed by the usage of the 

 primary or aspirated form, are not the same with those of case. A noun 

 is aspirated, if preceded by certain cases of the article, whence arises the 

 initial change in the above specimens of the Irish Gaelic, and also after 

 an adjective and certain prepositions. 



COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES. 



The Welsh, Cornish, and Armoric, form the comparative by adding 

 'ach,' and the superlative, by adding 'af or ' a' to the positive, thus, 

 Rhaid, Rheitach, Rheitiaf. 



The Erse forms the comparative by prefixing ' nios' to the genitive case 

 of the positive ; and the superlative by prefixing ' ro' to the nominative of 

 the positive, thus ; 



Ard, Nios airde, Ro ard. 



