344 Proccediiifj!^ of the Roj/al Irish Acadcmt,\ 



vowel is found in conjunction ^vith an early inflexional form. When this 

 occurs, the older inflexional desinence may have been archaistically 

 restored. 



v.— SYNTAX. 



The syntax is of the most limited and simplest kind, owing to the 

 limited formulte employed. The title-name may be either nominative or 

 genitive, usually genitive, and may have a noun in apposition or an 

 attributive adjective : all the words which follow are genitives. No verb, 

 article, preposition, or conjunction has anywhere been identified. Only one 

 particle is found, the obscure xoi or xi. In a number of late oghams, the 

 title-name (genitive) is preceded by the noun anm = 0. I. ainin, ' name.' 

 The formulte are : " [name of j A [son of B] [son of C]," or " [name of] A 

 of the kindred (mucoi) of B," or " [name of] A, descendant (avi) of B," 

 or some mixture of these. The syntactical order is that of MS. Irish. 

 Macalister and Ehys sometimes think it necessary to assume an inversion 

 of this order — in my opinion without sufficient grounds in any instance 

 that I have noted. 



VI.— EXAMPLES CLASSIFIED AND DISCUSSED. 



In the following examples the pressure of time has prevented me from 

 giving references for Ogham forms in a number of instances. In most, if not 

 all, instances, the reference is given elsewhere in this paper, and probably all 

 Ogham words quoted without reference will be found indexed by Macalister. 

 In the case of MS. equivalents I have often found it impracticable to give useful 

 references, the material drawn upon being largely transcripts of genealogies 

 in my own possession. In comparing Ogham with MS. forms there has been 

 a good deal of repetition in the different sections. I have thought it better 

 to let this stand than to multiply cross-references. 



A. — Eelations of Ogham and MS. Oethogeaphy and "VVoRD-FOE.ArATioN. 



I.— Consonants. 



1. Initial v becomes MS./. Vorgos 91 = Forgo. Vlatiami J, 1902, p. 81 

 = nom. Flaitlieni. Hence in the later accounts of the Ogham alphabet, the 

 third letter is called /. 



2. Initial v was still occasionally written in the seventh century, being 

 perhaps transcribed from MSS. of the sixth. Adamnan has Virgno {Virgne ?), 

 of which L. Arm. has gen. Fergni. Quies Vinniani AU 578. 



