Page:The Celtic Review volume 5.djvu/94

82 which is ‘craulach’ (au nasal), shows, might equally well be written cramhlach, or even cnamhlach. Thus are to be explained such alternative spellings as famhsgal and fannsgal, hurry, confusion; gamhlas and gannlas, also ganndas, and in Sutherland gamhaldas, malice. Seamhas and seanns, good luck, with corresponding adjective seamhsail and seannsail, lucky, are derived by Dr. MacBain from English ‘chance,’ and, mh being sounded v by MacAlpine, furnish a parallel to damhsa and dannsa, dance (Celt. Rev., iv. 172). Tamhasg, blockhead, and tannas, tannasg (tanas and tannas in MacPherson’s Ossian), an apparition, ghost, if those usual renderings are considered, would seem to be different words, and are so regarded by MacBain; yet the Highland Society’s Dictionary gives ghost as one of the meanings of tamhasg; and MacAlpine translates it spectre, apparition, ghost, knows no other meaning, and refers to it for the explanation of tannas.

Annlan, condiment, is ainnleann in Arran (‘àilleann’), and in Kintyre ‘eileann.’ MacAlpine gives ‘ainnlean’ and under lìon ainleann. In Perthshire it is àlan; in Strathspey, Skye, and West Ross, aulan; in North Argyll, eulann. In the south of Sutherland aultan and in the north ùltan are heard, the vowel sound or sounds of the first syllable being nasal in all cases.

Grànnda, ugly, pronounced so, only with è for à in North Argyll, in Arran, Kintyre and Islay grànna, is gràda in Perth, Strathspey, Skye, West Ross and Sutherland. Deargannt, a flea, so Arran and Perth, in Kintyre, Islay and North Argyll deargann, is deargad in West Ross and Sutherland. N is assimilated to t in West Ross in a few cases like duinte, closed, sgàinte, burst, slàinte, health, and nn in Sutherland in cainnt, speech, inntinn, mind, muinntir, people.

r

Assimilation of r to l is prevalent in Strathspey in such words as atharla, heifer; Beurla, English; comhairle, counsel; earlachadh, preparation of food; meirle, theft;