Blair Collection > History of the Celtic language

CELTIC LANGUAGE. 39
THIRD WITNESS.
Opinion of J. a Prichard, M.D., F.R.S., M.R.S.A.,
— Vide, " The Eastern Origin of Celtic Nations."
" We have remarked above that there is historical
proof of the connexion of the Sclavonic, German, and Peles-
gian races, with the ancient Asiatic nations. Now, the lan-
guage of these races and the Celtic, although differing much
from each other, and constituting the four principal depart-
ments of dialects which prevail in Europe, are yet so far allied
in their radical elements that we may with certainty pronounce
jthem to be branc/ies of the same 07-iginal stock. The resem-
blance is remarkable in the general structure of speech, and in
those parts of the vocabulary which must be supposed to be
the most ancient, as in words descriptive of common objects
and feelings, for which expressive terms existed in the primi-
tive ages of society. We must, therefore, infer, that the
nations to whom these languages belonged, emigrated from the
same quarter.
" It will more evidently appear, if I am not mistaken, that
from the Celtic dialects, a part of the grammatical inflections,
and that a very important part, common to the Sanscrit, the
Eolic Greek, the Latin, and the Teutonic languages are
capable of an elucidation tvhich they have never yet received.'''
The Greek student will do well to read this
testimony over again, and, if he be judicious to
himself, contemplate the respectability of the au-
thority.