Ossian Collection > Analysis of the Galic language

INTRODUCTION. xxi.
fore the afpirate h -, there are no filent letters in the lan-
guage. Unlike the Irifh, the Scotch Galic delights to pro-
nounce every letter, and is not bridled over with fo
many ufelefs and quiefcent confonants. The Englilh
and French are infinitely more difficult to read and pro-
nounce, and have many more filent and mute letters.
In the Galic there are no fuch ugly looking words as
thought, through, firength, &c. nor founds fo different
from what the letters at other times exprefs. How far I
may have reduced it to a fixed fyftem, founded on
the general philofophy of language, and its own par-
ticular genius, others mull determine ; I only claim the
indulgence always fhewn to a juvenile attempt, efpeci-
ally of a paffage through mountains never trod before.
It was not the mercenary confideration of interell, nor
perhaps the expeftation of fame amongft my country-
men, in whofe efteem its beauties are now too much
faded, but a tafle for the beauties of the original
fpeech of a now learned Nation, that induced me either
to begin, or encouraged me to perfevere in reducing to
grammatical principles, a language before fpoken only
by imitation ; while, perhaps, I might have been more
profitably employed, in tafting the various productions
of men, ornaments of human nature, afforded in a lan-
guage now teeming with books. I beheld with aftoniOi
ment