Blair Collection > Vestigia celtica

be considered is that, when speaking gene-
rally about James' house, I can say either
iigh Sheumais, or an tigh aig Sctimas.
But when making the distinct statement
that James possesses a house, I can only say
tha tigh aig Sewnas. I call attention to
this fact, because I wish here to anticipate
a form of criticism which these chapters are
not unlikely to provoke. It may fairly be
asked whether the tendency indicated by
the idiomatic usages here collected may
not be a tendency the very reverse of what
has been suggested — that is, a tendency
from an original synthetic to a more modern
analytic form of speech ? Well, even if it
were so, my critic must not forget that
which is clearly implied in his hypothesis ;
for he must remember that the latter is
only a repetition, on a different principle, of
the former, after the loss of the old inflec-
tions. And he must especially remember
what has just been shown in regard to the
absence of any other way than the analytic
of making, in Gaelic, a distinct statement
as to the holding of property.