Blair Collection > Archaeologia Britannica, giving some account additional to what has been hitherto publish'd, of the languages, histories and customs of the original inhabitants of Great Britain

TIT. I. COMPARATIVE ETYMOLOGY.
»9
O Bs. XVIII. Changi^Of
Vowels.
f W. Lhymmiu, jin Enfgn ; Ir.
t Loman.
t Engl. Thyrncn, A Thorn.
1 V..\\!yrt, A Wort or Herb i Wyr-
tun, 't Garden.
f K. Hyrnet, yl Hornet.
tE. Wyrd, AlVordi Bywyrd,/»
By-word.
f E.Byrn, A Bourn ; viz,. A Spring
urfmaU Brook.
Gr. kuxv, Lac. Mola,^f.
Y ch.ing'd into XJ.
\\f. Ds, Black; Ir. Duv.
S. VV. i loyl, The Sun i Corn,Houl.
S. W.Oyr, Go!di Corn. Our.
W. Dyu, God ; Arm. Due.
W, Dvn, A Man ; Ir. Duine.
W. Voider, Height ,- Ir. UaAidar.
W.Trvan, Lfari ; Ir Truadh.
W. Klyft, An Ljr, Ir. Kluas.
W.Plyen & V\'^\yn., A Feather i
Ir. Ivliiiv & Kluivin.
VV. Klyn , A Hip, Ir. f K.luan 6c
Glun, a Knee.
W. Krvg &c Krig, --^ Htw/-; Ir.
KiCiiX-
W. Pry V, A Worm; Ir. Kruv.
W. Kynnog, AJinallPaili Ir. Ku-
inneog, ^ Chttm.
W. Sky bo, To Sureep; Ir. Skuaba.
t Engl. Bye, A Burt or Vat.
y Chang d into A.
W. yskalhen, AThiJlle-, Corn.
Askallan.
MynaA;, A' Monk ; Arm. Mana;K
W . Mylvran, A Cormorant ; Arm.
Nlalvran.
r W. MvnaA;, Oar; Ir. Mana^i-
W. Rhybydh, Warning i Ir. Ra-
vadli. '
y chang'd into E.
\y. ynys, An Ijland-, Com Enys.
W. Trybedh, ATrizct or Brand-
Iron; Corii.Trebath.
S- \V .Sjvi, A Strav>-ierry i Com.
Scvi.
W. Dyvrj^i, An Otter ;C.Deviit,i.
W. K> fylog, AU'ood Cock • Corn.
Kyvclak. Arm. Kefclck.
W .Dysky, To Learn ; Cor Deski.
W. Lliyvyr, A Book ; Corn.Levar.
Arm. Leur.
W. Hvdrev, The month ofO&ober;
C. Hedra.
VV. Tyuylh, Drfr/-; Arm. Teval.
VV.Kl>'\ved, To Hear; Arm.Klevec.
W.Pyfgodur, A F'Jher; Arm.
Pesketter.
W.Skyvanr, The Lungs; Armor.
Skcvcn:.
W.SyxsdyThirfl; Arm Scxcd.
W. t Prydain, Britain ; Ir. Breatin.
W. ysbicn, Spain ; Ir. Eatbain.
W.Glyny, To adhere ; Ir. Gleana.
W. Lhys-\o.h,A Step Son ,- Ir. Le-
af-vac.
W. Mynaiied, An Awl; Ir.Mea-
nadh.
y chang'd into I.
W.Kynnyd, Ffirf/;Corn. Kinnis
W. ByA-an, Small; Corn. & Arm.
Bian.
W. ynyd, Shrove-Tide; Ir. Init.
O 1) s. XIX. Change Of
The Labial Letters
p. B. K. (or Ph.) V. M.
\V. ynys, An Ijlaud ; Ir. In is.
W.ymmyl. A Border; Ir. Immeal.
W. tyfly, To Eat; Ir. Iladh.
y chang'd into ().
V/. Pryjcchur, A Preact/er ; Corn.
Progathar.
W. Dyvnder, Depth ; C-Doundcr.
W. Mvnydh, A Mountain j Corn.
&: Ir. Monadh.
\V. Lhygod, Mice; Com. Logaz.
W. Bydhar, Deaf; Ir. liodhar.
\V . t" Lhy/;lynnydh, A Norwegian,
Ir. LoAjlonna;;.
W.Lhynky, To Swallow; Ir. f Lon-
gadh, to Devour.
OBSERVAT. XIX.
Change Of The Labial
Letters r. b.f. (or Ph.; V.m.
In the foregoing Notes, I have for
the mofi part omitted the Alteration
of yowels in the fame words of one
and the fame Language or DialeH,
OH account of Dectcnfion, Conjuga-
tion, Compofttlon, &c- Such as \\I .
Maneg, A Glove ; Plur. Menig ;
Fon, a Staff, Plur. Fyn ; Naid, a
Leap, Ncidio, to leap ; Kar & Ka-
ra, Love thou ; Kcrais, I have lov'd,
Karav, I will love; Drug, Bad;
Drykhin, a Storm q d. Drug-hin.
i. c. Bad Weather. Arm. Karo, a
Stag; Plur. Kirvi ; YAoz, a Bell,
Plur. KlcA^iet ; Me laqua , I put ,
Memeus lequet, I have put. Ir.
Nom. Dia, God ,- Gen Dc. Nom.
Mac. a 5ow;Gen.[&Nom.Pl.] Mic,
&C. Such Notes 1 fay, becavfe they
occur in Grammars, are here indu-
flrioufly omitted; but the Alterations
of Initial Conjonants, Jo peculiar to
thefe Ancient Languages of Britain
and Ireland, that all our Neighbour-
ing Nations feem utter Strangers to
them , may claim fome room in the
following Qbfervations.
P.
In the Welfli, fuch words {efpeci-
ally Subflantives and Verbs aBive) as
in their primary ufe, begin wtth P.
conjlantly change that letter inffeak-
ing and writing as occajion Jhall re-
quire, i>ito B.F. or Mh . which lajl,as
alfo Nh. being together wtth Lh. and
Rh. peculiar to //v Wellll, / erro-
neoujly omitted in the General Al-
phabet, p 2.
Ex.gr.Pcn, A Head: Pen gur, a
man's head ; i ben, his head ; i fen or
C as fuch words are always written) i
phen, her head ; y m mhcn, my head.
Puys , Weight ; POys ayr , the
weight of Gold ; i buys, it's weight;
i fuys, her weight ; ym mhCiys, my
weight.
Pyuys , The Countrej fo caWd :
Tir PyuySjPoiryy Land; O Benvro
i Byuys,Frow Pembroke to Powys;
Dyved a Fyuys, the Countrey of
Dyved [wowPembrokefhire] and
Powys ; vm mhcnlhyn ag ym mhy-
uys, at Penlhyn and at Powys.
O B s. XIX. Change Of
The Labial Letters
p. B. F. Cor ph. ) V.M.
Puio, To Beat ; yn puyo'r ba;!;-
een, Beating the Boy ; lu buio, to
beat him, lu fuio, to beat her ; yn
ym mhuio, Beating me ; Plyj;y,'/o
bend or fold ; Plyga'r Uialch!, bend
[thou] the rod; lu bhjjy, to bend
him [ or it, m. g. ] iu fl\ ry , to bend
her or it, t. g. yn ym mhiyjy, bend-
ing me, &c.
The Cornifl), Armoric and Irilli,
vary their Initial Letters much af-
ter the fame manner , faving that
neither of them ufe this Mh. nor Nh.
fortheM}n. oftheh,ih,(as we/hall
eljewhere dijlinguijh ) is only equiva-
lent to V confonant. I choofe there-
fore to referr the Reader to their
Grammars , and to exemplify here
only in the VVelfll.
This variation of Initial Letters
will doubtlefs feem very fingular to
Strangers ; but in the Bricilh 'tis all-
ways regular; and conflantly be-
twixt Letters of the fame Organ of
Pronunciation ; For a Labial Let-
ter is never chang'd to a Dental, nor
a Dental to a Labial, e^c
'Twas doubtlefs fo ( tho' there be
now fome exceptions ) formerly m the
ln{[\; faving that their Initial F.
andS were always .^as partly yet .^after
the manner of the Spaniards, chang'd
to H,&c. Nor are theju Initial va-
riations how ever furprix-ing at firfi
view, more difficult or ungrammati-
cal than thofe numerous Declenfions,
or change of Terminations in the
Greek and Latin Nouns, which in
the Britifll are alter d but once, and
that only for Diflinflion of the
Number.
RefleSiing on the great affinity be-
twixt fuch of our European Lan-
guages, as 1 have any Infight in, I
have been fometimes te7iipted to a
fufpicion, that this changing of Ini-
tial Letters was once a prevailing
Cuflom no lejs in the Contine7it than
'tis yet with us : And that their dif.
■ontinuing it, has been one great caufe
of the Origin of various Dialers,
which upon further Alteration (otie
while by Corruption, and another by
Improvement) became in time di-
flni£i Languages.
And as in Welfli, for Example,
Pant, A Valley, Perth, a Bujb, Pa-
red, a Wall, &c. are chang'd into
Bant, Fant, Mhant ; Berth, Perth,
Mherth ; Bared, Fared, Mhared :
So limaein'd the Latin Pruina came
to be cau'd by the French Brouine,
and by //-f Itali.uis, Brina. Lat. Po-
lentarius. ):x. Boulanger ; Lat. Pa-
ter, Ida. Bater; Span. Pequcu-
no, W. Byvtan ; Gr. i].A<,aQ«, Lat.
Bcllum ; n«Ti.'», Delph. u^r«, ; n,-
"■tii, Delph. ax<ei. Plut. in Hellcni-
cis. x\*>c.,.i,, [UrbsThracise] v,x>-
A«.»; ngjHn*),, Bralica. Seal.
L.Pifcis, Gcr Fifth; Pater,Germ.
Fatter; Pes, Germ. Fus , Pedis,
Bclg. Foe/, t Engl. Fot i Gr n.jJL,
Germ. Fart fin.
Gr. n«r.v , /Eol. MirH; nxJBSK,
i€ol.