Matheson Collection > Old-Irish paradigms and selections from the Old-Irish glosses

PREFACE
The Selections first appeared in 1904, and the Paradigms in 1905.
In 1909, after Professor Strachan's death, a new edition was
issued in one volume. In the present edition both parts have
been revised, and sections on the comparison of adjectives and
on personal pronouns added.
The Paradigms were originally ' put together to serve as the
skeleton for a course of lectures on Old-Irish Accidence '. In his
preface to the Selections Professor Strachan wrote :
' The arrangement of the glosses calls for some explanation.
It has been found that to students, particularly to students who
are already familiar with the modern language, the Old Irish
noun and pronoun present no great difficulties. On the other
hand, the compHcated verbal system is very puzzling to the
beginner. This book has, therefore, been so arranged that the
student who has mastered the nominal inflection may learn
the verb gradually, tense by tense.
' In the notes much wiU be found that would more properly
be relegated to the grammar. Of recent years, however, much
progress has been made in the study of Old Irish grammar, and,
as yet, no grammar has appeared in which these recent discoveries
have been embodied. It is hoped that the references which are
given wiU lead the student to consult the original authorities.
A translation of the Irish may be found in the Thesaurus Palaeo-
hibernicus.'
As the authorities to which Professor Strachan referred have
proved inaccessible to most beginners, such references have, as
a rule, been omitted in this edition. Advanced students wiU now
find them in Thurneysen's Handbuch des Altirischen and in
Pedersen's Vergleichende Grammatih der heltischen Sprachen.
OSBORN BERGIN.
March 1929.