> It's Latin inspired.
>
> >this is probably why
> >later gaelic writing in the latin alphabet gave different values

to

> >latin letters.
>
> Such as?
>
> > (i actually speak a bit of almost extinct nova scotian
> >gaelic--lochaber and barra dialects--but it isn't much use in
> >toronto, so i'm getting worse every year)
> >
> >the gaelic use of the alphabet gives letters different values
> >depending on where they are found in the word or in relation to

the

> >heighnouring words. i have assumed that this is a remenant of

ogham

> >and of early irish, but it could just as easily be the creation of
> >late medieval monks.
>

i was referring to two things. scotts gaelic, in it's earlier form
has 17 letters, (now 20, but they keep having spelling reforms like
ogham, or at least old ogham, some celtic revivalist are using an
ogham of more letters, usually a good hint they they have no idea
what they are doing) 5 vowels, each with two pronounciations and
twelve consonants.

in addition the letters often alter in pronounciation depending where
they are in a word. r at the beginning is usually a rolled r or a
french slightly gutteral r, depending on the dialect. in the middle
of the word it can become a w or simple r, and at the end is
pronounced as a th. d is a j if followed by a long vowel and a d or t
if short(usually a t if short). at the end of a word it can be silent
or occasionally a soft y like sound. in the middle of a word a d is a
t in english. there are other such oddities. i have often thought
this might reflect the ogham alphabet.

there is some traditional literature about the picts. they were
called the cruinthe(pronounced kroyn-ye). they turn up in the annals
of ulster and the annals of connacht. both indicate they lived in
spots throughout ireland and scotland and were there before the
gaels. they often had their own local kings, but there are no actual
translations of their language. the gaels found them an embarrasment
to their nationalist claims to be first in ireland. the leabhear
gabala, a traditional history, is a good example. in a era before
propaganda they acknowledge they were there but dismiss their
importance to gaelic claims. a sort of :" we were first , except for
them, but they don't count"etc. however these histories are not
always relaible. for example, they include a race called the
parthalon who were first in ireland but completely died out. how do
we know of them? a druid of the parthalon reincarnated as a raven for
generations untill a human group returned to ireland and then took
birth as a human who could recall all his past lives and thereby
write the history. fancifull but not always reliable.

well i was hoping there might be some breakthrough in ogham