The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-03-13

| pose. Whenever a competent scholar
Will apply himself to the task of writ
ing q historical grammar of the Ian
| guaee he will find for use and reference
in Silvan Evans's Dictionary" d copi-
Gus and varied store of materials ready
to hand. Like its predecessors, the
| fourth part shows the same comprehen
| siNeness the same unerring accuracy
to the smallest detail, and the same
sound scholarship and able treatment
that have elected the praise of Celtic
| students both in these islands and on
the continent. Here we have far and
away the largest collection of Welsh
words ever brought together in one
work. Twelve centuries, 50 to speak.
are made to pass in procession before
US, with master standing at our side,
telling us nearly everything that is
worth knowing about every member as
it is marshalled past.
To give an example of the method
| employed, we shall take the word
'dwfr" or "dwr." as typical of the rest.
Having given its congeners in Cornish,
Breton, Irish, Gaelic, and ManX the
| author proceeds to show what forms
| IL mas uSSulltu Ill w tlSH literature.
Leaving out the quotations, of which
there is a long list most invaluable
to the student, the following are the
authorities cited: The earliest four
the Ma abnogion," "Cyfreithiau Cymru"
U.eees Walliae), st. Greal," and Tall
esin-each give "dwfyr" "Llyfr yr
Amer has plural "dyfredh," a form,
slightly modified, used also by Llyw
arch alb Llewelyn. Gwalchmai, anoth-
er medaeval bard. writes "dyfyr," and
in the Red Book of Hergest occurs
"dyfwr." Turning again to 'Llyfr VI
| Amer" we find "dwfyr' and "dwfuyr."
Datydd alb Gwilym, anticipating the
usage OF posterity, has "dwfr." which
| he writes in the plural "dyfr" and
| "deifr.' "Dwr," also though not quite
so ancient, is in very good company.
Meredydd alb Rhys, quoted in the "Iolo"
MSS" uses it; SO do Lewys Glyn Cothi.
Edmund Prys, "Meddygon Myddfai' -
"Barddas," William Wyn, and Goronwy
owen. Edmund Prys employs the plu-
raj "dyfredd' form found also in the
1867 edition Of the Welsh prayer book,
but which has long been superseded by
"dyfroedd." In an appended note un-
der this word the author states:-
"'Dwr' though old, as may be seen in
fhe dialects and in several of the quo
tations) has no plural. all the deriva-
tions being formed from dwfr.' 'Deifr," ="
| dyfr,' dyfredd, are archaic or poetical
| forms"
In soma parts cf Wales, we may
state the forms "dwrach," 'dwroedd," "
and "dwrfeydd," are occasionally
heard.
1t,
Der of useful purposes. 1t enables us
to some extent to determine the geo.
graphical area of certain words at q
given period. Thus, the word "diwed-
ydd" seems to have been much more
widely used formerly than at present.
1t is met with in Cornish, under the
form "dewedhes," and also in Taliesin
Myrddin, Dafydd Ddu Hiraddug, and
Lewys Glyn Cothi. At present, if one
is rightly informed, it is never used by
natives of Dyfed, except, perhaps, in
East Carmarthenshire, where Glamor-
gan influence is felt. This method
helps us also to fix the date of great
many words, and to discover what
forms have survived both in dialect
and in literature.
In the matter of etymology the au-
thor Cor, shall we say, authors?) has
largely used the comparative method
bringing within range the Celtic
branches, Greek and Latin, and having
an occasional snap at some of the mod
ern languages of Europe. 1t is not
often that "Silvan" fails. over one
word, however, he comes very near
owning that he has been beaten. 1t
is the word 'd'eongl," which is various
ly written "deongle" and "dehongl,'
"deongll' and "dehongli." The ortho-
graphy of this word, he says, lis some
what unsettled Bishop Parry always
spells 1t without the n and Bishop
Morgan generally The derivation is OBJ
scure. 'Iolo Morganwg' proposes the
following explanation: 'Deongl, to de-
fine the angles of figure Ca mathema-
tical figure); to lay down or delineate
the angles; to interpret! to Illus
trate." We believe that a little more
rational etymology has been suggest
ed, which, If correct, shows "deongli
to be an exceedingly interesting fugi-
tive, long naturalized in Welsh. 1t Is
| suggested that 1t is the same word as
the French "jOngler," to juggle to per-
form acts which make Il show of extra
ordinary powers. The original Is sup
posed to be the Latin "joculator," il
which language, also, there is an infini-
tive, "joculari" 1t is long cry from
"joculator" to "Y Deonglydd Beirnia.
dol" but time and distance work Won
ders,
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