posted on 2017-06-23, 11:57authored byGordon Ó Riain
The following poem consists of a brief discussion of conjugated
fonns of the copula and infixed pronouns (both of which are termed
sealbhadh by the bardic grammarians) and their effects on subsequent
radical consonants. On the whole, this amounts to a treatment of nasalisatiol(1).
' The poem is of interest for several reasons. It stands as one of
very few extant examples of educational or mnemonic verse emanating
from the bardic schools.(2) The order in which the consonants are dealt
with, that of the Ogam alphabet (beirhe luis Ilion), with one exception,
attests to the pervasiveness of that system in the schools.(3) The
anonymous author's comments on the pronunciation of nasalised r are
also of interest.(4)