silmeth wrote:
I’ve found this edition of
Mo Scéal Féin published by
Brún agus Ó Nualláin with author attributed on the cover as
Peadar Ó Laoghaire –
https://www.siopaleabhar.com/tairge/mo- ... -athlaimh/ – which seems heavily ‘standardized’ from the scans on siopaleabhar, eg.
ar Ghaeil (instead of
Ghaelaibh) or
fé chosa a námhad. I think they might have just quoted directly from this version (so the fault here might not be theirs… or it is, but not in ‘standardizing’ but just by choosing this particular edition of the text – though I can’t confirm it’s exactly the same as the passage in the textbook).
But I find it likely, since they seem to list this edition in their reading list recommendation in a footnote on page 18 (“P. Ó. Laoghaire,
Mo Scéal Féin, Longman Brún agus Ó Nualláin, Dublin”).
That version is not an authorised version of Ua Laoghaire's biography. Ua Laoghaire would not have approved. I've heard that that edition simply deleted the entire section of Mo Sgéal Féin where Ua Laoghaire states that he regards "do bhíos" as better than "bhí mé". The passage (in my edition, which I aim to publish):
Quote:
B’fhéidir go raibh an Ghréigis ní b’fheárr ná í nuair a bhí an Ghréigis beó agus muíntir na Gréige dhá labhairt, ach ní raibh ar mo chumas‑sa an chúmparáid a dhéanamh ach amháin idir mo Ghaelainn bheó féin agus an Ghréigis a fuaras in sna leabhraibh; agus chómh fada agus ’ chuaigh an chúmparáid sin bhí an bua ageam Ghaelainn féin. Is dócha go ndéarfadh duine a tógadh in áit eile, nú i gcúig’ eile, in Éirinn, an rud céanna i dtaobh Gaelainne na cúige gur tógadh é féin ann. Ach tá roinnt nithe againn chun an scéil do bhrath. Sarar fhágas‑sa Lios Caragáin níor airíos riamh amach a béal duine na habartha so, .i. tá mé; bhí mé; bhí siad. D’airínn i gcónaí táim; bhíos; bhíodar, &c. Nithe beaga is ea iad san, ach is nithe beaga iad a thagann isteach go mion minic sa chainnt. Agus is slacht ar an gcainnt an módh dlúite seochas an módh scurtha. Ar an gcuma gcéanna, is neamh‑shlacht ar an gcainnt an módh scurtha seochas an módh dlúite. Dá éaghmais sin, bíonn sa chainnt dhlúite neart agus fuinneamh nách féidir a bheith sa chainnt a bhíonn ag titim as a chéile.
(Of course, the notion that Greek was no longer was quite erroneous.)