Re: The Vocative Plural

["Peter C. Skye" <pcskye@earthlink.net>]

Raymond A. Brown wrote:

> Thus it seems to me that, disregarding for the moment the question of a
> vocative particle, we have three choices:
>
> (a) the 'original' - indeclinable nouns + the 'Celtic genitive
> construction', i.e.
> 'Cofath lla Aer' - powers of the air!
> - but could also mean 'power of the air'.
>
> (b) mark the plural with a -n suffix + Celtic gen. construction, i.e.
> 'Cofathon lla Aer'
>
> (c) retain the indeclinable nouns but use Romance 'genitive' with
> preposition 'di', i.e.
> 'llo Chofath di lla Aer'
> ---------------------------------------------------------------
>
> As regards the vocative particle... Brithenig would not have one; but the
> ancient Brittonic influence was strong at its formation & this may have led
> to a growing use of the literary Latin 'o' or, indeed, Brittonic 'a' as a
> vocative particle. This would've caused soft mutation. But such a particle
> is possible with all three versions above, thus:
>
> (a) a Gofath lla Aer
> (b) a Gofathon lla Aer
> (c) a lo Chofath di lla Aer.
>
> [

 Okay.  I vote for "cofathon" as plural, and "(a) gofathon" as vocative.
Thanks Ray for putting it so clearly.

Pete