Paradigm Splits and Hiatus Forms: The Origins of Modern Irish Sceach and Scottish Gaelic Sgitheach 'Thorn Tree', and the Old Irish Precursor of Scottish Gaelic Dìthean 'Flower'

This paper consists of two notes. The first argues that Scottish Gaelic sgitheach and Modern Irish sceach both have their origins in plural forms of Early Irish scé ‘thorn tree’, a paradigm in which we would expect to find alternation between iä and e. Similar paradigm splits and instances of paradigmatic levelling are discussed, with examples from Old, Middle and Early Modern Irish. The second note draws on the evidence of Scottish Gaelic dìthean ‘flower’ to clarify the earlier form of the word attested in Early Modern Irish manuscripts as dithan or dithen ‘corn marigold’. It is argued that dìthean most likely goes back to Early Irish díán. This discussion also sheds some light on the form of the Early Irish word for ‘purple foxglove’.