Talk:Gallowglass

Name
The article states that "this article assumes that the singular and plural terms are both "gallowglass", as the English term comes from an Irish plural."

However, the origin of a term has nothing to do with how its use develops in English. The Oxford English Dictionary presents various examples of the word's use in English, most of which use "Gallowglasses" (or a phonetic variant) as the plural form - and states definitively:

"in some early instances galloglas seems to be used as a plural, but galloglasses is found already in our earliest quot."

http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/76340?redirectedFrom=gallowglass#eid

galloglass, n.

Pronunciation: /ˈɡæləɡlɑːs/ /-ɡlæs/

Forms: α. 15 galloglas(se, galoglas, galloweglass, gallyglasse, 16 galli(n)glass(e, ( gallowgross), 18 gallaglass, 15–16, 18 galloglass, gallowglass. β. 15 galloglogh, 16 gallegalagh, 16, 18 galloglagh, 17–18 galloglach.(Show Less)

Etymology: < Irish and Gaelic gall-óglách, < gall foreigner, stranger + óglách youth, servant, warrior. The etymologically correct form galloglagh appears later than the erroneous galloglass, which was probably the result of the plural gallogla(gh)s; in some early instances galloglas seems to be used as a plural, but galloglasses is found already in our earliest quot.

The statement, made on etymological grounds by Spenser ( State of Irel. 640/1, Globe ed.), that the ‘galloglasses’ were originally English mercenaries, seems doubtful; gall is used of foreigners or strangers generally, and, although mainly applied to the English in Spenser's day, may not have been so restricted at the time when the compound was formed.

Obs. exc. Hist.

1. One of a particular class of soldiers or retainers formerly maintained by Irish chiefs.

α. c1515  in State Papers Henry VIII (1834) II. 5,  500 sperys 500 galloglasseis, and 1000 kerne.

1520  in State Papers Henry VIII (1834) II. 46,  18 baners of galoglas.

c1538  R. Cowley in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eng. Hist. (1827) 2nd Ser. II. 96  Which bere all the burdon of the chargis of holding horse~men, galloglas and kerne.

1540  in State Papers Henry VIII (1834) III. 169  The saide Cahir shall pay yerely..the tributes and summes of mony, with refeccions and sustencions of all the galloglasses, as was accustumed to be payed by his auncetours.

1577  R. Stanyhurst Treat. Descr. Irelande viii. f. 28/2, in R. Holinshed Chron. I,  The fourth degre is a galloglasse, vsing a kind of pollax for his weapon.

c1600  J. Dymmok Treat. Ireland (1842) 7  The Galloglass are pycked and scelected men of great and mightie bodies, crewell without compassion.

1610  P. Holland tr. W. Camden Brit. ii. 147  Souldiours set in the rere gard, whom they terme Galloglasses, who fight with most keene hatchets.

1815  Scott Lord of Isles i. viii. 15  Loud shouts each hardy galla-glass.

1875  J. R. Lowell Spenser in Prose Wks. (1890) IV. 296  In October the wild kerns and gallowglasses rose in no mood for sparing the house of Pindarus.

β.

1534  in State Papers Henry VIII (1834) II. 185,  10 scor spearys, callid gallogloghis.

1610  P. Holland tr. W. Camden Brit. ii. 172  Fennyngher O-Conghir slew Cale-Rothe and with him of Galloglahes and others about three hundred.

1848–51  J. O'Donovan tr. Ann. Four Masters (1856) I. 119 (note),  The bands of kernes and galloglaghs or gallowglasses, supported by the Irish chieftains of the later ages.

Since "gallowglasses" follows the regular plural form in English, and since that usage is attested to by the Oxford English Dictionary, I propose that the article be edited to use "gallowglasses" as the plural form.

Michael F 1967 (talk) 00:55, 24 April 2014 (UTC)
 * The OED examples are mixed, so I don't see an objection to your edit. Gallowglass is good as a collective noun where the writer thinks it appropriate. In certain sentences gallowglasses doesn't sound good - the reader may tend to confuse the significance with the plural of English "glass".-Shtove 21:28, 5 July 2014 (UTC)