Elements of Gaelic Grammar Part 3

The sound of _ui_ is either made up of the sounds of both the vowels, or like that of _u_ alone.

1. Made up of (1) _u_ and (1) _i_: _u_ long, _i_ short, as, suigheag _a rasp-berry_; _u_ short, as, buidheann _a company_.

Before a Lingual or a Palatal, not quiescent, the _i_ loses its sound, and only qualifies that of the following consonant; hence,

2. Like (1) _u_ long: as, duil _expectation_, cuig _five_; short, as, fuil _blood_, muir _the sea_.

OF THE TRIPHTHONGS.

There are five Triphthongs, in each of which _i_ is the last letter: aoi, eoi, iai, iui, uai. In these the two first vowels have the same sounds and powers as when they form a diphthong. The final _i_ is sounded short; but before a Palatal or a Lingual, not quiescent, it loses its sound, and only qualifies that of the following consonant.

AOI.

1. Made up of _ao_ and (1) _i_; as, caoidh _lamentation_, aoibhneas _joy_, laoigh _calves_.

2. Like _ao_; as, caoineadh _wailing_, maoile _baldness_.

EOI.

1. Made up of (2) _eo_ and (1) _i_; as, geoigh _geese_.

2. Like (1) _eo_; as, meoir _fingers_.

3. Like (2) _eo_; as, deoir _tears_, treoir _ability_.

IAI.

1. Like (1) _ia_; as, fiaire _more awry_.

IUI.

1. Like (2) _iu_; as, ciuil _of music_, fliuiche _more wet_. {10}

UAI.

1. Made up of (1) _ua_ and (1) _i_; as, luaithe _quicker_.

2. Made up of (2) _ua_ and (1) _i_; as, cruaidh _hard_, fuaim _sound_.

3. Like (1) _ua_; as, uair _time, an hour_, cluaise _of an ear_.

OF THE POWERS OF THE CONSONANTS.

The simple powers of the consonants differ not much from their powers in English. Those called _mediae_ by the writers on Greek grammar, viz., _b_, _d_, _g_, approach nearer in force to the corresponding _tenues_ _p_, _t_, _c_, than they do in English.

In accented syllables, where, if the vocal sound be short, the voice necessarily rests on the subsequent articulation, the consonants, though written single, are p.r.o.nounced with the same degree of force as when written double in English; as, bradan _a salmon_, cos _a foot_; p.r.o.nounced braddan, coss. No consonants are written double except _l_, _n_, _r_.

A propensity to aspiration is a conspicuous feature in the Gaelic tongue[10]. The aspirating of a consonant has been {11} usually marked, in the Irish dialect, by a dot over the letter aspirated; in the Scottish dialect by writing _h_ after it. All the consonants have their sounds changed by being aspirated, and the effect is different on different consonants. In some cases the articulation is changed, but still formed by the same organ. In others the articulation is formed by a different organ.

In others the _h_ alone retains its power. And sometimes both the _h_ and the consonant to which it is subjoined become entirely quiescent.

{12}

In treating of the consonants separately, it will be convenient to depart a little from the alphabetical order of the letters, and to consider first the _l.a.b.i.als_, next the _Palatals_, and lastly the _Linguals_.

l.a.b.i.aLS.

P.

1. Plain. Like _p_ in English; as, poll _a pool_, pill _return_.

2. Aspirated. Like _ph_ or _f_ in English; as, a' phuill _of the pool_, phill _returned_[11].

B.

1. Plain. Like _b_ in English; as, baile _a town_, beo _alive_.

2. Aspirated. Like _v_ in English, as, bhuail _struck_. In the end of a syllable the articulation is sometimes feeble, and often pa.s.ses into the vocal sound of _u_[12]; as in marbh[13] _dead_, garbh _rough_, dabhach _a vat_.

M.

1. Plain. Like _m_ in English; as, mac _a son_, cam _crooked_.

2. Aspirated. Somewhat like _v_ in English, but more feeble and nasal; as, mhathair _O mother_, lamh _the hand_. The sound _mh_ has the same relation to that of _bh_, as the sound of _m_ has to that of b. Sometimes, like _bh_, it becomes a vocal sound like a nasal _u_; as, in damh _an ox_, samhradh _summer_: and sometimes the articulation becomes so feeble as not to be perceived; as, comhradh _speech_, domhainn _deep_.

{13}

F.

1. Plain. Like _f_ in English, as, faigh _to get_, fid _a turf_.

2. Aspirated. Quiescent; as, fheara _O men_. In fhuair _found_, the aspiration is retained, and the word is p.r.o.nounced as if written _huair_.

It is probable that it was originally written and p.r.o.nounced fuair[14]; that huair is but a provincial p.r.o.nunciation[15]; and that to adapt the spelling in some shape to this p.r.o.nunciation, the word came to be written fhuair.

PALATALS AND LINGUALS.

In treating of the Diphthongs (ai, ea, ei, &c.) notice has been often taken of the powers of certain vowels in modifying the sound of the adjoining consonants. This refers to a twofold mode of p.r.o.nouncing the Palatal and Lingual consonants, whether _plain_ or _aspirated_. The difference between these two modes of p.r.o.nunciation is, in some consonants, abundantly striking; in others it is minute, but sufficiently discernible to an ear accustomed to the Gaelic. The one of these modes of articulation belongs to Palatals and Linguals, chiefly when connected with a _broad vowel_; the other belongs to them when connected with a _small vowel_. Hence, the former may be called the _broad_ sound, the latter the _small_ sound of a _Palatal_ or a _Lingual_.

These sounds are not distinguished in writing, but may be known, for the most part, by the relative situation of the letters.

C.