Fh is entirely mute; as, an fairge, pronounce, an airge, the sea.

Wh is sounded like b; as, rnam, swimming; amuil like.

Ph is sounded, as in other languages, like ph in philosopher; as mo páirte, my child.

Sh and th are sounded as halone; as, mo súil, my eye mo 1, my house. But †, before 1, n, or p is entirely mute; as, mo flajnte, my health; mo inuad, my countenance; mo iron, my nose.

IMMUTABLE CONSONANTS.

1, η, μ, are called immutable, because they never change, or lose their sound, by the addition of h. But they alone can be doubled in the middle, or at the end of words; as, bapp, a top; ceanna1gım, I buy.

It is to be observed, that dl and ly, in the middle of words, are sounded like 1ll; as, codlad, sleep; colna, flesh; pronounce collad, colla; and on like nn; as, ceadna, the same, pronounce ceanna.

DIPHTHONGS.

THERE ARE THIRTEEN DIPHTHONGS, -viz.

SOUND.

Ae long, as ai in pain,
Aj long and distinct,

short, as i in fight,
Ao long, nearly as oo in fool,
Ca long, as ea in bear,
short, as ea in heart,
ej long, as ei in reign,
short, as e in ferry,
Co long, as aw in shawl,
short, as o in shock,

eu long, as a in fare,
Ja long, as ea in clear,
Jo long, as ie in cashier,
short, as io in fashion,
Ju long, as u in fume,
short, as i in shirt,
Of long, force on the o,
short, force on the i,

Ua long, distinct,
Uy long, force on the u,
short, force on the i,

méar, a finger.
ceart, just.
déinc, charity.
zeip, tallow.
reól, a sail.
deoch, a drink.
réup, grass.
cjall, sense.
Fjon, wine.
biolan, water cresses.
cjúnar, quietness.
Fliuch, wet.
cójp, right.
coin, a crime.
Gual, coal.
rúil, an eye.
fuil, blood.

TRIPHTHONGS.

THERE ARE FIVE TRIPHTHONGS, WHICH ARE ALWAYS LONG, VIZ.

In the inflexion and combination of words, certain consonants are frequently prefixed to others, with which they cannot be sounded; and the adventitious consonant is then said to eclipse the radical one; viz: b, c, d, f, 3, m, p, r, t, when beginning a word, and followed by a vowel or by lorn; as also r, followed by n, may be eclipsed thus :

In pronouncing these eclipses, the first consonant only is sounded; as, 4 maile, 4 geant, &c. Except 13, in which both letters are uttered, with a strong guttural expression.

Instead of br, the ancients frequently wrote ; as, 4 frearpan, our land: cc, instead of 3c; as 4 cceart, our right; and tt, instead of dr; as, 4 dteine, our fire; and these words are pronounced in the same manner, as if written 4 brearran, 4 3ceart, and 4 orejne.

ACCENT.

An accent is placed over such vowels and diphthongs, as are naturally either long or short, when they are to be pronounced long; as, mac, a son, short; bár, death, long; for, knowledge, short; cjor, rent, long.

Monosyllables ending in a, e, 1, u, being commonly long, require no accent over them; as, la, a day, tu, thou.

:

In words of two or more syllables, the accent commonly falls on the first syllable; as, déigionac, last, múċaim, I extinguish.

OBSERVATIONS.

In reading Irish, every letter, except and † before l or p must be sounded. But some of the aspirated consonants are so slightly expressed as to be almost imperceptible; the reason of which is as follows.

According to the principle of the language, no number of vowels, meeting in a word, forms more than one syllable.

The poets, however, frequently wanting to lengthen words, by multiplying their syllables, devised the method of throwing in an adventitious consonant, generally or g, to divide two vowels into two syllables; thus, Tiarna, a lord, which consists of only two syllables, is divided into gearna, of three syllables.

Now, as this manner of spelling was unknown in earlier ages, the primitive pronunciation is still so far retained, that the adventitious letters are passed over, with an almost imperceptible flexion of the voice.

In like manner and ż, which, always in the beginning of words, and frequently in the middle, have a clear and strong sound, are very commonly used at the end, merely to give a fuller vowel cadence to the termination, as, neartujad, to strengthen, 11 a king.