Imatges de pàgina
PDF
EPUB

d

f

g. capable of aspiration, or mutables, (11)

m

P

S

t

1

n

incapable of aspiration, or immutables.

sh vd „baude art saol so

VOWELS. To abanos od mod visboosm reftib be A, o, and u are called broad vowels, because they require a hiatus, or wide opening of the mouth, in expressing them; e and i are called small, because they require a less opening of the mouth.

The poets, in latter ages, devised a rule, which prescribes that the vowel, which goes before a consonant, must be of the same class with the vowel which follows that consonant, i. e. both broad, or both small. In observing this rule,. therefore, attention must be paid to the vowel which follows the consonant; for, if it be broad, while that which radically goes before the consonant is small, or vice versa, then the vowel preceding the consonant must be left out, and another substituted in its place, of the same class with that following the consonant; or an adventitious vowel must be inserted, after the preceding one, to agree with the subsequent; as, seasam, not seisam, or seasim, I stand; buailim, not buailam, I beat; lam, hand, and geal, white, compounded laimġeal, not lamgeal, white handed.

[ocr errors]

Although it is evident, from ancient manuscripts, that this rule was unknown in early times,

[blocks in formation]

yet it has been so universally observed in latter ages, that it is impossible to lay it aside entirely. In many instances, it adds to the sweetness and fulness of the sound; but, in others, it so completely destroys the radical form of words, that no principle of grammar can justify a rigid adherence to it.

MUTABLE CONSONANTS.

B, c, d, f, g, m, p, s, t, are called mutable, because they can be aspirated, or mortified, i. e.. change or lose their sound, by the addition of h.

As the sounds of the mutable consonants, when aspirated, differ materially from those which they receive, when simple; and as a peculiar delicacy of pronunciation consists in expressing them withi propriety, it is necessary to pay strict attention to the following rules.

Bh is sounded like v, at the beginning or end of a word; as mo bas, my death; lib, with you. But in the middle of a word, it is commonly sounded like w, as, leabar, a book.

Ch is always sounded like x in Greek, or ch in loch; as, mo ceann, my head.

Dh and gh, before or after a small vowel, like y; as, mo dia, my god; mo giolla, my boy. But before or after a broad vowel, they have a very weak guttural sound, somewhat stronger than that of w; as, mo gut, my voice; grad, love, mag, a field, (12)

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

Mh is sounded like b; as, snam, swimming; amuil, like.

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

Sh, and th are sounded as h alone; as, mo sùil, my eye; mo tig, my house. But s, before 1, n,

or

or r, is entirely mute; as, mo sláinte, my health; mo snuad, my countenance; mo sron, my nose.

IMMUTABLE CONSONANTS.

L, n, r, 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, barr, a top; ceannaigim, to buy.

It is to be observed, that dl and In, in the middle of words, are sounded like ; as, codlad, sleep; colna, flesh, pronounce collad, colla; and dn like nn; as, ceadna, the same, pronounce

ceanna.

DIPHTHONGS.

There are thirteen
Sound

ae long, as ai in pain,
ai long and distinct,
short, as i in fight,

diphthongs; viz.
Example

ao long, nearly as oo in fool, ea long, as ea in bear,

short, as ea in heart, ei long, as ei in reign,

short, as e in ferry, eo long, as aw in shawl, short, as o in shock, eu long, as a in fare, ia long, as ea in clear, io long, as ie in cashier, short, as io in fashion, ju long, as u in fume, short, as i in shirt, oi long, force on the o, short, force on the i,

ua long, distinct,

lae, of a day
cáin, a fine
mait, good
maol, bold
méar, a finger
ceart, just
déire, charity
geir, tallow
scól, a sail

deoch, a drink

[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]
[ocr errors]

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, g, m, p, s, t, when beginning a word, and followed by a vowel, or by l or r; as also s, followed by n, may be eclipsed. thus:

[blocks in formation]

m, ar mbaile, our town
g, ar gceart, our right
n, ar ndia, our God
b, ar bfearran, our land

n, ar ngearan, our complaint
b, ar bpéin, our punishment
t, an tslat, the rod

d, ar dteine, our fire

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

Instead

1

Instead of bf, the ancients frequently wrote ff; as, ar ffearran, our land; cc, instead of gc; as, ar cceart, our right; and tt, instead of dt; as, ar tteine, our fire; and these words are pronounced in the same manner, as if written ar bfearran, ar gceart, and ar dteine.

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; bàs, death, long; fios, knowledge, short; cíos, rent, long.

Monosyllables ending in a, e, i, 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, déigionaċ, last, múčaim, to extinguish.

OBSERVATIONS.

except f and s But some of the

In reading Irish, every letter, before or r must be sounded. 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 d or g, to divide two vowels into two syllables; thus, tiarna, a lord, which consists of only two syllables, is divided into tigearna, of three syllables.

Now, as this manner of spelling was unknown. in earlier ages, the primitive pronunciation is stili

[ocr errors]
« AnteriorContinua »