Blair Collection > Elements of Gaelic grammar

15 OF PRONUNCIATION [Part I.
3. Afpirated. Broad: like the Greek ^? as pronounced
in Scotland, in X'^f* ' ^^ ' croch' to hang, ' chaidh' nvent.
4, Stnall : like x ^^ X"^*' > as * cHi Jljallfeey ' eich' horfes>
G.
1. Plain. Broad: like g in gOy rogue', as * gabh' to tahcy
' ^ox Speech y 'ho^ /oft.
2. Small : like g in ^/x;^, fatigue; as ' gin' ^o produce,
' thxg JJjall ccme, * tilg* to throw^
3. Afpirated. Broad : has no found like it in Englifh;
* ghabh' took, ' ghleidh* kept.
4. Small : Nearly like y in young: as ' ghin' produced.
5. Gh m the end of a fyllable, is often quiefcent •, as
' righ' a king, * tiugh' thick, fuigheall* remainder.
T.
I. Plain. Broad: nearly like / in toncy bottom ; as * tog*
to ratfcy ' troin' heavyy ' brat' a covering.
2- Small : like ch in cheeky choofe ; as ' Xir\n ficky * caillte'
¥•
3 . Afpirated. Like h in houfe : as * thig' Jball come^
' throifg* fajledy ' maith' ^oo£^.
4. ^iiefcent ; in the middle of a polyfyllable ; in the
end of a long fyllable •, and in certain tenfes of a few irre-
gular verbs when preceded by d' ; as * fnitheach' (0) nvatery,
' sith'
been always written ' sac,' although now pronounced ' sachc'
In none of the other languages in which the word is used, (ex-
cept the Welch alone,) has the final palatal been aspirated. It
would appear therefore that the sound ' sachc' is a departure
from the original Gaelic pronunciation. The same change may
have happened in the pronunciation of other words, in which
the plain c is now aspirated, though it may not have been so
originally.
(o') Though th be quiescent in the middle of a polysyllable,
/er the north and central Highlands ; yet it is, with more pro-
priety, pronounced, in the west Highlands, as an aspiration j as
* athair' father^ ' mathanas' pardoHy pronounced * a-hair, ma-
banas