Blair Collection > Gaelic dictionary, in two parts

iv A GRAMMAR OF
P.
P simple sounds as in English and other languages; -ds, pronn, bruise; peasg, a gash; pft like / in English, as,
phronn, bruised.
Palatals.
C.
C simple has two sounds: (1.) Like c in cub ; as, cù, a dog; crath, shake. (2.) When preceded in the same syllable
by a small vowel, it has, in most parts of the Highlands, a sound to which that of xi^ is pretty similar ; as, aire, distress,
(pron. ai^^K). In some parts it sounds like k.
Ch sound like the Gr. -^ '" X'^'^i or like the Irish jr/t in lough, or the vulgar Scotch ch in loch, as, moch, early ; and,
when followed by a small vowel, like ^ ™ x^'t^'" '> ^^■' ^^'> shall see.
G.
G simple sounds, at the beginning of a word, nearly as in English ; at the end of a word, its sound more nearly
resembles that of the English k in rock; as, rug, bore; thug, gave.
G aspirated, or gh, followed by a, o, or u, sounds somewhat softer than the Greek x '• as, ghàir, laughed ; excepting
at the end of a syllable, and then it is silent; as, tigh, a house ; rioghachd, a kingdom.
Gh, followed by e or i, sounds like y in ye ; as, ghios, (pron. yeess), towards.
Dentals. >
D.
D swiple is more a dental than in English, and sounds somewhat like the French and Italian d; as, dan, a song;
duine, a man ; dlagh, a handful ; madadh, a mastiff; rud, a thing. Except when it is followed by e or i, or is preceded
in the same syllable by i; for then it spunds like ch in child; as, clogaid, a helmet; càirdeas, friendship.
D, preceded by dh, sounds like p^x; as, lochd, harm, (pron. llo;^'')-
Dh, at the beginning of a word, has a somewhat softer sound than the Greek X' as, dha, to him ; but if followed
by c or i, it sounds like y in English ; as, dheth, of him ; dh' i, of her, (pron. yea, ye).
Dh, at the end, or in the middle of a word, is most frequently quiescent; as, chaidh, y/ent ; fùidheadaireachd,
prophecy.
T.
T simple, immediately followed by a, o, or u, or a consonant, sounds like the French t in te?ns, or the Italian t in
tempo; as, tamh, rest; tao7n, pour; tlii, smooth.
T simple, preceded in the syllable by !«, or immediately followed by e or i, sounds like ch in child ; as, tein, fire,
(pron. chein); fàilte, welcome, ([iron, failch, ch sounding as in church).
T aspirated, or th, like h in home; as, thoir, give; but in the middle, or at the end of a word, it is silent; as,
Jitheach, a raven ; biih, existence.
S.
S simple, preceded or followed by a, e, or i, sounds like sh in English ; as, sion, (pron. shion), a blast; gnuis, (pron.
guuish), a visage. Except is, (pron. iss), am.
S simple, preceded or followed by a, o, or v, sounds like s in Enolish ; as, sahh, a salve; so^A, luxury ; mios,
a mouth.
S simple, followed by d, t, I, or n, and a short vowel, sounds like sh in English; as, sdikir, or stiuir, steer; slios,
a side; stiiomh, spin.
S, before any other consonant, even though followed by a short vowel, sounds like s in English; as, S7nig, (pron.
smik), a chin; smeid, (pron. smeich), a nod.
S aspirated, or sh, is silent; as, shebl, directed, (pron. heal); excepting when followed by I or n, and then there is
no aspiration ; as, shnàmh, (pron. nav), swam ; shlànuich, (pron. làmx), healed.
Linguals.
The lingual consonants, as has been said, are incapable of aspiration ; but they have often a double lingual sound,
to which there is none similar in English.
L.
L simple, like I in large ; as, las, Hamed. It has this sound when it begins the preterites of verbs and the feminine
form of adjectives.
L has its double lingual sound when followed by c or i, and then it is articulated like II in million, or like the Italian
gl, or the Portuguese Ih ; as, linn, an age ; Uin, a shirt. Yet, with regard to nouns beginning with /, if the masc. pass. pron.
goes before, I sounds as in English ; as, o litir, his letter; where / differs materially in sound from Z in a litir, her letter.
L has another double lingual sound, generally, when it is preceded by itself, or when it is followed by a, o, or u, in
verbs and in adjectives masculine ; as, fallain, healthy ; lùn, full ; lorn, bare ; lus, an herb.
II, preceded or followed by a short vowe', also sounds as the Italian gl.
II, j);eceded or followed by a, o, o\ u, has the same double lingual sound as in Um, masculine, but has no sound
similar to it in Ensrlish.