Blair Collection > Elements of Gaelic grammar

4 OF PRONUNCIATION [Part I.
In almoft all polyfyllables, excepting fome words com-
pounded with a prepofition, the accent falls on the firft fyl-
lable. (d) The o-ther fyllablcs are fhort and unaccented ;
and the vowels in that litnation have, in general, the fame
fhort obfcure found. Hence it happens that the broad
vowels, in thefe fyllables, are often ufed indifcriminately.
There are no quiefcent final vowels.
A
A has three founds.
1 . The firft is both long and fhort ; long, like a in the
Englifh words far, Jiar ; as * àr' Jlaiighter, * ath' a ford,
* gradh' love, * saruich' opprefs : fhort, like a in thai ; as
•^ cath' n battle, * alt' a Joints * abuich' ripe.
2- Both long and fliort, before do and gh. This found
has none like it in Efiglifh. Long ; as ' adhbhar' a caufe,
' adhradh' nvorjiiip : fhort ; as * lagh* a law, * magh' -afield,
* adharc* a horn.
3. Short and obfcure, like e in mother ; as * an, a' the,
* ar' our, * ma' if, and in the plural termination ' a' or * an'.
E
E has three founds.
1 . Both long and fliort .- long, like e in nvherc, there ; as
' è, sè' he, ' rè' during. This e is generally marked with
a grave accent. Short, like e in met ,- as ' le* luith, ' leth*
2. Long -, as ' re' the moon * ce' the earth, ' an de'
yefierday. This e is commonly marked with an acute accent.
3. Short, like e in mother ; as ' duine' a man, * ceann-
uichte' bought. I
(d) If it be thought that this renders the language too mono-
tonous, it may be observed, on the other hand, that it prevents
ambiguities and obscurities in rapid sptaking, as the accent
marks the initial syllable of polysyllables. Declaimers, of ei-
ther sex, have often found their advantage in this circumstance.