Blair Collection > Gaelic dictionary, in two parts

ii A GRAMMAR OF
A, immediately preceding dh and yh, has a long and a short diphthongal sound, to which there is none correspondent
ill English. In this situation it much resembles the sound of the French diphthong eu; long, as, ladhar, a hoof; agh-
mhor, fortunate : short, as a in lagh, law ; tagh, choose.
A sounds short and obtuse, like e in open, in the three forms of the article a, an, am, and in the plural terminations
a and an ; as, laghanna, laws ; beanntan, mountains.
E.
E represents three different sounds.
E, with the grave accent (t), sounds long, like the Greek n, as pronounced in Scotland and on the Continent, or like
e in where ; as, è, he; re, during the time of: and short, like e in %vet ; as, teth, hot; in which state it is never accented.
E, with the acute accent (<•), sounds like the Greek >i, as, pronounced in England ; as, tc, a female.
E final has an obtuse sound, like e in open; as, beannnichte, blessed; buailte, struck; — there being no silent final
vowels in Gaelic.
I.
/sounds iikeee in English, but sometimes long and sometimes short; long, as, im, stretch; sith, peace: short, like
ce in feet ; as, bith, existence.
O.
O represents three different sounds, in each of which it is both long and short.
long, sounds sometimes like o in lord; as, ul, drink ; rbmach, hairy : and sometimes like o in fold; as, cot, a coat;
lorn, a hillock.
short, sounds sometimes like o in pot ; as, brod, a lid ; grod, rotten ; barb, fierce : and sometimes like o in rope ;
as, slob, a puddle.
0, before gh, has a long and a short diphthongal sound : long, as, sogh, luxury ; short, as, roghuinn, choice.
U.
U sounds like u in French and Italian, or like the English oo in moov, but sometimes long and sometimes short:
long, as, fudar, powder; short, a%, faran, a welcome.
OF THE DIPHTHONGS.
A diphthong is the meeting of two vowels in one syllable. In Gaelic there are thirteeji diphthongs, and they are
derived from the vowels in the following manner :
, rea. , •
From a\ni. From c < ^'' From i\io. From o, oi. From ii\ ,■'
f uo. I f lU.
\_eu.
Of these, ao, eu, are improper diphthongs ; the rest are proper.
PROPER DIPHTHONGS.
Ae.
Ae occurs but in a few words; as, Gael,* a Highlander.
Ai.
Ai sounds like ai in the French canaille ; as, caill, lose ; saill, salt; pailteas, plenty. Very frequently i is but faintly
sounded ; as in ùite, a place ; fàilte, welcome.
Ea.
Ea sounds like ea in the English noun bear ; as, each, a horse ; fear, a man ; but before a palatal, c, g ; or a lingual,
/, 71, r ; or a dental, d, s, t, not silent, the prepositive is often either quiescent, or but faintly sounded; as, cealg, deceit;
geall, a wager.
Ei.
Ei sometimes gives the sound of both vowels; as, feidh, deer; and sometimes that of e alone; as, rtidh, a plain.
Before the palatals, c, g, the linguals, /, n, r, or the dentals, d, s, t, not silent, i is but faintly heard; as, reic, sell; leig,
let ; fein, self: and often confers on a following palatal, a double palatal sound; as, thig, (pronounce heek), shall come;
and on a dental, a double dental sound ; as, theid, shall go (pron. hcich, articulating c/t as in church).
Eo.
Eo sounds somewhat like aw in yawl; as, ceul, music; ceo, mist.
la.
la has both vowels heard ; as, fiar, crooked ; iail, a thong ; ciar, dusky ; but in da ? what? and iad, they, ia often
sounds like e in where.
" Gael and Gaelacli are more commonly written GaiUIieal and Gaidhealacli, to preserve tlie rule, caol ri caot, is Icatlmn ri leatlmn.