Blair Collection > How to learn Gaelic

toil, leòir, geuic, còig, cois, cùis, cuir, ciùil, dean, gean,
sèimh. cèir, geir, sgèul, teud, sloda, fios, òlaidh, etc.).
(27) The vowels e aud i in an initial or final position — (eòlas,
iolach, niuaoi, naoi), or in contact with h, hh, /, /A, m^ rah, p,
2ih, sh, th, in the same syllable, are sounded in vowel digraphs
iind trigraphs in which they should otherwise be silent — (beò,
fheòil, feart, caibe, fuaim, peann, cnaip, &c.).
(28) ra' in the prepositions ' aig' (' at ') and 'air' ('on' or
'after'), is, in most dialects, sounded like ai in the word
' mountain.'
(29) Vowels are nasal when in contact with m, mh, or ?i.
(30) Long a and long u before // and ìin are sounded nu
and ou in most dialects — (call (caull), toll (toull), &c.).
CONSONANT SOUNDS.
(31) The Consonants, except the lip-letters, ò, f, m, p, are
mutable, having a broad or a slender quality according as they
are in contact with broad or slender vowels.
(32) \Vith the exception of the liquids (I, n, r), the hiss (s),
and the nasals {m, n), the Consonants in Gaelic are voiceless, and
represent organ-positions rather than articulate sounds. The
murmur of the nasals, however, passes into a succeeding con-
sonant — (am bàta, an cù, an duine).
Exaiuplen.
(33) b = English jo. bàrr, abair, cabar.
(34) bh = English r. When final it is bhà, gabh, dubh,
often soiuided like English w, gheabh, treabh,
or is altogether silent. leabhar.
(35) C broad (that is, in contact with
a, 0, M,) = English c hard. (Final
C, see 70). cas, còrr, cù.
(36) C slender (that is, in contact with
e, i,) = outer English c hard, like k
in 'king' (k'ing). (Final e,see 70). clr, ceum.
(37) ch broad, = ch in Scotch 'loch' or
German ' nach.' chum, luch, macli.
(38) ch slender, = ch in German 'ich.' chi, teich.
(39) d 6roaf7, = Enghsh t, pronounced
with the point of the tongue well
down against the front lower gum.
(d in ehd, see 71). dan, gad.