AN GAODHAL.
861
THE GAELIC ALPHABET.
Irish.
Roman.
Sound.
Irish.
Roman.
Sound
a
a
aw
m
m
emm
b
b
bay
n
n
enn
c
c
kay
o
o
oh
d
d
dhay
p
p
pay
e
e
ay
r
r
arr
f
f
eff
s
s
ess
g
g
gay
t
t
thay
i
i
ee
u
u
oo
l
l
ell
bh and mh sound like w when followed
or preceded by a, o, u, as, a bhárd, his
bard, pronounced a wardh; a mhart,
his beef or ox, pronounced, a warth;
and like v when preceded by e, i, as,
a bhean, his wife, pronounced, a van, a
mhian, his desire, pronounced, a vee-un
Dh and gh sound like y at the beginning
of a word; they are almost silent in
the middle, and perfectly so at the end
of words. Ch sounds like ch; ph, like f;
sh and th like h; and fh is silent.
Sound of the Vowels — long. —
á sounds like
a in war, as
bárr, top.
é " "
e " ere, "
céir, wax.
í " "
ee " eel, "
mín' fine.
ó " "
o " old, "
ór, gold.
ú " "
u " rule, "
úr, fresh.
Short. —
a " "
a in what,
as, gar, near.
e " "
e " bet,
" bebh, died,
i " "
i “ ill;
" mil, honey
o " "
o " got,
" lot, wound
u " "
u " put,
" rud, thing
SECOND BOOK.
Exercise II. Ch.
Ch broad has always a deep guttural
sound, the word loch, lough, as general¬
ly pronounced in Ireland, will afford
an example. Ch slender has a smooth
guttural sound, as in crích, a country.
Ch slender, when final, is pronounced
very faintly, as in deich, ten.
These sounds are best learned by
ear, as they do not now exist in Eng¬
lish.
Glossary,—
pronunciation.
acht, but, augh.
amach, out, amaugh.
asteach, in. ishteagh.
agam. at, or with, me, augum.
beir, bring, take, bihir.
caoch, blind, kayaugh.
cloch, a stone, klugh.
clochaire, a stone-cutter, klughaire.
chugam, to me, unto me, chugum.
cuir, put, kuir,
deich, ten, dhi-ich.
each, a steed, augh.
fiach, a raven, fee-augh.
fiche, twenty, fic-he.
fíor-chara, a true friend, feer-chara.
laoch, hero, lhayaugh.
loch, a lough, a lake, lhogh.
luch, a mouse, lhugh.
ní, not ; is, is. nhee ; iss.
1 laoch agus each. 2 deich agus fiche.
3 tá an fiach dubh. 4 ní each é acht fiach.
5 tá an loch dubh. 6 bhí an luch caoch 7
cuir an luch amach. 8 beir cloch asteach
chugam. 9 is clochaire é. 10 tá fíor-
chara agam.
1 A warrior and a steed. 2 ten
and twenty. 3 the raven is black. 4
it is not a steed but a raven. 5 the
lake is black. 6 the mouse was blind
7 put the mouse out. 8 bring in a
stone to me. 9 he is a stone-cutter.
10 I have a true friend.
TOBHAR NA n-INGHÍNE CÚL-BHUIDHE,
Le
LAIGHNEACH,
(Continued)
áirde le cathadh na h-oidhche. Thug Fíola
amharc air an dorus fosgailte; bhí gae¬
the lonnracha na gealaighe briste ag crann
do bhí san m-bealach, do caith a scáile
fada air thortaibh dubha na n-daoineadh
astigh san seomra, agus do luasg a
gheuga cróna agus do righne sméide leo,
i n-dorchadas na h-oidhche. D' éirigh an
