therefore, the device adopted in writing Irish is to have both the vowels slender or both broad; e.g., firín, máilín, éinín.
This law of phonetics is not a mere spelling rule. If it were, such spelling as fearaoin, málaoin, éanaoin, would be correct. But no such spelling is used, because it does not represent the sounds of the words. The ear and not the eye must be the guide in the observance of the rule "caol le caol ⁊ leaṫan le leaṫan."
Two consonants may come together, one naturally broad and the other naturally slender. When this happens, Irish speakers, as a general rule, give the consonants their natural sounds, i.e., they keep the broad consonant broad, and the slender one slender. For instance, the ṁ of coṁ is naturally broad, and the l of líon is naturally slender. In the word coṁlíon (fulfil), the first syllable is always pronounced broad, although the word is usually written coiṁlíon. This is an instance of the abuse of the rule caol le caol. There are many words in which a single consonant may have a slender vowel at one side, and a broad vowel at the other; e.g., aréir (last night), aníos (up), ariaṁ (ever), arís (again), etc.
Although the rule caol le caol had been much abused in modern spelling, in deference to modern usage we have retained the ordinary spelling of the words.
CHAPTER VI.
Syncope.
33. Whenever, in a word of two or more syllables an unaccented vowel or digraph occurs in the last syllable between a liquid (l, m, n, r) and any other consonant, or between two liquids, the unaccented vowel or digraph is elided whenever the word is lengthened by a grammatical inflection beginning with a vowel. This elision of one or more unaccented
