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186
PHONOLOGY
§ 112

‑eil § 104 iv (3). So S. W. gwaẟan for gwadn ‘sole’ has orig. t, since dn gives n; gwadn < *u̯o‑t‑n- < *u̯o‑dd-no- < *upo-bd-no- ‘*under foot’, √ped‑.

The late change of drum, drem to trum, trem is probably due to the soft mutation ẟr- becoming dr‑, and the d- being then mistaken for the soft mutation of t‑. It certainly is not a phonetic law that dr- should become tr‑, for drwg, drych, drain, drud, etc., all retain dr‑.

(2) > d after s, t, d, and in old formations after l, ll, n; thus treisdwyn for *treis-ẟwyn ‘a taking by force’, dreis-dwyn/​dristyt r.p. 1288; atal ‘to withhold’ < *ad-dalᵹ < *ad-ẟalᵹ < *ati-dalg‑; llygeitu for llygeid-ẟu, etc.; bendith for *ben-ẟith < Lat. benedictio; melltith or melldith for *melẟith < Lat. maledictio.

This change also takes place initially; thus nos da ‘good night’ § 146 iii (2), nos du Diar. vii 9 ‘black night’, for *nos ẟ- (nos being f.—the orig. mutation was rad. after *no(k)ts, but this cannot be assumed to have survived); so yr wythnos diwethaf ‘last week’; tros Dafydd g. 237, tros daear e. xiv for tros ẟ‑; Bleẟyn tu r.p. 1284 for Bleẟynt du for Bleẟynt ẟu; lleian du D.G. 20 ‘black nun’; Siwan du L.G.C. 319, 321 ‘black Joan’; holl daear do. 446.

Pan aeth Tomos ap Rhoser
At Duw a’r saint trwy y sêr.—L.G.C. 38.

‘When Thomas ap Rhosser went up to God and the saints through the stars.’

Llyma ’r blaid lle mae’r blodau
A ’r holl dawn o’u rhyw ill dau.—T.A., c. ii 83.

‘This is the band [of children] in whom are the flowers and all the gift of their [the parents’] two natures.’

Yna nosa, myn Iesu,
Einioes dyn inegis nos du.—G.GL, c 7/44.

‘Then, by Jesus, man’s life darkens like black night.’

(3) > d before or after the above sounds, and continuants such as m, f, even when separated from them, see § 102 iii (2); as Late Mn. W. machlud < ym-achludd § 44 v < Lat. occlūdo; Late Mn. W. gormod for gormoẟ the usual form in the bards; Maesyfed ‘Radnor’ for Maes Hyfeiẟ; didol < *di-ẟawl § 156 i (11), pedol § 102 iii (2). The change, being a form of dissimilation, is only accidental.

(4) The change of to g and of f to b under similar conditions is rare: arglwyẟ 'lord' beside arlwyẟ (both in w.m. 160) < *ar-ᵹw̯lw͡yẟ < *pₑri-u̯lei- VR1e of √u̯elēi‑; cf. glyw § 102 iii (2); cwbl for *cwfl § 168 iii (3); parabl ‘saying’ for *parafl < Lat. parabola; cabl ‘calumny’ for *cafl < *kaml- met. for *kal’men: Lat. calumnia § 100 ii (1); so Bret. cablus, Corn. cabal.

§ 112. i. (1) In O. W. and Early Ml.W. an initial vowel or a medial vowel in hiatus seems to have been pronounced with a distinct breathing which is often represented by h. This breathing was voiced,