§ 161. A clipped ei (ei`) occurs before ç in eiç, plur. of αχ, ‘steed’, O.Ir. ech; ʃeiçə, ‘hide’, M.Ir. seche (Lʹæʃeçə, Lʹetʹeçə, ‘a half-hide’); Lʹeiç < ‘half’.
12. e꞉i.
§ 162. In a very few cases e꞉i occurs. These are dʹe꞉i, mə je꞉i, ‘behind me’, O.Ir. déad, diaid, degaid; tʹe꞉i, imper. of tʹɛuw, ‘to heat’, Di. teidheadh, pret. he꞉i, past part. tʹe꞉itʹə, but forms with ei are also frequent, e.g. from spʹrʹɛuw beside the pret. spʹrʹe꞉i mʹə the future spʹrʹeiçə mʹə occurs, past part. spʹrʹeitʹə.
13. iə.
§ 163. This diphthong frequently represents O.Ir. ia, ía of whatever origin, e.g. iəri꞉, ‘to ask’, M.Ir. iarraid; mʹiən, ‘desire’, O.Ir. mían but bə vi꞉Nʹ Lʹïm (§ 457); pʹiən, ‘pain’, O.Ir. pían; kʹiəLəNỹ꞉, ‘black fast’, Di. céalacan, ciallacan. O.Ir. ia is often followed by d, th which are now quiescent, e.g. bʹiə, ‘food’, O.Ir. biad, bʹiətαχ, ‘inn-keeper’, M.Ir. biatach; bʹlʹiən, gen. plur. of bʹlʹiïnʹ, ‘year’; kʹlʹiə, ‘harrow’, O.Ir. clíath; Lʹiə, ‘gray’, O.Ir. líath; ʃiəbuw, ‘to sweep away’, Macbain siab, Manx sheebey.
§ 164. O.Ir. accented í before a non-palatal consonant became over-long and developed into the diphthong iə, e.g. iəχtər, ‘bottom’, O.Ir. íchtar; iətə, ‘thirst’ (not common), O.Ir. itu; kʹiəχ, ‘breast’, O.Ir. cích; kʹrʹiəNə, ‘wise, prudent’, O.Ir. crín; Lʹiənuw, ‘to fill’, O.Ir. línad; mʹiəl, ‘louse’, M.Ir. míl; pʹiəχαn, ‘hoarseness’, Macbain pìochan, Di. piocán, spiocán, O’R. spiochan, Fournier ceochan; ʃiəl, ‘seed’, O.Ir. síl. In ʃiəl̥α꞉, ‘to strain (milk), to ebb away, die’, M.Ir. sithlaim, ʃiəl̥αn, ‘strainer’, Di. siothlán, we have a case of iə < i꞉ by lengthening before th.
§ 165. In a few cases iə arises by contraction of two vowels due to the quiescence of dh, gh, e.g. driən, ‘blackthorn’, O.Ir. draigen; kliə, ‘fence’, Di. claidhe, M.Ir. claide infin. of claidim (for the meaning cp. Engl. ‘dyke’); Nʹiən, ‘daughter’ (§ 122); Lʹiə, ‘to lick’, Di. lighe. In a secondary syllable—bʹi꞉wiəNtə, ‘roguish’ < bʹi꞉wi꞉, Meyer bibdaide.
In all these cases as soon as iə comes to stand before a palatal consonant, it passes into i꞉, thus Nʹiən, gen. sing. Nʹi꞉nʹə, dat. sing. Nʹi꞉nʹ; fʹiər, ‘true’, but fʹi꞉rʹ wα̃iç, ‘very good’ (§ 285).
§ 166. With some speakers ɛə tends to become iə as in ʃkʹiəl, ‘story’, bʹrʹiə, ‘fine’. This change which is characteristic of
