Page:Zeitschrift für celtische Philologie Vol. 5.djvu/105

This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
THE GAELIC DIALECTS.
97

(2) In N. Inv. from mh, medial and final, and in bh final after r: (ɑɑ̯w) amh 'raw'; (ɑ̯wijł) amhuil 'like'; (łjow-əṛ) leabhair 'book'. It is heard also in u-glides: (uwmij) umaidh 'a boor'; (uwl, uwəl) ubhal 'apple'.

(3) In initial mh in Sutherland e. g in (a wɑɑ̯hïṛ) a mhathair 'his mother'—a feature prominent in Irish before back vowels; (ḍɔ wii̯ñcɟəṛ) do mhuinntir 'thy people'. This tendency is not general in the Scottish Highlands.

Lip-Teeth-Continuant-Breath (f). In producing this labio-dental sound the lower lip is pressed against the upper teeth. It occurs:

(1) Initially as in (fijər) fìor 'true'; (fijan) fìon 'wine'.

(2) Initially as mutation of p: (ḍɔ ˑfju-əṛ) do phiuthair 'thy sister'.

(3) Initially for (v) in some dialects: (fɔn a ˑxɑi ɛ) bho'n a chaidh e, 'since he went' (Tiree). This I have heard several times with Tiree Speakers and in 'The Highland News Supplement' April 23, 1898, one giving an account of Tiree matters even writes fo'n for bho'n; also in Mull where far is heard for bhàrr but in Colonsay thar (hɑr); Mull also uses fo'n for bho'n but Colonsay o'n; (far) 'give' is of constant use in N. Inv. where Uist uses (v) as in bheir dhomh sin 'give me that' = thoir dhomh sin (hɔr ᵹo̯h ſɛ̯n). To the query: an can thu sin? 'will you say that'? one may hear in Uist in an affirmative reply (ver) bheir, for their 'I will say it'. The reverse of this is the case sometimes in Harris e. g. (vɔ) bho for fodh under—DIG, II, 83, XXXIV. It occurs also apparently for a bhàrr in the phrase (xɑi ɛ fɑr a ɟɔ-iç—Uist = xɑi ɛ fɑr a jɛ-iç—Benbecula) chaidh e far a dho'ich, far a dhe'ich, i. e. chaidh e as a rian 'he went out of his mind'.

(4) For th or (h) it occurs initially: (a) in (fɑriſ) for thairis (hariſ) 'across'—Harris, v. LG. 153; also in Barra, e. g. (kgus an dʐic ɛ fɛſ) gus an tig ɛ thairis, 'till he comes across'; also in Mull: (b) in one loan-word common in Strathglass, (ˑfɛ-ɑɑṛ) Feadair, 'Theodor'; this is the case also in Russian (Федоръ) 'Theodore'; also in Arabic, v. Zimmern (vergl. Gram. der Sem. Spr. p. 30); also a Stafford-shire mincing pronunciation (frəə pəni) for 'three penny'.

Zeitschrift f. celt. Philologie V.
7