Page:A contribution to the phonology of Desi-Irish to serve as an introduction to the metrical system of Munster Poetry (IA contributiontoph00henerich).pdf/16

 The numerous digraphs asisingarising [sic] from the caol-leathan rule will be represented by their simple values.

§ 2,1. In the prehistoric period a revolution of accent took place in Irish which compared with the original Indogermanic accent shows two remarkable characteristics. One has reference to the place the other to the quality of the accent. With regard to the place we find that the free Indogermanic accent which could rest either on the root or on the ending, has become fixed in the great majority of cases in O. I. Its place in nouns, simple and compound, and simple verbs, was on the first syllable, in the case of compound verbs the position charged from the first to the second element according to certain established laws. As regards quality the Irish accent consisted of stress whereas the Indogermanic represented a chromatic tone change. This stress, being of a very strong expiratory character gave rise to certain phenomena which may be briefly summarized thus:—

The toned syllable retained its inherited vocalic quality and quantity whereas unaccented syllables suffered a qualitative and quantitive weakening. The syllable after the accent became weakest and if not final usually lost its vowel and contracted. maidin gen. maidne, tabhair, but taibhrem = taibherem. Vid. Zimmer, Ueber altirische Betonung, Berlin 1884, and Thurneysen, L’accentuation de l’ancien verbe irlandais; R. C. VI, 129, sqq.

2. In general the accent inherited from O. I. is retained. On weakening of the accent force new agencies became energetic in Munster, the O. I. laws being crossed by others with ensuing disturbance especially in the Dēsi.

I. A long vowel in an unaccented syllable induced strife between the stress and tone accent. The stress accent balances the tone accent or yields to it. In the latter event a detoned