Page:A contribution to the phonology of Desi-Irish to serve as an introduction to the metrical system of Munster Poetry (IA contributiontoph00henerich).pdf/57

 49

Labials.

$45. The silent labials p, f, voiced b, v, w, and labio-nasal m, both broad and slender represent bilabial sounds. I regard labio-dental sounds as non-existent. Finck who does not appear to distinguish timbre in labials says that v and f are produced zwischen der unterlippe und den oberzihnen,* Wirterbuch der westirischen Mundart, p. V1. The upper teeth, a rigid element, are not used and so there is freedom for the production of broad and slender timbre. In regard to distance from teeth, rounding, or tension, the lips are by anticipation in position for the following vowel before the contact or approach for consonant production is made, and so broad and slender timbre can be at once distinguished. The former is produced with rounded, soft, protruded lips (as when one with lips held in position for 0 makes the consonant contact for r), the latter with lips drawn tight, close to the teeth and inturned (as in the # position). Hence the very wide difference between the m sounds in aimm and anam, the v sounds in a mhie and fainneamh,

p

§ 46,1. pop with a broad vowel. Piarus de Poer Per, ‘Pierse Power’, parrthas parahis, parr- from parad- aud -th with svar. vowel developed after rr. (For assimilation cf. carrghios from quadrages-, orriric .|, oirdearc, Cat. 12). pobul POBL’.

2. p slender = p. pic pik, preabadh pr'aso, peacadh pao, piuc pyux, a morsel, also the sound made by chickens that have eaten dry meal. seilp Eng. ‘shelf’ au instance of auslaut hardening. D. R. 90.

The s of sp- resists palatalization, p is according to the vowel, speal spat gen. spela, spiorad spr'iv.

p does not oceur in auslant except in such loan-words as poimp Eng. ‘pomp’. In stwmpa sraumpa Eng. ‘stump’ and