Page:Alexander Macbain - An Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language.djvu/38

xiv. :b. As eu, ao, ia:
 * It has been seen that ceud, hundred, corresponds to W. cant, Lat. centum. The Celtic, in these cases, is regarded as having been ṇt, ṇk, (*kṇto‑n). See under ṇ.
 * An undoubted case of a landing by compensation into eu (= é) is deur, tear, O. Ir. dér, O. W. dacr, I. E. dakru. Prof. Strachan has extended this analogy to words like meur, breun, léine, sgeun, mèanan. The case of deur seems rather to be an anomaly.

This is the I. E. “indefinite” vowel, appearing in Celtic as a, in the Asiatic groups as i, and generally as a in Europe (Greek showing also ε). Henry denotes it by ä, a more conve&shy;nient form than Brugmann’s ɘ. Some philol&shy;ogists refuse to recognise it.
 * G. athair, father, O. Ir. athir, I. E. pɘter-, Gr. πατήρ, Skr. pitar.

It is common in unaccented syllables, as G. anail, breath, W. anadl, *anɘ-tla, Gr. ἄνεμος. In the case of syllables with liquids it is difficult to decide whether we have to deal with a, ɘ, or a liquid vowel; as in G. ball, member, *bhal-no‑, root bhɘl, whence Gr. φαλλός, Eng. bole.

I. E. ī and ū are so intimately bound with ei and eu (ou) that it is difficult to say often whether we have to deal with the simple vowel or the diphthong as the original. For ī see lì, sìn, sgìth, brìgh; for ū, see cùl, dùil, element, dùn, cliù, mùch, mùin, rùn, ùr. The W. in both cases (ī, ū) show simple i.

I. E. ē appears in Celtic as ī, G. ì: as in G. fìor (fìr), true, O. Ir. fír, W. and Br. gwir, Lat. vêrus. So lìon, mìal (mìol), mìos, rìgh, sìth, sìol, sìor, tìr, snìomh.

I. E. ō and ā appear both as ā in the Celtic languages—Gadelic á, W. aw, Br. eu. For ō, see blàth, gnàth, làr, dàn, snàth. For ā, see bàn, bràthair, cnàimh, càr, clàr, dàimh, fàidh, gàir, màthair, sàth, tàmh. But ròin, ròn, nòs, mòin, all from ''â? ò in finals, etc., may equal u: *svesor'' = O. Ir. siur, fiur, Med. Ir. siúr.

I. E. ei (èj?) appears in G. in two forms—as éi and ia. Thus—
 * a. G. éi, O. Ir. éi, W. wy, Br. oe, oa. See féith, géill, méith, réidh, séid, sméid.