Page:Mion-Chaint - Ua Laoghaire (1899).djvu/8

6 not a rule. It is a phonetic truth. It is a truth which belongs to the nature of Irish speech. According to the nature of Irish speech a consonant cannot be sounded broad if it be in contact with a slender vowel. And again, the moment a consonant has become slender a broad vowel cannot continue in contact with it. Take for example the word. If the diminutive is to be added to it the  becomes slender on account of the  of. Then, because the has become slender, the preceding broad  cannot remain in contact with it. The organs of speech, to the distinct knowledge and cognizance of the ear, introduce a slight -sound before the.

It is not a rule. It is a natural law of Irish articulation. That law is as vigorous now in the spoken Irish as ever it was. It was not made by scholars, nor by bards, nor by grammarians. It belongs by nature to the language. It must be admitted that the thought of introducing it into the spelling of the words was a magnificent thought. It has been a most fortunate thing for us and for our language that the ears of our fathers were so good, and that they gave us the result in black and white. Had they not done so. and had our language ceased to be spoken without any person's having called attention to that law. the knowledge of its existence would have been lost.

But the principle has been fearfully abused. It has been looked upon as a mere spelling-rule. The result has been that writers, without any regard to the ear, have merely followed the eye. They have acted as a person would act who, instead of ; would write. The latter form observes the