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§ 47 stress in each case on the last word. When each combination came to be regarded as a unit, the main stress became the only accent; thus, *gwr-dā́, *Aber-máw, *Pen-ỿ-bérth. This was at that time the accentuation of ordinary words, such as *pechadū́r, § 40 iii. When the accent shifted, and *pechadū́r became pechádur, *gwr-dā́ became gẃr-da, *Aber-máw became Abér-maw and *Pen-ỿ-bérth became Pen-ỿ́-berth. In most cases of a combination like the last, each noun retained its individuality, and the original accentuation remained; hence Pèn-ỿ-bérth, which is a common place-name, is usually so accented, and the accentuation Pen-ỿ́-berth is exceptional. In such a phrase as prỿ́t náwn ‘time of noon’, each noun retained its meaning to the Ml. W. period; then, when the combination came to be regarded as a unit, the first element became unstressed, resulting in prỿt-náwn, whence prỿ-nháwn, § 111 v (5).

(2) Improper compounds having thus become units could be treated as units for all purposes; thus some of them have derivatives, such as gwr-dā́-aeth, ‘nobility’, tref-tád-aeth ‘heritage’, di-dref-tád-u 306 ‘to disinherit’, prỿnháwn-ol ‘evening’ adj.

(3) On the other hand, in some proper compounds each element was doubtless felt to preserve its significance; and the persistence of this feeling into the Ml. period resulted in loose compounds.

i. In compound prepositions the elements may be accented separately, as óddi ár. But the second element has usually the stronger accent; and in some cases the first element becomes unaccented, as in Ml. W. y gánn, which became gan ‘by’ in Late Ml. and Mn. W. by the loss of the unaccented syllable.

ii. In prepositional and adverbial expressions formed of a preposition and a noun (whether written separately or not), the last element only is accented; thus uwch-bén ‘above’, dra-chéfn ‘again’, ger-brón ‘before’, uwch-láw ‘above’, ymlā́en ‘forward’, ynghȳ́d ‘together’, i gȳ́d ‘together’, eri̯ṓed ‘ever’.

These expressions thus form improper compounds accented on the ultima. The adverb achlā́n (achlân) ‘wholly’ is similarly accented.