Page:Simple Lessons in Irish, Part 1 - O'Growney.pdf/12

 {|style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"
 * align=center|The Irish
 * align=center|Is sounded like the
 * align=center|i.e., like the vowel
 * align=center|Vowel
 * align=center|phonetic sign
 * align=center|sound in the word
 * long
 * ō
 * note
 * short
 * ŭ
 * done, much
 * long
 * oo
 * tool
 * short
 * u
 * put, full, took
 * }
 * short
 * u
 * put, full, took
 * }
 * }

—Final short vowels are never silent; thus,, are pronounced min′-ě, meel′-ě. From the above table it will be seen that is never like a in fate,  like e in me,  like i in mine,  like o in not, or  like u in mule. The short vowels, as will be seen, are sometimes modified by the following consonant. In giving the vowel-sounds we will follow the western Irish, as the most consistent. The Munster and Ulster sounds of the vowels are treated separately below.

There is no INDEFINITE article in Irish; thus, means “a field.” The DEFINITE article is, “the” (ăn: like the an- in “annoy”), as, , the field. In such phrases (compare the English “a field”) the stress is laid on the noun; there is no stress on the article, and the vowel-sound of the article is obscure, as (ăn gŭrth). In the spoken language the of the article  is often omitted before nouns beginning with a consonant.

Adjectives, as a rule, are placed AFTER