Page:The Celtic Review volume 4.djvu/194

Rh In all words like balbh, meanbh, dearbh, bh is u in East Perth and Sutherland, where the nearest vowel is broad, and, in Sutherland also in a few instances where the vowel is slender, as deilbh, seilbh, mairbh. Words like aitreabh, leanabh, beulaobh, cùlaobh, fhearaibh, all have u ‘aitru,’ ‘leanu,’ etc. in Perth and Sutherland, as have also the prepositional pronouns agaibh, etc., and imperatives brisibh, etc., in Sutherland, as already noted.

w

This sound may be heard in Perth, e.g. in asbhuain, cabhruich, cobhair, cobhar, gobha, gobhal, gobhar, labhair, labhar, leabhar (book), leabhar (long), sabhal, slabhruidh, cliabh, sliabh, etc.; in West Ross in abhras, fabhra (eyelid), aobhar, cabhraich, cobhair, gobha, gobhal, gobhar, rabhairt ‘rowirt,’ sabhal, slabhruidh, etc.; in Sutherland in aobhar (North Sutherland), ciabhag (lock of hair), cliabh, sliabh, etc. Abhainn, river, which has v in Arran, Kintyre, and MacAlpine, and is ‘a-u’n’ in North Argyll and ‘o-inn' (open o), in Strathspey, is ‘awinn’ in Perth, Badenoch, Skye, West Ross, and ‘awarn’ in Sutherland.

h

Instances of h are characteristic of West Ross, e.g. in cobhar, foam, ‘cohar,’ diubhair, difference ‘dihu’r.’ Bailbh is there bailahi, meinbhe (comparative of neanbh), menahi, gairhh, gairahi, meirbh merahi, and sometimes dearbh, derahi, and garbh garahu, with the liquids long in all cases.

nil

At the south end of Arran, Mac Bhrìdein (Mac Bride) may be heard as Ac rìdeinn. Bh is silent generally in some words, as cuibheas, dubhan, siubhal, thubhairt, ubhal, luibh; in the three southern dialects in cobhair, cobhar, gobha, gobhal, gobhar, riabhach, etc. In a few instances like feabhas, leabhar (book), leabhar (long), treabh, bh, though silent, may