Page:The Celtic Review volume 4.djvu/356

Rh in such nouns and in the parts ending in dh of verbs. In Perthshire the gh sound is confined to subjunctives of verbs, and even then alternates with another pronunciation to be noticed.

This sound is heard in Argyll in a few instances in which the written language has mh, as in caitheamh, wearing, càramh, mending, etc., creideamh, belief, and dèanamh, doing, in Kintyre and Islay, and càramh, dèanamh, and iomramh, rowing, in North Argyll. All those, except iomramh, have dh, but pronounced g, as we shall see in Arran. Càramh follows the analogy of the other words as dèanamh, ‘dèanu,’ in Perth, and is pronounced ‘càru,’ but in West Ross and Sutherland it is ‘càra,’ unlike either words in &#8209;adh, or words in &#8209;amh in its last syllable.

The ordinal numerals are sometimes spelt with dh in lieu of mh, as ceithreadh, fourth, coigeadh, fifth, by Arran and Argyll writers, but the pronunciation of the syllable in question differs in Arran and in Kintyre, and probably elsewhere, from those with either dh or mh.

The sound of unaspirated g is given to medial and final dh in some instances in Arran, especially at the south end of the island, as in cràdhach, painful, diadhaidh, fiadhaich, iodhal, idol, fiadh, deer, fiodh, wood, gèadh, goose, ruadh, red, fionnadh, hair, reothadh, frost, altachadh, grace. In words of one syllable, and in the terminations of verbs, g for dh is the rule there. As already indicated, this g for dh takes the place here of mh in the words caitheamh, dèanamh, etc. Some of the parts of the verb gràdhaich, love, are pronounced (with à sounded è throughout) gràgai’, will love, ghràgaicheag, would love, gràgachag, loving, ghràgachag, was loved, and so on.

G is heard as frequently as gh for dh in subjunctives of verbs in Perth. Thus abrag and abragh are said equally often for abradh, would say; so with chuireadh, would set, etc. In infinitives in &#8209;adh the whole syllable, when not wanting altogether, is pronounced ao short in that county; a’ reubadh, rending, is a’ reubao, or a’ reub. In West Ross in