RULE.—L, N, R, have their PLAIN sound when, in the same syllable, they are immediately preceded by a plain Liquid, or immediately followed by a plain Lingual; also in the beginning of certain cases and tenses; in all other situations, they have their ASPIRATED sound. They have their SMALL sound when, in the same syllable, they are preceded or followed by a small vowel, with or without an intervening Liquid; in other situations, they have their BROAD sound.

H.

H is never used as an independent radical letter. When prefixed to a word beginning with a vowel, it is pronounced like h in how; as, na h-òighean the virgins, na h-oidhche of the night.

The following scheme exhibits a succinct view of the letters, both singly and in their several combinations. The first column contains the letters whose sound is to be exhibited; the prefixed figures marking the number of different sounds denoted by the same letter. The second column explains the sounds by examples or by references. The third column contains Gaelic words, with their translation, in which the several sounds are exemplified.

Vowels.

1 a

long far star àr slaughter, àth a ford.
short that ar to plow, abuich ripe.
2 a

long adhradh worship, adhbhar reason.
short adharc a horn, adhart a bolster.
3 a short similar ma if, an the, a his, her.
1 e

long there è sè he, gnè sort, kind.
short met le with, leth half.
2 e long an dé yesterday, cé the earth.
3 e short mother duine a man, briste broken.
1 i see

mìn smooth, righ a king.
min meal, crith a shaking.
2 i short this is am, art, is.
1 o

long more mòr great, lòn food.
short hot mo my, do thy, lon the ouzle.
2 o

long

old lom bare, toll a hole.
short lomadh making bare.
3 o

long

(2) a roghnuich to choose.
short roghuinn choice.
1 u

long

fool

ùr fresh, sùgh juice.
short ubh an egg, tur quite.

Diphthongs.

1 ae (1) a (2) e laeth days.
1 ai (1) a (1) i fàidh a prophet, claidheamh a sword.
2 ai (2) a (1) i saidhbhir, rich.
3 ai (1) a fàisg squeeze, tais soft.
4 ai (2) a airm arms, gairm to call.
1 ao (2) a faobhar edge of an instrument.
1 ea (2) e (1) a beann a pinnacle, meal enjoy.
2 ea (1) e dean to do, make, bean a woman.
3 ea (2) e easlan sick, fead whistle.
4 ea (1) a ceard an artificer, geal white.
5 ea (3) a coireach faulty.
1 ei (1) e (1) i sgèimh beauty, meidh a balance.
2 ei (2) e (1) i feidh deer, greigh a herd.
3 ei (1) e mèise of a plate.
4 ei (2) e éigin necessity, eich horses.
1 eo (2) e (1) o beo alive, beothail lively.
2 eo (1) o leomhann a lion, deoch a drink.
1 eu (2) e teum to bite, gleus trim.
1 ia (1) i (1) a fial liberal, fiar oblique.
2 ia (1) i (2) a fiadh a deer, biadh food.
1 io (1) i (3) o diol to pay, iolach a spout.
2 io (1) i iodhol an idol, crios a girdle.
3 io fun cionta guilt.
1 iu (1) i u fiù worth, iuchair a key.
2 iu u diù refuse, tiugh thick.
1 oi (1) o (1) i òigh a virgin, troidh a foot.
2 oi (3) o (1) i oidhche night.
3 oi (1) o mòid more, toic wealth.
4 oi (2) o fòid a turf, fois rest.
5 oi (3) o coileach a cock, goirid short.
1 ua u (1) a cuan the sea, fuath hatred.
2 ua u (2) a tuadh a hatchet, sluagh people.
1 ui u (1) i sùigheah a raspberry, buidheann a company.
2 ui u dùil expectation, fuil blood.

Triphthongs.