1 aoi (1) ao (1) i caoidh lamentation.
2 aoi (1) ao caoin mild, saoil to think.
1 eoi (2) eo (1) i geoigh geese.
2 eoi (1) eo meoir fingers.
3 eoi (2) eo deoir tears.
1 iai (1) ia fiaire more oblique.
1 iui (2) iu ciùil of music.
1 uai (1) ua (1) i luaithe quicker.
2 uai (2) ua (1) i cruaidh hard, fuaim sound.
3 uai (1) ua gluais to move, uair time.

Consonants

Labials.
1 p part poll a pool, streap to climb.
2 ph Philip phill returned.
1 b boil baile a town, breab to kick.
2 bh vile bhuail struck, gabh to take.
1 m my mòr great, anam life, soul.
2 mh mhothuich perceived, damh an ox.
1 f feel fill to fold.
2 fh quiescent fheara O men.

Palatals.
1 c cock can to say, sing, creid to believe.
2 c kick ceann end, head, reic to sell.
3 ch χωρα chaidh went, rach go.
4 ch χειμων chi shall see, crìche of a boundary.
1 g go gabh to take, rag stiff.
2 g give geinne a wedge, ruig to reach.
3 gh ghabh took, ghleidh kept.
4 gh you gheibh will get.
5 quiescent righ a king, sluagh people.

Linguals.
1 t tone tog to raise, slat a rod.
2 t chin tinn sick, àite a place.
3 th have thainig came.
4 th quiescent maith good, fàth occasion.
1 d done dol going, dragh trouble.
2 d join diom resentment, maide a stick.
3 dh (3) gh dhall blind.
4 dh (4) gh dhearc looked.
5 dh quiescent radh saying, bualadh threshing.
1 s so sannt desire, sloc a pit.
2 s show sèimh gentle, so this.
3 sh how shuidh sat, shaoil thought.
1 l lom bare, slat a rod, moll chaff.
2 l million lìnn an age, caillte lost.
3 l look blàth blossom, shlanuich healed.
4 l believe leum leaped, shleamhnuich slipped.
1 n crann a tree, naomh holy, naisg bind.
2 n opinion seinn to sing, nigh wash.
3 n no fan to stay, naisg bound.
4 n near coin dogs, nigh washed.
1 r roar fearr better, righ a king, ruith run.
2 r rear fear a man, ruith ran.
3 r fir men, a righ O king, treoir strength.

There is no doubt that the Gaelic has been for many ages a written language. It is equally certain that its orthography, since it was first committed to writing, has undergone

considerable changes. In this respect it has shared the common fate of all written languages.

In the first exhibition of the sounds of a living language, by alphabetical characters, it is probable that the principle which regulated the system of orthography was, that every elementary sound should be represented by a corresponding character, either simple or compounded, and that the same sound should be represented by the same character. If different sounds were represented by the same letter; if the same sound were represented by different letters; if more letters were employed then were necessary to exhibit the sound; or if any sound were not represented by a corresponding character; then the written language would not be an adequate representation of the spoken. It is hardly to be supposed that, in the first rude attempts at alphabetical writing, the principle above laid down could be strictly and uniformly followed. And though it had, yet, in the course of a few generations, many causes would occur to bring about considerable departures from it. A gradual refinement of ear, and increasing attention to euphonia; contractions and elisions brought into vogue by the carelessness or the rapidity of colloquial speech, or by the practice of popular speakers; above all, the mixture of the speech of different nations would introduce numberless varieties into the pronunciation. Still, those who wrote the language might choose to adhere to the original orthography for the sake of retaining the radical parts, and preserving the etymon of vocables undisguised, and for maintaining an uniformity in the mechanism of the inflections. Hence the pronunciation and the orthography would disagree in many instances, till at length it would be found expedient to alter the orthography, and to adapt it to such changes in the speech or spoken language as long use had established, in order to maintain what was most necessary of all, a due correspondence between the mode of speaking and the mode of writing the same language.

It will probably be found on inquiry that in all languages when the speech has undergone material and striking changes,

the written language also has varied in a considerable degree in conformity to these changes, but that it has not scrupulously kept pace with the spoken language in every smaller variation. The written language of the Greeks suffered many changes between the time that the old Pelasgic was spoken and the days of Demosthenes. The various modes of pronunciation used in the different districts of Greece are marked by a diversity in the orthography of the written language. The writing of the Latin underwent considerable alterations between the era of the Decemviri and the Augustan age, corresponding, no doubt, to the changes which had taken place during that interval in speaking the Latin. English and French books printed within the last century exhibit a mode of orthography very different from what is found in books printed two or three hundred years ago. These instances show the tendency which the written language has to follow the lead of the spoken language, and to maintain a certain degree of conformity to those modes of pronunciation which are from time to time adopted by those who speak it.

On the other hand, numberless examples might be adduced from any living language to prove that the written language does not adapt itself, on all occasions and with strict uniformity, to the sounds of speech. Words are written differently which are pronounced alike. The same combinations of letters, in different situations, represent different sounds. Letters are retained in writing, serving to point out the derivations of words, after they have been entirely dropped in speaking.

From such facts as these, it appears a just conclusion that written language generally follows the spoken language through its various revolutions, but still at a certain distance,—not dropping so far behind as to lose sight of its precursor, nor following so close as to be led through all its fantastic deviations.