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exercise XVI
§ 118. Other digraphs
| éa | is pronounced like | é | that is, ae |
| eá | is pronounced like | á | that is au |
| ío | is pronounced like | í | that is, ee |
In these, also, it will be noticed, the digraph is pronounced practically with the sound of the vowel marked long; the other vowel is hardly sounded, thus—
Féar is pronounced (faer), isleán (eesh'-laun), cíos (kees)
§ 119. NOTE I—éa is still occasionally spelled eu, as feur (faer), grass. In Munster, in words of one syllable, éa or eu is pronounced ee'-o, thus féar (fee'-or)
NOTE II—eá is used, and wrongly, in words like gearr, fearr, where ea without any marks of length, should be used. Lengthening of the vowel-sound noticed in such words is caused by the double r. (see §77)
NOTE III—We would advise learners always to pronounce ío like í or ee, and éa like é or ae. In old Irish we always find fín, wine; fér, grass. In many monosyllables ío is yet pronounced ee'-ă; as fíon (fee'-ŭn) wine.
§ 120. Céad míle fáilte! A hundred thousand welcomes! This popular phrase is seldom, if ever, seen properly spelled.
§ 121. Words
| céad | (kaedh), a hundred |
| díol | (deel), verb, sell |
| féar | (faer), grass |
| fíon | (feen), wine |
| líon | (leen), verb fill |
| líon | (leen), noun flax |
| léana | (lae'-nă), a meadow |
| Séamus | (shae'-măs), James |
| síoda | (sheedh'-ă), silk |
| síos | (shees), downwards |
note that
phonetic
symbols
are
not
necessarily
pronounced
as in English