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77. A diphthong cannot be developed immediately beside a long vowel.
Diaḃal, bliaḋain, fiaḃras, fiaḋain, diaṁair.
N.B.—The i of ia is always long,=í.
78. A long vowel sound at the end of a word is usually shortened by the addition of a grammatical inflection beginning with a consonant.
| me, mise | dliġe, dliġṫe |
| tu, tusa | scéaluiḋe, scéaluiḋṫe |
| sé, seisean | críostuiḋe, críostuiḋṫe |
| sí, sise | sliġe, sliġe |
| ní, neiṫe | croiḋe, croiḋṫe |
Likewise with the verbal adjectives of verbs ending in iġ: bailiġṫe, malluiġṫe, &c.
CHAPTER X.
Digraphs.
79. We have already shown in Chapter VIII. how glides are formed, and we have also explained why it is not necessary to write the glides in English, whilst it is necessary to do so in Irish; consequently there are a large number of digraphs in Irish, for it is frequently necessary to join a slender consonant to a broad vowel, and vice versa. The digraphs used in Modern Irish are eá, eo, iú, ái, úi, ae, aí, ia, ío, ói, ui, ea, ai, iu, and ei. If one of the vowels of the digraph carries a síneaḋ—e.g., ái, iú, ói, &c, there is no difficulty in recognising which is the vowel and which the glide; but when there is not a síneaḋ the matter is not quite so easy—e.g., in
