§ 6. The Spirants.
The I. E. spirants were j, v, s, and z. We have already discussed j and v under the heading of semi- vowels, from which it is difficult to differentiate the consonantal j and v. Here we deal with s and z, and first with s.
(1) Initial s. Before vowels and the liquids, I. E. s remains intact in Gadelic. In Brittonic s before vowels becomes h; before l, n, and m, it disappears, while before r it or its resultant effect is preserved (see sruth, srath, sròn).
- a. I. E. sv appears in Gadelic as s usually, more rarely as f and p or t; in W. the form is chw. See searbh, seal, sè, sibh, séid, etc. The G. piuthar appears in Ir. as siur, fiur, from *svesōr, while pill (*svelni‑) gives fill and till; compare also séisd (téis).
- b. I. E. sp (sph) is treated in Celtic much as sv. And spr appears as sr; cf. sròn, straighlich, slis, sonn, sealg, sine.
- I. E. st appears in Gadelic as t, as in tigh, tà, tighinn, taois. But str, stl, become sr, sl, as in srath, sreothart, sreang, slios, slat, sloinn, slaid. Some hold that st may appear as simple s, which is the case in Welsh, but the instances adduced can be otherwise explained (cf. seirc, sail, searrach (St.), seall).
- I. E. sq, sqh, appear in Gaelic as sg, O. Ir. sc, as in sgàth, sgath, sguir, etc. The W. precedes the sg with a y as in ysgwyd, Ir. sgiath, G. sgiath, shield: I. E. sqv is in W. chw, as G. sgeul, W. chwedl, sgeith, W. chwydu.
- I. E. skn appears in Gaelic as sn, as in sneadh.
(2) Intervocalic s. This becomes h and disappears; compare tagh (*to-gusô), do‑, chì, etc.
(3) Terminal s disappears altogether; but in closely connected combinations of words its former existence is known from the so-called euphonic h, as in the article genitive feminine and
