76
to be hiatus-filling, as is also the case in ə wuəχtər, ‘from above’, cp. ə jiəχtər, ‘from below’. In gə gyrʹi dʹiə N tα꞉w ɔrt (= go gcuiridh Dia an t‑ádh ort) we seem to have a w-glide.
ui < uai becomes wi꞉ by stress-shifting in smwi꞉tʹuw, ‘to think’, Di. smuaintigheadh, M.Ir. smuained (§ 443); fwi꞉rʹ mʹɛ, ‘I got’, < fuirʹ mʹə. Further in fwi꞉r < fw⅄꞉r, ‘cold’, M.Ir. fúar. uə < ua becomes wα before χ in fʹïNwαχt, ‘coolness’, Di. fionnfhuacht.
§ 200. All non-palatal labials tend to develope a w before a following vowel, i.e. at the moment when the contact is loosened the tongue is in the position for u. For the lip-action see § 289. This w is heard most clearly before front vowels and ⅄꞉ and in this book is regularly written in these cases, e.g. before æ, in fwærʹə, ‘wake’; mwædʹə, ‘stick’; mwælʹkʹ, ‘soreness from riding bareback’; mwærʹig, ‘woe’; mwærʹəm, ‘I remain’; mwæʃtʹi꞉nʹ, ‘mastiff’ (as term of abuse); ə mwæNʹænʹ, ‘in spite of me’; mwæʃtʹruw, ‘to churn’; pwædʹirʹ, ‘prayer’; smwæLʹtʹə, past part. of smαluw, ‘to wither’. Before i in bwiLʹə, ‘blow’; bwi꞉dʹαχ, ‘small’; dʹrʹαpwirʹαχt, ‘climbing’; klo̤pwidʹə, ‘dip in land, wrinkle in cloth’; kʹαpwirʹə, ‘slice of bread and butter’; Lʹαbwi꞉, ‘bed’; mwiLʹə, compar. of mαL, ‘late’; spwiɲkʹə, gen. sing. of spo̤ŋk, ‘tinder’; tapwi꞉, ‘quick’. Before ⅄꞉ in mw⅄꞉r, ‘keeper’; mw⅄̃꞉, ‘pliable’; mw⅄꞉l, ‘bald, blunt’. Before ï in mwïgʹlʹi꞉, ‘mild, modest’. This w may also be clearly heard if the labial is the final of one word and the next begins with a front vowel, as in tα꞉ tʹrʹi꞉ fo̤Nt əgəm werʹ = tá trí phunta agam air; tʹi꞉m wi꞉ = tím í. In the case of initial f the w is lost on aspiration, thus fwïlʹ, ‘blood’ but fα Nïlʹ, ‘concerning the blood’.
§ 201. A voiceless w (w̥) arising from various sources is very frequent in Donegal. It is found regularly when aspirated b, m are followed by h < th, fh or preceded by h < th, e.g. αw̥ilʹ, ‘change of appearance’, Di. athbhuil; row̥ər = rabhthar. In futures and past participles, sNα꞉w̥ə mʹə, ‘I shall swim’; ʃNʹiuw̥ə mʹə, ‘I shall spin’, past part. ʃNʹiuw̥ə, imperf. pass. nʹiuw̥i꞉. By contraction in si꞉w̥əlʹ, ‘odd’, Di. saoitheamhail (similarly riw̥əlʹ, ‘royal’); Nʹα̃ujli꞉w̥əlʹ, ‘unlawful’, Di. neamh-dhlightheamhail; mʹi꞉w̥ər, ‘ugly’, Craig (Iasg.) míofuar seems to be mío-(fh)uathmhar. tα̃꞉uw, ‘doze’, Di. támh, M.Ir. tám, tα̃꞉w̥irʹαχt, ‘dozing’, have been influenced by some word or other, whilst tαuw̥əN(t), ‘barking’, M.Ir. toffund contains w̥ < sv. As to the difficulty in distinguishing between f and w̥ see § 309.
