It may be noted that i always appears for ə in unstressed syllables before Lʹ and Nʹ.
§ 222. Lʹ represents O.Ir. initial l before e, i, e.g. Lʹα`, ‘half’, O.Ir. leth; Lʹαhən, ‘broad’, O.Ir. lethan; Lʹαk, ‘flag’, M.Ir. lec; Lʹαnu꞉Nʹtʹ, ‘to follow’, O.Ir. lenmain; Lʹαr in tα꞉ Lʹαr erʹ, ‘he’s wrong in his head’, M.Ir. ler; LʹɛəN, ‘learning’, O.Ir. legend; Lʹɛəs, ‘healing’, M.Ir. leges; Lʹiə, ‘grey’, M.Ir. líath; Lʹiənuw, ‘to fill’, O.Ir. linath; Lʹitʹirʹ, ‘letter’, O.Ir. liter; Lʹo꞉r, ‘book’, O.Ir. lebor.
§ 223. Medially and finally Lʹ arises from O.Ir. ll before original e, i whether retained or lost, e.g. bwiLʹə, ‘blow’, M.Ir. bulle; fʹiLʹ mʹə, ‘I returned’, M.Ir. fillim (i.e. phill mé); kæLʹαχ, ‘hag’, O.Ir. caillech; kæLʹəm, ‘I lose’, M.Ir. coillim; kʹiLʹ, ‘churchyard’, M.Ir. cill (dat.); mʹiLʹuw, ‘to spoil’, M.Ir. milliud; sæLʹ, ‘grease, fat’, M.Ir. saill; tʹiLʹuw, ‘addition’, O.Ir. tuilled.
§ 224. Medially Lʹ may arise by assimilation, e.g. guiLʹαχə, ‘shoulders’, plur. of guəliNʹ; bræLʹi꞉nʹ, ‘sheet’, Di. braitlinn; kyLʹαχə mʹə, ‘I shall sleep’, < coidleachaidh mé; fwi꞉Lαχ, ‘leavings’, fwi꞉Lʹi꞉, ‘February’, not ‘January’ as Dinneen has under fuighle, cp.
- Gaoth Faoilighe niharbhas caoiridhe
- Gaoth Mhárta mharbhas daoine. G.J. 1891 p. 96.
See further Wi. fuidell.
§ 225. Lʹ comes to stand before Nʹ in modern contracted forms, e.g. ʃkʹiLʹiNʹ, ‘shilling’, plur. ʃkʹiLʹNʹə; fwïLʹNʹi꞉m, ‘I endure’, pret. dïlʹiNʹ (diLʹiNʹ), fut. fwiLʹNʹαχə mʹə, Di. fuilingim, O.Ir. foloing.
Lʹ stands further before ʃ, tʹ, e.g. æLʹʃə, ‘cancer’, Meyer allse; bʹrʹiLʹʃkʹə, ‘light-headed, half-witted fellow’, Di. breillsce; mʹiLʹʃə, ‘sweeter’, M.Ir. millsiu; sɔLʹʃuw, ‘to shine’, M.Ir. soillsiugad; tʹrʹiLʹʃαn, ‘plaited rush, wick’, Di. trilseán, earlier trilsen. iLʹtʹ, plur. of αLt, ‘cliff’; kʹeLʹtʹ, ‘to conceal’, Di. ceilt; tɔLʹtʹənəs, ‘consent’, Di. toilteanas. For Lʹ before dʹ I have no examples.
§ 226. r (< *Rʹ) and ʃ require to be followed by Lʹ, e.g. kõ꞉rLʹə, ‘advice’, O.Ir. comairle; i꞉ʃLʹuw, ‘to lower’, Di. ísliughadh; kæʃLʹαn, ‘castle’, Meyer caslén; ʃLʹα꞉n, ‘turf-spade’; tæʃLʹαχ, ‘wet weather’, Di. taisleach, cp. fʹlʹïχlαχ. For rLʹ, ʃLʹ in sandhi see §§ 455, 459.
§ 227. A voiceless Lʹ with strongly breathed off-glide occurs principally in futures, e.g. gyL̥ʹi꞉, future of Di. goillim; gʹeiL̥ʹə mʹə, ‘I shall yield’; kæL̥ʹə mʹə, ‘I shall lose’; miL̥ʹə mʹə, ‘I shall
