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throw you off” (addressed to one on horseback), the emphatic word is of course caiṫfiḋ or “will throw.” This word will therefore stand out more prominently than the others, in fact it becomes so prominent that ’nuas de ṫu, though distinctly heard, is pronounced with great rapidity. In the introductory or conditional clause [ai]reaċas is the important word and therefore carries the accent. Like caiṫfiḋ it over-shadows the other words in its clausę. Taking the whole sentence together we say that caiṫfiḋ bears the chief accent and ’seaċas the secondary, accent. Here is another sentence, the words of a priest who comes to a house to say Mass and finds the inmates in bed: “Á mbeaḋ bucaed uisge ’gam ċaiṫfinn isteaċ ’sna leapaċ″a [or]raiḃ é,” “If I had a bucket of water I would throw it into the beds on you.” The emphatic word is leapaċ″a, because it indicates the extreme measure which he is prepared to take. The voice increases in force from the commencement and at leapaċa strikes out the second syllable with sledge-hammer force. The concluding words orraiḃ (reduced to ’raiḃ or ’r-iḃ) e are treated as if they were a mere appanage to leapaċa.
A similar effect is observable in single words and in phrases. Taisbeán, thass-bawn″, is reduced to sb-án (and even to sán); beannaċ″aḋ to b’naċ″aḋ; bacaċ″ almost to b’caċ″. Take note of the phrase, gaċ aon rud, literally “every single thing.” An English speaker would emphasise “single” and so do we, the result being that in gaċ the ċ is touched lightly and reduced to a h sound. Furthermore, the n of aon (not because of the accent) becomes assimilated to the r of rud, or, let us say, is simply dropped. Thus the phrase becomes ga’ hao’″ rud (ga’-hae″ rudh). Gaċ Éinne similarly becomes ga’ hÉi″nne (ga’-hy″ing-eh).
