An Introduction to Early Welsh - Arthur Pendragon of Wales

ii.]
SOUNDS AND SOUND-CHANGES. 7
e.g.,
Mod.W. marchog = Mid.W. marchawc, but Mod.W. pawb
= Mid.W. pawb. For other instances of vowel weakening in
unaccented syllables see 4.
PROTHETIC VOWEL.
9. Before words which in O.W. began with s + consonant there
developed in the Mid.W. period a prothetic y, e.g. ysgriven
writing-. O.W. scribenn, ystavell chamber-. O.W. stabell,
ysteoAxLr packsaddlei O.W. strotur, yspeil spoil: O.W. *speil,
from Lat. spolium.
EPENTHETIC VOWEL.
Before a final liquid, nasal, or v, an epenthetic vowel is
often written, which, however, does not count metrically as a
syllable.
(a) Consonant + 1, e.g. mynwgyl by mynwgl /**:/ = Mod.
W. mynwgl; kenedel, kenedyl by kenedl race = O.W.
cenetl, Mod.W. cenedl ; kwbwl, kwbyl by kwbl whole = Mod.W,
cwbl; tavyl sling = Mod.W. tafl.
(b) Consonant + r, e.g. hagyr by hagr ugly = Mod.W.
hagr; lleidyr by lleidr roMer=Mod.W. lleidr; llestyr
vessel =Q.\N. llestr, llestir, Mod.W. llestr; dwvyr, dwvwr
by dwvr water =Mod.W. dwfr.
Consonant + m, e.g. talym = space Mod.W. talm.
(c)
(d) Consonant + n, e.g. gwadyn by gwadn sole = Mod.W.
gwadn ; dwvyn deep = Mod.W. dwfn.
(e) Consonant + v, e.g. dedyf custom = Mod.W. deddf;
baraf, baryf beard = Mod.W. barf; twrwf, twryf by twrf noise.
CONSONANTAL
CHANGES.
II. The following changes of consonants in combination are of
importance
for accidence :
(a) In the Indo-Germanic parent language d or t + 1 became t*t,
-slass from
and ft in Celtic became SS, e.g. W. Has was killed'= Ir.
*slat s tos : Had kill= Ir. slaidid hews.