II Vowels
for which it would otherwise be difficult to find an appropriate
letter.
The longs of £ and be expressed, as with the other vowels, by
doubling -££). But as this is inconvenient and as is not used in
English, it is better to denote the long of £ byae, the separation of
the letters implying length. Long may, on this analogy, be de-
noted byao.
The vowel in 'rum' is open-mixed, that in 'gabe' close-mixed.
R ANd iTS ModificATioNS.
The consonant r in English only occurs before a vowel, either in
the same or the next word, as in 'erring' (eriq), 'far off' (faar aof).
When not followed by a vowel, that is, either by a pause or a
consonant, it is weakened into - the er of 'father'. Mter aa and 00
'the' ois absorbed, as in 'bar' (baa), 'farther' (faadha), 'her' (hoe),
'heard' (hoed), the first two being indistinguishable from 'baa'
and 'father'. ois sometimes dropped after ao, especially before a
consonant, as in 'floor', 'floored', although the fulljlaoo,jlaoad are
most usual in careful speech, especially when the a is final. Mter
other vowels a is preserved throughout, also when the r is sounded
as a full consonant: compare 'air' (aea), 'aired' (aead) and 'airy'
(aeri) with 'far off' (faar aof), 'her own' (hoer oun) and 'flooring'
(flaoriq).
The following table will give a general idea of these changes: -
faar aof (far off) faa faadha (farther).
hoer oun (her own) hoe hoed (heard).
fliOriq (fearing) fiia fiiad (feared).
aeariq (airing) aea aead (aired).
muuariq (mooring) muua muuad (moored).
flaoriq (flooring) flaoa flaoad (floored).
faiariq (firing) faia faiad (fired).