Basic Irish Letters: Difference between revisions
		
		
		
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| {{Under Construction|section=true}} | {{Under Construction|section=true}} | ||
| Note that some combinations are not consistent, and vary pronunciation based on the word. | |||
| {|class="prettytable" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;" | |||
| |- | |||
| ! style="width:25pt;" | Letters | |||
| ! style="width:25pt;" | IPA | |||
| ! style="width:40pt;" | Valve Phoneme | |||
| ! style="width:5pt;" | EX | |||
| ! style="width:100pt;" | Phonetic Example | |||
| ! style="width:300pt;" | Notes | |||
| |- | |||
| | ae || /e/ || ?? || <AudioButton>phoneme_.mp3</AudioButton> || ?? ||  | |||
| |- | |||
| | ao || /i/ || ?? || <AudioButton>phoneme_.mp3</AudioButton> || ?? ||  | |||
| |- | |||
| | aoi || /i/ || ?? || <AudioButton>phoneme_.mp3</AudioButton> || ?? ||  | |||
| |- | |||
| | rowspan="4" | ea || /ᴂ/ || ?? || <AudioButton>phoneme_.mp3</AudioButton> || ?? ||  | |||
| |- | |||
| | /a/ || ?? || <AudioButton>phoneme_.mp3</AudioButton> || ?? ||  | |||
| |- | |||
| | /ja/ || ?? || <AudioButton>phoneme_.mp3</AudioButton> || ?? ||  | |||
| |- | |||
| | /iɑ:/ || ?? || <AudioButton>phoneme_.mp3</AudioButton> || ?? ||  | |||
| |- | |||
| | ei || /ɛ/ || ?? || <AudioButton>phoneme_.mp3</AudioButton> || ?? ||  | |||
| |- | |||
| | eo || /o/ || ?? || <AudioButton>phoneme_.mp3</AudioButton> || ?? ||  | |||
| |- | |||
| | ia || /iə/ || ?? || <AudioButton>phoneme_.mp3</AudioButton> || ?? ||  | |||
| |- | |||
| | io || /ɪ/ || ?? || <AudioButton>phoneme_.mp3</AudioButton> || ?? ||  | |||
| |- | |||
| | oi || /ɪ/ || ?? || <AudioButton>phoneme_.mp3</AudioButton> || ?? ||  | |||
| |- | |||
| | ua || /uə/ || ?? || <AudioButton>phoneme_.mp3</AudioButton> || ?? ||  | |||
| |- | |||
| | ui || /ɪ/ || ?? || <AudioButton>phoneme_.mp3</AudioButton> || ?? ||  | |||
| |- | |||
| | -(e)adh || /u/ || ?? || <AudioButton>phoneme_.mp3</AudioButton> || ?? ||  | |||
| |- | |||
| | rowspan="2" | -faidh || /i/ || ?? || <AudioButton>phoneme_.mp3</AudioButton> || ?? ||  | |||
| |- | |||
| | /ɪ/ || ?? || <AudioButton>phoneme_.mp3</AudioButton> || ?? ||  | |||
| |- | |||
| |  rowspan="2" | -fidh || /i/ || ?? || <AudioButton>phoneme_.mp3</AudioButton> || ?? ||  | |||
| |- | |||
| | /ɪ/ || ?? || <AudioButton>phoneme_.mp3</AudioButton> || ?? ||  | |||
| |} | |||
| == Standard Consonants == | == Standard Consonants == | ||
Revision as of 09:08, 26 June 2018
Introduction
Irish letters are classified into 2 distinct groups, referred to as broad and slender.
- The broad (velarized) consonants b, c, f, g, m can sound as if they’re being followed by a very subtle “w”.
- Slender (palatalized) consonants can sound as if they’re followed by a slight “y”.
Determining the correct group:
- Of the vowels, a, o, and u are always broad, whereas e and i are always slender.
- Consonants vary based on which group the closest vowel is in.
- Examples: tae (‘t’ is broad), te (‘t’ is slender), taistil (the first ‘t’ is broad; ‘s’, the second ‘t’ and ‘l’ are all slender).
 
- The vowels on either side of a consonant, or group of consonants, must both be slender or both be broad.
- Examples: déanfaidh, rithfidh, leabharlann, páirceanna, cupán, cipín, madra, maidrín.
- Note: There are some rare exceptions, such as anseo; ansin.
 
Vowels
| Letter | IPA | Valve Phoneme | EX | Phonetic Example | 
|---|---|---|---|---|
| a | /a/ | AA | <AudioButton>phoneme_0061.mp3</AudioButton> | father, spa | 
| á | /ɑ:/ | AO | <AudioButton>phoneme_0061-02D0.mp3</AudioButton> | call, far | 
| e | /ɛ/ | EH | <AudioButton>phoneme_025B.mp3</AudioButton> | tell, get | 
| é | /e:/ | EY | <AudioButton>phoneme_0065-02D0.mp3</AudioButton> | bait, pay | 
| i | /ɪ/ | IH | <AudioButton>phoneme_026A.mp3</AudioButton> | in, hit | 
| í | /i:/ | IY | <AudioButton>phoneme_0069-02D0.mp3</AudioButton> | tree, mean, he | 
| o | /ɔ/ | AH | <AudioButton>phoneme_0254.mp3</AudioButton> | tug, wonder | 
| ó | /o:/ | OW | <AudioButton>phoneme_006F-02D0.mp3</AudioButton> | roll, toe, road | 
| u | /ʌ/ | UH | <AudioButton>phoneme_028C.mp3</AudioButton> | gut, fun | 
| ú | /u:/ | UW | <AudioButton>phoneme_0075-02D0.mp3</AudioButton> | too, rude | 
Vowel Combinations
Note that some combinations are not consistent, and vary pronunciation based on the word.
| Letters | IPA | Valve Phoneme | EX | Phonetic Example | Notes | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ae | /e/ | ?? | <AudioButton>phoneme_.mp3</AudioButton> | ?? | |
| ao | /i/ | ?? | <AudioButton>phoneme_.mp3</AudioButton> | ?? | |
| aoi | /i/ | ?? | <AudioButton>phoneme_.mp3</AudioButton> | ?? | |
| ea | /ᴂ/ | ?? | <AudioButton>phoneme_.mp3</AudioButton> | ?? | |
| /a/ | ?? | <AudioButton>phoneme_.mp3</AudioButton> | ?? | ||
| /ja/ | ?? | <AudioButton>phoneme_.mp3</AudioButton> | ?? | ||
| /iɑ:/ | ?? | <AudioButton>phoneme_.mp3</AudioButton> | ?? | ||
| ei | /ɛ/ | ?? | <AudioButton>phoneme_.mp3</AudioButton> | ?? | |
| eo | /o/ | ?? | <AudioButton>phoneme_.mp3</AudioButton> | ?? | |
| ia | /iə/ | ?? | <AudioButton>phoneme_.mp3</AudioButton> | ?? | |
| io | /ɪ/ | ?? | <AudioButton>phoneme_.mp3</AudioButton> | ?? | |
| oi | /ɪ/ | ?? | <AudioButton>phoneme_.mp3</AudioButton> | ?? | |
| ua | /uə/ | ?? | <AudioButton>phoneme_.mp3</AudioButton> | ?? | |
| ui | /ɪ/ | ?? | <AudioButton>phoneme_.mp3</AudioButton> | ?? | |
| -(e)adh | /u/ | ?? | <AudioButton>phoneme_.mp3</AudioButton> | ?? | |
| -faidh | /i/ | ?? | <AudioButton>phoneme_.mp3</AudioButton> | ?? | |
| /ɪ/ | ?? | <AudioButton>phoneme_.mp3</AudioButton> | ?? | ||
| -fidh | /i/ | ?? | <AudioButton>phoneme_.mp3</AudioButton> | ?? | |
| /ɪ/ | ?? | <AudioButton>phoneme_.mp3</AudioButton> | ?? | 
Standard Consonants
| Broad Consonants | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Letter | IPA | Valve Phoneme | EX | Phonetic Example | Notes | 
| b | /bˠ/ | B | <AudioButton>phoneme_0062-02E0.mp3</AudioButton> | broom, boy | |
| c | /k/ | K | <AudioButton>phoneme_006B.mp3</AudioButton> | cut, key | |
| d | /d̪ˠ/ | D | <AudioButton>phoneme_0064-032A-02E0.mp3</AudioButton> | do, under | |
| f | /fˠ/ | ?? | <AudioButton>phoneme_0066-02E0.mp3</AudioButton> | ?? | |
| g | /ɡ/ | G | <AudioButton>phoneme_0261.mp3</AudioButton> | goo, egg | |
| h | /h/ | HH | <AudioButton>phoneme_0068.mp3</AudioButton> | honey, hello | Neither broad nor slender | 
| l | /l̪ˠ/; /l/ | ?? | <AudioButton>phoneme_006C-032A-02E0.mp3</AudioButton> | ?? | occasionally /l/, which is considered neither broad nor slender | 
| ll | /l̪ˠ/ | ?? | <AudioButton>phoneme_006C-032A-02E0.mp3</AudioButton> | ?? | |
| m | /mˠ/ | M | <AudioButton>phoneme_006D-02E0.mp3</AudioButton> | moo, woman | |
| n | /n̪ˠ/; /n/ | N | <AudioButton>phoneme_006E-032A-02E0.mp3</AudioButton> | not, under | occasionally /n/, which is considered neither broad nor slender | 
| p | /pˠ/ | ?? | <AudioButton>phoneme_0070-02E0.mp3</AudioButton> | ?? | |
| r | /ɾˠ/ | ?? | <AudioButton>phoneme_027E-02E0.mp3</AudioButton> | ?? | always broad word-initially; always broad in rd, rl, rn, rr, rs, rt, rth, sr | 
| s | /sˠ/ | ?? | <AudioButton>phoneme_0073-02E0.mp3</AudioButton> | ?? | |
| t | /t̪ˠ/ | ?? | <AudioButton>phoneme_0074-032A-02E0.mp3</AudioButton> | ?? | |
| v | /w/~/vˠ/ | ?? | <AudioButton></AudioButton> | ?? | loan consonant | 
| z | /zˠ/ | ?? | <AudioButton>phoneme_007A-02E0.mp3</AudioButton> | ?? | loan consonant | 
| Slender Consonants | |||||
| Letter | IPA | Valve Phoneme | EX | Phonetic Example | Notes | 
| b | /bʲ/ | ?? | <AudioButton>phoneme_0062-02B2.mp3</AudioButton> | ?? | |
| c | /c/ | ?? | <AudioButton>phoneme_0063.mp3</AudioButton> | ?? | |
| d | /dʑ/ | JH | <AudioButton>phoneme_0064-02B2.mp3</AudioButton> | fidget, fridge | /dʲ/ in other dialects* | 
| f | /fʲ/ | ?? | <AudioButton>phoneme_0066-02B2.mp3</AudioButton> | ?? | |
| g | /ɟ/ | ?? | <AudioButton>phoneme_025F.mp3</AudioButton> | ?? | Not in Wikipedia* | 
| h | /h/ | HH | <AudioButton>phoneme_0068.mp3</AudioButton> | honey, hello | Neither broad nor slender | 
| l | /lʲ/ | ?? | <AudioButton>phoneme_006C-02B2.mp3</AudioButton> | million, will you | |
| ll | /lʲ/; /l̪ʲ/ | ?? | <AudioButton>phoneme_006C-02B2.mp3</AudioButton> | ?? | occasionally /l̪ʲ/ | 
| m | /mʲ/ | ?? | <AudioButton>phoneme_006D-02B2.mp3</AudioButton> | ?? | |
| n | /nʲ/ | N Y | <AudioButton>phoneme_006E-02B2.mp3</AudioButton> | sinew, minion | |
| p | /pʲ/ | ?? | <AudioButton>phoneme_0070-02B2.mp3</AudioButton> | ?? | |
| r | /ɾʲ/ | ?? | <AudioButton>phoneme_027E-02B2.mp3</AudioButton> | ?? | always broad word-initially; always broad in rd, rl, rn, rr, rs, rt, rth, sr | 
| s | /ɕ/ | SH | <AudioButton>phoneme_0283.mp3</AudioButton> | ship, wish | /ʃ/ in other dialects* | 
| t | /tʲ/ | ?? | <AudioButton>phoneme_0074-02B2.mp3</AudioButton> | ?? | |
| v | /vʲ/ | ?? | <AudioButton>phoneme_0076-02B2.mp3</AudioButton> | ?? | loan consonant | 
| z | /ʑ/ | ZH | <AudioButton>phoneme_0292.mp3</AudioButton> | vision | loan consonant; /ʒ/ in other dialects* | 
Lenited Consonants
Lenition changes the sound of a letter by adding the letter "h". The consonant sound is then regarded as "softened".
| Lenited Broad Consonants | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Letter | IPA | Valve Phoneme | EX | Phonetic Example | Notes | 
| bh | /w/ | W | <AudioButton></AudioButton> | wow, tower | |
| ch | /x/ | ?? | <AudioButton></AudioButton> | loch (Scottish), Nacht (German) | |
| dh | /ɣ/ | — | <AudioButton></AudioButton> | (no equivalent) | /ɣ/ word-initially; silent after a long vowel | 
| fh | silent | <SIL> | — | (silent) | |
| gh | /ɣ/ | — | <AudioButton></AudioButton> | (no equivalent) | /ɣ/ word-initially; silent after a long vowel | 
| mh | /w/ | W | <AudioButton></AudioButton> | wow, tower | |
| ph | /fˠ/ | F | <AudioButton></AudioButton> | follow, telephone | |
| sh | /h/ | HH | <AudioButton></AudioButton> | honey, hello | |
| th | /h/ | HH | <AudioButton></AudioButton> | honey, hello | Silent if at the end of a syllable | 
| Lenited Slender Consonants | |||||
| Letter | IPA | Valve Phoneme | EX | Phonetic Example | Notes | 
| bh | /vʲ/ | V | <AudioButton></AudioButton> | village, eve | |
| ch | /ç/ | ?? | <AudioButton></AudioButton> | hue (pronounced strongly); ?? | used unless between vowels | 
| /h/ | HH | <AudioButton></AudioButton> | honey, hello | only used between vowels | |
| dh | /ʝ/ | Y | <AudioButton></AudioButton> | yell, eye? | |
| fh | silent | <SIL> | — | (silent) | |
| gh | /ʝ/ | Y | <AudioButton></AudioButton> | yell, eye? | |
| mh | /vʲ/ | V | <AudioButton></AudioButton> | village, eve | |
| ph | /fʲ/ | ?? | <AudioButton></AudioButton> | ?? | |
| sh | /h/ | HH | <AudioButton></AudioButton> | honey, hello | |
| th | /h/ | HH | <AudioButton></AudioButton> | honey, hello | Silent if at the end of a syllable | 
Eclipsed Consonants
Eclipsis inserts a letter at the beginning of a word. This letter "eclipses", or supresses the existing first letter, so that only the new letter is pronounced.
| Eclipsed Broad Consonants | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Letter | Additive | Original | IPA | Valve Phoneme | EX | Phonetic Example | Notes | 
| bhf | bh | f | /w/ | W | <AudioButton></AudioButton> | wow, tower | |
| bp | b | p | /bˠ/ | B | <AudioButton></AudioButton> | broom, boy | |
| dt | d | t | /d̪ˠ/ | D | <AudioButton></AudioButton> | do, under | |
| gc | g | c | /ɡ/ | G | <AudioButton></AudioButton> | goo, egg | |
| mb | m | b | /mˠ/ | M | <AudioButton></AudioButton> | moo, woman | |
| nd | n | d | /n̪ˠ/ | N | <AudioButton></AudioButton> | not, under | occasionally /nˠ/ | 
| ng | n | g | /ŋ/ | NG | <AudioButton></AudioButton> | wing, thing | |
| Eclipsed Slender Consonants | |||||||
| Letter | Additive | Original | IPA | Valve Phoneme | EX | Phonetic Example | Notes | 
| bhf | bh | f | /vʲ/ | V | <AudioButton></AudioButton> | village, eve | |
| bp | b | p | /bʲ/ | ?? | <AudioButton></AudioButton> | ?? | |
| dt | d | t | /dʑ/ | JH | <AudioButton></AudioButton> | fidget, fridge | /dʲ/ in other dialects | 
| gc | g | c | /ɟ/ | ?? | <AudioButton></AudioButton> | ?? | |
| mb | m | b | /mʲ/ | ?? | <AudioButton></AudioButton> | ?? | |
| nd | n | d | /nʲ/ | N Y | <AudioButton></AudioButton> | sinew, minion | |
| ng | n | g | /ŋ/ | NG | <AudioButton></AudioButton> | wing, thing | |
Sources
- Sounds & Spelling of Irish/Fuaimeanna agus Litriú na Gaeilge - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iF6a4FZnBjuqhSATZkenr3PthdyiN18E/view
- Wikipedia:
- Valve Phoneme Tool - http://www.lagspike.com/valve-phoneme-tool
