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146
THE GAELIC JOURNAL.
vowels before combinations of consonants (rn, nl, nd, &c.), &c.
The following remarks on the sounds do not claim to be complete. Even in parishes bordering on each other, the same word will be heard with varying pronunciation.
Á = au (O), especially in Louth; in Meath and Farney aa is the usual sound. In songs au is commonly preferred.
A = ŏ, e.g., glas, sgar, ball, Gall, &c., or a, e.g., gasur, tarsann, tart, &c.
Aḋ, aġ, appear to have three sounds, viz., that of eu in French, ö in German,[1] or that commonly given to ae (ae). The two former are the usual sounds in Oirghialla. The latter is heard in Meath, and occasionally further North. Ex., aḋarc = eu-ărc (O), [illegible] = öee (O).
O, usually like au, but ō in a [illegible] words, e.g., tóg, móin, tóin, mór, [illegible], mó, &c. In poetry ō is the sound used in assonance.
Oḋ, oġ, oḃ, always [illegible] ō, but foġlaim = foolim, roġa [illegible] rae. Oṁ = ō nasal, except in doṁan = dhouăn, ou nasal.
O varies between ŏ (O) and ŭ (M), but both occur in each district.
Ai, three sounds: e, eg., ais, aisling, c.; ŭ, e.g., baile, faire, &c.; ĭ, e.g., aimsir, aindir (inir), &c.
Ao = Germ. ö (O), e.g., caol = Köl, maol Möl, baoġal = Böl, &c. The Meath sound is the same as that heard in Connaught. O’Donovan by ŭeeŭ would seem to have intended the latter, Neilson by “oo in fool,” the former.
Éa in a few words = Ia, e.g, réalt, sgéal, Séamus = rialt, &c. éa and éi sometimes = ö, e.g., Réamann = röMaN, réimeaṁail = römil.
Eá has its ordinary sound in Meath (aa), but in O the accent is on the first vowel and not on the second, i.e., the pronunciation represents éa not eá, e.g., féarr, bréaġ, Béalltaine, Féarnṁuiġ (ṁ silent), féarnóg, déarn = deárna, did, M, dearn, pron. darăn), &c. As these words were formerly spelt ferr, breġ, &c., éa represents the original sound more faithfully.
Ea before d, g, s, ḋ, ġ = e, e.g., Peadar, (pedhăr), eagla (eGlă), &c.; before the other consonants = a, e.g., fear (far), leac (laK). &c.
Oiḋ = ö (O) in oiḋċe, coiḋċe, cloiḋe, and some other words; = ee, (M). In songs the first two are often sounded ee, CHee (O and M).
Ui: u has the chief sound in some words, e.g., fuil, tuilleaḋ, &c. (O).
Aoi = öi, sometimes ee (O); = ee (M).
F, b and p broad. A slight w-sound is heard after the consonant, common in M, e.g., fosuiḋeaċt (fwaseeaath), bás (bwaas), &c.; rare in O; it occurs before oiġ, or ai, e.g., foiġid (fwaed), faire (fwŭrĕ), &c.
L: The l of le is usually slender and very liquid (O). l slender final becomes n in a few words, e.g., dáin for dáil, áin for áil, ċa n-áin liom = ní háil liom.
Ng has its usual sound in M, but in O when medial or final, it is equivalent to ġ, i.e., it is silent and lengthens preceding vowel, which is often nasal, e.g., luing = luiġ (Lee), ceangal = céaġal (kae-ăl), teanga = téaġa (tae-ă, or tö-ă), aingeal = aiġeal (ae-ăl, Armagh, ee-ăl, Farney), &c.
R: In the adverb riaṁ the r is always slender (ree-oo).
Ch: Strongly pronounced when initial, except in ċonnaic (hanik, henik, hinik), ċa (for noċa), ċoṁ (hooh, O), ċugam &c.; when medial, ċ = h, and often silent, lengthening preceding vowel, e.g., buiḋeaċas = bwee-a-hăs, or bwee-aas, raċaiḋ = rahee, raċas = raas or rahăs, &c.; when final it is silent with compensatory lengthening, e.g., díreaċ deeraa; before t it is always silent, e.g., boċt = Bŏth, beannaċt = baNaath, &c. The slurring over of the guttural sounds, ċ and ng, is the strongest peculiarity of this dialect. Neilson (1809 A.D.) says: “Ch before t is quite silent in all the country along the sea-coast, from Derry to Waterford,”—evidently meaning by this the eastern coast.
- ↑ To imitate this sound, pronounce the vowel é as in mé, at the same time keeping the lips in the position of whistling or “blowing to cool.”—Ed.
