IRISH PRONUNCIATION

D.  THE CONSONANTS

1. The Irish Consonants
   The modern Irish consonants are b, c, d, f, g, l, m, n, p, r, s, and t.   We don't use j, k, q, v, w, x, y, or z.    'h' is sometimes used at the beginning of a word for grammatical reasons, and constantly used in combination with certain Irish consonants in order to change how they're pronounced.  When an 'h' is used to change the way a consonant is pronounced, the consonant is said to be 'aspirated' or 'lenited.'   We'll learn more about these sound changes below.
   
2. Broad and Slender Consonants
   Consonants are either broad or slender, depending upon the closest vowel.  The poets took over the structure of the language in the 12th century and regularized its spelling and grammar. Therefore, you won't see a broad vowel on one side of a consonant and a slender vowel on the other side of the same consonant (thereby confusing whether it's broad or slender) unless the word is a) written before the 12th century, 2) misspelled, 3) a foreign import, or 4) one of the few exceptions to this rule.  The rule is called "leathan le leathan, caol le caol" ("broad to broad, slender to slender").  Examples include:
   

   Liam	The l is slender. The m is broad.
   leabhar	The l is slender. The bh is broad. The r is broad.
   Meadhbh	The m is slender. The dh and bh are both broad.
   mainistreacha	The m is broad. The n, s, t, and r are slender. The ch is broad.

   
   It just depends on which vowel is closest.
   
3. Pronunciation of Simple Consonants (i.e., consonants without aspiration - without the 'h')
   You'll find that broad consonants are mostly pronounced the way they are in English.  One major distinction is that in proper Irish C can never be pronounced as an S, and G can never be pronounced as a J.  You'll also see and hear that all slender consonants can be pronounced with or without a y-glide.  The y-glide sounds like 'yih' and is very short and faint.  For example, ceann ('head') can be pronounced 'can', or 'c-yan' (with stress on the front as always).  Click on the blue letters below to see and hear how the simple consonants are pronounced.  Memorize them.

   Definition of a Broad Consonant    

   Definition of a Slender Consonant    

   B    

   C    

   D   

   F     

   G    

   L    

   M

   N

   P

   R

   S

   T    

            Here's a summary of  pronunciation for the simple consonants:

4. Pronunciation of Aspirated Consonants
   As noted above, when an 'h' is used to change the way a consonant is pronounced, the consonant is said to be 'aspirated' or 'lenited.'  This system of sound changes is the major difference between pronunciation of Irish and other languages.  L, N, and R have not been aspirated since the 12th century.  Like the simple consonants, all slender aspirated consonants can be pronounced with or without a y-glide.  Click the blue letters below to see and hear how the aspirated consonants are pronounced.  Memorize them.

   bh

   ch    

   dh

   fh

   gh

   mh

   ph

   sh

   th

   Here's a summary of pronunciation for the aspirated consonants:

   	broad	slender
   bh	W	V, Vy
   ch	KH	KH or KHy This sound is made while trying to say a K and blowing air across the roof of your mouth at the same time.
   dh	GH This sound is made while trying to say a G and gargling at the same time. Same as the German GH.	Yih (This is the y-glide.)
   fh	silent, go on and pronounce what follows	silent, go on and pronounce what follows
   gh	exactly the same as dh broad	exactly the same as dh slender
   l	has not been aspirated since the 12th century	has not been aspirated since the 12th century.
   mh	exactly the same as bh broad.	exactly the same as bh slender.
   n	has not been aspirated since the 12th century	has not been aspirated since the 12th century.
   ph	F	F or Fy
   r	has not been aspirated since the 12th century	has not been aspirated since the 12th century
   sh	H	H or Hy (h with a y-glide)
   th	H	H or Hy (h with a y-glide)

   
   In all cases above, 'y' stands for the y-glide pronounced 'yih'.

Uimhir Bhuillí Ó
1 Samhain, 2004

Number Of Hits Since
November 1, 2004