# Aids to the Pronunciation of Irish/Chapter 6

CHAPTER VI.
Aspiration.
34. The word “aspiration” comes from the Latin word “aspirare” which means “to breathe;” hence when we say a consonant is aspirated, we mean that the breath is not completely stopped in the
​formation of the consonant, and hence the consonant becomes a continuous sound or spirant.
From the table of consonants given in the last chapter it will be seen that “f” and “s” are the only pure consonants (the liquids are semi-vowels) which are spirants. It will be also seen that all the aspirated letters come under the heading “Spirants.”
35. The following examples will show how the aspirated consonants are formed. To produce the sound of the consonant “b,” the lips are pressed firmly together for an instant, and voiced breath is forced out on separating them. If we wish to produce the sound of b aspirated (or ḃ), we must breathe the whole time whilst trying to form the sound of b—i.e., we must not close the lips entirely, and the resulting sound is like the English consonant “v.” Hence we say the sound of ḃ (in some positions) is “v” (or better, the voiced sound of “f”).
(a) To produce g (broad) the back of the tongue is raised so as to make contact with the soft palate; but for ġ the back of the tongue is brought very close to the soft palate, but does not touch it, so as to leave a small passage for the continuous stream of voiced breath.
When initial, ḋ broad has the same sound as ġ broad.
(b) For the sound of “f” the inside of the lower lip is pressed against the edge of the upper teeth, and the breath is forced out between them. For ḟ the teeth and the lower lip do not touch at all, and the result is an inaudible stream of air. Hence ḟ is silent.
​ (c) For “c” slender contact is made with the centre of the tongue and the palate just behind the boundary between the hard and the soft palate. For ċ slender the tongue is brought very close to the palate, but does not touch it, and whilst the tongue is in this position we pronounce an h, and a very soft sound is the result. The sound may be described as “a voiceless English y.”
From the rules which follow, the formation of the remaining aspirated sounds can be easily learned. In a later chapter we shall treat of the effects of the aspirated consonants on the vowels.
Ḃ and Ṁ.
36. When slender, ḃ and ṁ are pronounced like v or f (slender) voiced. In Munster they are usually silent when they occur medially (i.e., in the body of a word), unless when followed by a long vowel sound, in which ease they retain their consonantal sound “v”—e.g., láiṁín, taoiḃín.
When broad, ḃ and ṁ (final) are pronounced like v; except in Ulster, where they are pronounced like ú—e.g., láṁ in Ulster=lá-ú.
Initial ḃ and ṁ (broad) are pronounced like “w”; except in Munster, where they are like “vw” before a broad vowel.
As a general rule ḃ and ṁ (broad) when medial are silent, except in the termination -ṁar. The consonantal sound is retained when they are followed by a long vowel sound: Siuḃán, aṁáin.
Examples.—Liḃ, siḃ, ḃí, láiṁ, ḃeo, niṁ, ḃó, ṁáṫair, ​ḃád, ṁaide, niṁneaċ, Muiṁneaċ, cuiḃe, duiḃe, láṁ, folaṁ, talaṁ, duḃ.
(a) b frequently resists aspiration after m—e.g., am briaṫar; ná bí ’am boḋraḋ.
(b) b is generally unaspirated in leanbuiḋe (from leanḃ, a child).
(c) ḃ in ḃur is silent in Munster, but lengthens the “u” to ú.
(d) ḃ in easḃaiḋ banḃa, baḋḃ teasḃaċ, is pronounced unaspirated (i.e., as b) in Munster.
(e) In Munster ḃ=v in the following words:—saiḋḃor, doilḃir, soilḃir, seirḃe, seilḃe, aoiḃinn, aiḃneas, and a few other.
(f) ḃ=f in tairḃe.
Ċ.
37. When broad, ċ has a guttural sound not heard in English. This sound is produced in the same position as ġ (§ 35 (a)), the only difference between the two sounds is that ġ is voiced, ċ voiceless.
Initial ċ (slender) has the soft sound already described (§ 35 (c)). Ċinn, ċeol, ċím, ċéim, ċéile.
In all other positions ċ slender has this soft sound when followed by a vowel, except in Munster, where ċ slender (medial and final) =h. Fiċe, droiċead, Míċíl, doiċeall.
(a) In the future and the conditional of verbs of the second conjugation “ċ” is usually silent—e.g., árdóċad=árdód, baileoċair=baileoir; but the combination—ċṫ—is pronounced ġf, or simply f: ċeannóċṫá=ċeannófá.
(b) ċ in ċeana is pronounced as an ordinary h.
​ (c) ċ = p in iomċar and timċeall.
(d) ċ = h in ċugam, ċugat, &c. (Ulster and Connaught).
(e) In Munster ċ is silent in droċ.
Ḋ and Ġ.
38. Initial: ḋ and ġ broad have the guttural sound, already described (§ 35 (a)).
       ḋ, slender, is like an English “y.”
       ġ, slender, has not quite the sound of the English “y,” the colour of g is distinctly heard.
Medial: both ḋ and ġ are silent.
Final: both ḋ and ġ (slender) are silent, except in Munster, where final slender ḋ and ġ are pronounced like slender g (unaspirated).
(a) In Munster ḋ and ġ slender at the end of the verb-stem, or verb inflection, are silent (just as in Connaught) when a personal pronoun immediately follows, otherwise they are like g.
G at the end of Surnames—e.g., Ó Dálaiġ is silent; except in the patronymic form in aċ—e.g., capall an Ḃrianaiġ (= Ḃrianaig).
In Connaught and Ulster final ḋ broad has the sound of a very light “w” in all words ending in aḋ or eaḋ, whether verbs, nouns, verbal nouns, or genitives—e.g., milleaḋ (mill-oo), teineaḋ (ten-oo), cuireaḋ (Kir-oo), &c. In Munster (and in Aran) final ḋ broad is entirely silent, except in the cases mentioned below.
(c) Ḋ (broad) in the termination of the 3rd pers. sing, of the Imperative and the Imperfect Indicative is pronounced like ċ (broad).
​ (d) Ḋ (broad) in the termination of the past tense, autonomous form, gets a variety of pronunciations—viz., ḃ in W. Cork, Kerry, and Galway; g in E. Cork, Waterford, and Kerry; ċ in N. and W. Kerry, Corkaguiney and Clare.
(e) Ḋ (broad) in some verbal nouns is sometimes pronounced ṁ—e.g., léiġeaḋ or léiġeaṁ, ḋéanaḋ, or déanaṁ, caiṫeaḋ or caiṫeaṁ. When ḋ in verbal nouns is not pronounced as ṁ it is silent, but in Ulster and Connaught it lengthens the a or ea to oo: bualaḋ, molaḋ.
(f) Ḋa as the termination of an adjective=ga in Munster; but ġa in Connaught. Cróḋa, diaḋa; in muinntearḋa, ḋa=ṫa.
Examples.—Ḋá, ḋán, ġol, ġuiḋ, báḋ, laoġ, margaḋ, ġeall, ġiolla, laoiġ, marcaiġ, d’ imṫiġ sé, ċuaiḋ sé, beiḋ sé.
Ṗ and F.
39. Ṗ slender is pronounced like slender f; ṗ broad like broad f.
Ḟ, broad and slender, is silent (§ 35 (b))—
ṗíob (= fíob_, ṗáisde (= fáisde), ṗort, ṗós, ṗinginn, ṗúnt, ṗór, ní ḟuil (=níl), m’ḟear (=mear), tá sé in’ḟear (inear).
Ṫ and Ṡ.
40. Ṫ and Ṡ are pronounced like h (§ 29). When ṡ slender is followed by a long leaṫan vowel sound it is pronounced like initial ċ slender (§ 35 (c))—
​ṫar, ṫáining, ṡál, ṡúil, ṫóg, ṫug, biṫ, roṫ, síṫ, ṡíol, ṡeasaṁ, ṫeanga.
Ṡ = ċ in Ṡeaġain, ṡeol, ṡiuḃail, ṡiuḃalfainn, &c.
(a) Ṫ (broad) when final is pronounced ċ in Desi; bráṫ=bráċ, gaoṫ=gaoċ, luaṫ=luaċ, daṫ=daċ, sruṫ=sruċ, &c, &c. In the genitive case, however, the ṫ is retained—e.g., stroṫa, daṫa (Henebry).
* ↑ Ḃar is the correct spelling, but ḃur has come into general use during the last few years.
* ↑ Ġ is silent in bríġ and ríġ, and ḋ is silent in níḋ.