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I know this may sound silly, but I really have no idea where to look for this information.
How do you say your A, B, C’s as Gaeilge? I know they won’t sound the same as saying it as Béarla. Can someone list the letters and pronunciations for me? I would love to know how to tell some one about the “r” in a certain word without worrying about how to say the letter “r”, etc.
Go raibh maith agaibh!
From “Teach Yourself Irish” page 4:
The old names of the letters were tree-names … These names are no longer used, and the names are as in English except for a, which is named as it is pronounced.
If I remember well, in Northern Ireland, people call the “a” (even in English) with the sound “ah”, not “ay” as other English speakers do.
That’s right Lughaidh – and not just in Northern Ireland. That’s what “Teach Yourself Irish” means when they say that the letter a “is named as it is pronounced”.
The use of the English names for Irish letters really is absurd, especially in cases like “g” or “e” where the English name bears no resemblance to the Irish pronunciation. It’s pure laziness.
From “Learning Irish” pg. 223 (taken from “Graiméar Gaeilge na mBráithre Críostaí” 1960 according to a footnote):-
á /É‘:/
bé /b’e:/
cé /c’e:/
dé /d’e:/
é /e:/
eif /ef’/
gé /g’e:/
héis* /he:s’/
í /i:/
[color=gray]jé /ʤe:/
ká /kÉ‘:/[/color]
eil /el’/
eim /em’/
ein /en’/
ó /o:/
pé /p’e:/
[color=gray]cú /ku:/[/color]
ear /æ:r/
eas /æ:s/
té /t’e:/
ú /u:/
[color=gray]vé /w’e:/
wé /we:/
ex /eks/
yé /É£’e:/
zae /ze:/[/color]The names given for some of the “foreign” letters (coloured grey above) seem a bit odd to me – based entirely on English pronunciation.
*I’ve seen “hé” elsewhere.
based entirely on English pronunciation.
Possibly because loanwords using them would be pronounced as in English.
Toose Mac Gearailt when spelling words on Rónan Beo always uses this alphabet. (No h though, he will say something like “cé séimhithe” for ch
I’m afraid it has passed out of use due to ignorance of it though, also due to changes in how reading and spelling is taught with more emphasis on sounds rather than letters.
(Tuesdays, an excellent slot, fluent native speakers from Corca Dhuibhne Cois Fhairrge and Gaoth Dobhair discussing terms)
The use of the English names for Irish letters really is absurd, especially in cases like “g” or “e” where the English name bears no resemblance to the Irish pronunciation. It’s pure laziness.
it’s not absurd, it’s just because all Irish-speakers also speak English, so even if “g” is pronounced “gee” and doesn’t sound like the Irish sound, since people know English they understand.
Aonghus > how does he pronounce the h alone, ie. at the beginning of a word (or in a foreign word)?
And where can one listen to the program you’ve mentioned (where people are discussings terms)? grma
how does he pronounce the h alone, ie. at the beginning of a word (or in a foreign word)?
No data!
http://www.rte.ie/radio1/podcast/podcast_ronanbeo.xml
http://www.rte.ie/rnag/ronanbeo.html
Tous les Mardis
Go rabh maith agad 🙂
ìl’s agam cad chuighe ar scrìobh siad “na Doire Beaga” ar an leathanach xml sin, is è “Doirì Beaga” (gan alt) a deirtear agus is è sin an t-ainm oifigiùil fosta, go bhfios domh 🙂 ba chòir do lucht an tsuìmh ceist a chur ar Rònàn fèin 🙂
Níl a bhuíochas ort.
Athchraoltar an clár go luath ar maidin, cloisim maidin Céadaoin go hiondúil é. Ní thuigim tuige na bearnaí sna podchraoltaí!
Personally the only letter I pronounce differently to English is “a”.
I remember my mother pronouncing G as “gé”. I can’t say for sure if she pronounced other letters differently or not.
She wouldn’t have felt comfortable teaching me anything after I started school as the teachers contradicted her old spellings.
Like she taught me Brighid, (with a dot), but when I went to school it was changed to Bríd.Any thoughts on this? –
http://www.forvo.com/languages/ga/tag/alphabet/alphabetically/@aonghus – based entirely on English pronunciation.
Possibly because loanwords using them would be pronounced as in English.Undoubtedly. It’s a minor point.
The English pronunciation of some of these letters is unusual in Europe, though, so more “neutral” terms might be preferable.@Lughaidh – it’s not absurd, it’s just because all Irish-speakers also speak English, so even if “g” is pronounced “gee” and doesn’t sound like the Irish sound, since people know English they understand.
Well, yes of course they understand. If it’s simply a matter of comprehension they may as well use the English names for numbers too while they’re at it 🙂 “Tee Jee Four” is more consistant than “Tee Jee a Ceathair”, or “Té Gé Four” for that matter.
@Bríd Mhór – I remember my mother pronouncing G as “gé”. I can’t say for sure if she pronounced other letters differently or not.
She wouldn’t have felt comfortable teaching me anything after I started school as the teachers contradicted her old spellings.
Like she taught me Brighid, (with a dot), but when I went to school it was changed to Bríd.That’s such a shame.
The “authorities” in Dublin, owners of the Irish language, had made their decision about Irish orthography, though, so the natives had to be set straight about the new “correct” spellings! 🙂The “authorities” in Dublin, owners of the Irish language, had made their decision about Irish orthography
Actually this is (another) example of hypercorrection on the ground, neither mandated nor sanctioned by any authority.
I call the TV station – deliberately – Tee Jee Fóir 😉
Great responces everyone! Go raibh maith agaibh!
I think the way that the alphabet is taught and pronounced can be important in any language. It’s the basis for all other pronunciations that are learned. I definately didn’t learn the alphabet in spanish by saying the letters the English way, and I didn’t want to do that with Gaeilge either. I wanted to pronounce the alphabet as Gaeilge with respect for the language. It is a shame that it isn’t kept without English contamination in the schools but I can understand why…just don’t have to like it. I think if there are classes done in the US, it would be nice to see the alphabet taught in the Gaeilge way. (I’m going to post another thread on a related issue that I’m excited about as well…)
Ach go raibh maith agaibh arís!
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