(le Róislín)

In the most recent blog (nasc thíos), we looked at the pronunciations and translations for 25 Irish words or phrases for popular, or at least hypothetical, Halloween costumes.  In reviewing these, I mentioned that I was undoing the lenition that sometimes occurs when we use these terms.  In this blog, we’ll look at the same phrases, but this time we’ll add the lenition.

Remember, if you’re asking a question in the pattern, “An bhfuil tú i do bhuachaill bó?, ” you need the lenition (the “b” of “buachaill” changing to “bh”).  If you’re asking a question like “An zombaí thú?,” the structure doens’t call for lenition, not that inital “z” would get lenited anyway.  Only 9 consonants take lenition (b, c, d, f, g, m p, s, t).

I’ve also made this into a sort of vocabulary quiz, by giving one letter of the English translation next to the term in Irish.  This way, you can test your memory.

I’ve also provided a typical question in Irish, with questions like, “Are you a werewolf?”, and a choice of answers, showing either lenition, no change, so some other initial mutation.

1.. chonriocht [khon-rikht], __ __ r __ __ __ __ __,  lit. “hound-shape”

Cén t-am a mbeidh sé ina __________ anocht? (conriocht, chonriocht, gconriocht)

2. thaibhse [HYV-shuh, that’s “y” as in “my” or “try”], __ h __ __ __

An ____________ cairdiúil é Casper? (taibhse, thaibhse, dtaibhse)

3. mhadra [WAH-druh], __ __ g

Is ____________ é Scooby-Doo. (madra, mhadra)

4. ghúl [ɣool], __ __ o __  __;  remember / ɣ / is the voiced velar fricative sound also found in “Mo ghrá thú” and “Dia dhuit, a Ghráinne“

An bhfuil an Gul sin ina _____? (gúl, ghúl, ngúl).  Cad is “Gul” ann?  Teideal san Arm Cardasach i Star Trek: The Next Generation (samplai: Gul Evek, Gul Dukat, srl.)

5. chreatlach [HR^zhAT-lukh], __k __ __ __ __ __ __

Cén sórt carachtair é Jack Skellington?  Is ___________ é (creatlach, chreatlach, gcreatlach), gléasta i gculaith mhionstríocach le carbhat cuachóige.

6. bhean feasa [van FASS-uh], w__ __ __  w __ __ __ __

An bhfuil difear mór idir an _____________ feasa agus an chailleach?  (bean, bhean, mbean)

7. fhiaghruagach [EE-uh-ɣROO-uh-gukh, remember, as noted above, / ɣ / is the voiced velar fricative sound also found in “Mo ghrá thú” and “Dia dhuit, a Ghráinne“], w__ __ __ __ __ __
8. an Ghliúdóg Dhochreidte [un L^yOO-dohg ɣO-HR^zhedj-tchuh], the  __ __c __ __ __ __ __ __ __   H __ __ __  (not that I know of any official use of this translation)  And, as noted last time,  the “ghl” of “ghliúdóg” is a combination of a slender “gh,” usually pronounced like a “y” (an-gheal, an ghealach, srl.) and a slender “l” (as in “million”), so the “ghl-” comes out a bit like “YUH- L^y” with both parts said simultaneously–but that is a little eye-boggling in a rough guide to pronunciation.
9. vaimpír [VAM-peer^zh], no change to the letter “v,” because it can’t take lenition, so this one’s a shoo-in. But let’s go for a ceist anyway:

Cén sórt airgid a chaitheann vampirí?  Freagra: vampam <ba-dum tsh>

10. phuimcín [F^WIM-keen], __ __ __ p__ __ __

Ar chaith tú culaith _______________ riamh? (puimcín, phuimcín, bpuimpcín)

11. bhláth [vlaw], __ l__ __ __ __

Cé mhéad _________ atá ar phlainéad an Phrionsa Bhig sa leabhar An Prionsa Beag?  (bláth, bhláth, mbláth)

Freagra: Tá _______________ amháin ann. (bláth, bhláth, mbláth)

12. chailín bailé [KHY-leen BAL^y-ay], __ __ __ __ __ __ __ n__, lit. b__ __ __ __ __  g__ __ __

Tá Angelina (sa leabhartha le Katharine Holabird agus Helen Craig) ina ___________ (cailín bailé, chailín bailé, gcailín bailé).  Leis an fhírinna a dhéanamh, bheadh “luchóg bhailé” ní ba bheaichte mar is luchóg í.  Leid: seo an chéad bhearna ina bhfuil ainmní na habairte bainscneach agus téann sin i bhfeidhm ar an bhfreagra.

13. Earcail [ÆR-kil], Hercules. No change because vowels don’t get lenited. Ach seo ceist mar chleachtadh:

Cén Béarla atá ar an réaltbhraisle “An Ollbhraisle in Earcail”?  Freagra: “The Great Cluster in Hercules”

14. Harry Potter, no change, though some translations did change his name; níl cleachtadh de dhíth anseo
15. Freddy Krueger, mar a gcéanna le Harry Potter (and that’s probably the only time those two will ever be analogous)
16. ríomhaire [REEV-ir^zh-uh], __ __ __p__ __ __ __. No change to an initial “r,” but we can do a practice ceist anyway:

Dá mbeadh culaith ríomhaire ar Scout Finch i To Kill a Mockingbird, in ionad culaith liamháis (!), an mbeadh an oiread sin de chosaint (in éadan Bob Ewell) ann?  An mbeadh Scout ábalta rith dá mbeadh culaith ríomhaire uirthi?  Freagra: braitheann sé ar an ábhar as a ndéantar an chulaith.

Remember also, as noted in the earlier blog,, initial r’s are always broad, even if followed by “e” or “i”, not slender (slender as in the medial r’s of “Máire” or “tirim” or the final “r” of “tír” or “fir“)

17. francach [RAHNK-ukh], r __ __ .

An bhfuil ainm ar ______________ Ron sna leabhartha Harry Potter?  (francach, fhrancach, bhfrancach) Má tá, cén t-ainm atá air?

18. zombaí [ZOM-bee], zombie, no change to “zombaí” because “z” can’t take lenition. But can you fill in film title (in English) here:

D’aistrigh mé ainm Béarla an scannáin ________________  go Shiúil Mé le Zombaí.  Dála an scéil, rinneadh an scannán sa bhliain 1943.

19) bhuachaill bó [WOO-uh-khil boh], __ __ __ b__ __

An raibh Tonto ina _______________________ (buachaill bó, bhuachaill bó, mbuachail bó)?

20 an Sfioncs [un sfinks], no change to “sf” but we have a ceist chleachta anyway:

Cad a tharla d’aghaidh an Sfioncs?   (i d’fhocail féin)

21. an Féinics [un FAYN-iks], the __h__ __ __ __ __

A: Is mé an Féinics!

B: Ní tú, is mise an Féinics!

A: Níl tú i do _______________  fós.  (Féinics, Fhéinics, bhFéinics).  Caithfidh tú fanacht go dtí go mise marbh, dóite sa tine.

B: Bhuel, cad é mise anois mar sin?  Is neach mothaitheach mé agus ceapaim féin go bhfuil mé ann.

A: Bhuel, is dócha gur cineál PrótaFhéinics thú, cinéal Féinics-le-teacht.

B: Tuigim.  Beidh mé ann nuair a bheas an t-am ceart.

22. an t-aonbheannach deireanach [un TAYN-van-ukh D^jER^zh-uh-nukh], the last u__ __ __ __ __ __, last by definition, at least per author Peter S. Beagle

No lenition of vowels, but we can do a practice question:

An tusa an t-aonbheannach deireanach nó an bhfuil aonbheannaigh eile ann?

Freagra: ___________________ (do bharúil).

23. aonbheannach [AYN-van-ukh], unicorn, again, vowels don’t take lenition, and we just practiced this one, so we’ll go on to …
24. dhaoránach i ngeimhle [ɣEER-AWN-ukh ing-EV-luh], a fettered convict, i.e. a convict with his/her feet chained.

An bhfuil Jean Valjean ina ___________________ i ngeimhle i dtús Les Miserables? (daoránach, dhaoránach, ndaoránach)

25. héilics dúbailte d’aigéad dí-ocsairibeanúicléasach [HAYL-iks DOO-bul-tchuh DÆG-yayd D^JEE-OK-suh-RIB-uh-NOO-ih-KLAY-sukh], double helix of DNA. No lenition of “h” in Irish, so no changes here, so we’ll call it a wrap with this entry.

Bhuel sin cleachtadh agus b’fhéidir inspioráid d’Oíche Shamhna.  SGF — Róislín

Nasc: https://blogs.transparent.com/irish/pronunciation-guide-for-25-chulaith-oiche-shamhna-25-halloween-costumes-in-irish/