{"id":1286,"date":"2011-10-09T18:56:52","date_gmt":"2011-10-09T18:56:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/?p=1286"},"modified":"2017-01-10T15:42:45","modified_gmt":"2017-01-10T15:42:45","slug":"saying-i-love-you-in-irish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/saying-i-love-you-in-irish\/","title":{"rendered":"Saying \u201cI love you\u201d in Irish and Minding Your Velar Fricatives"},"content":{"rendered":"

(le R\u00f3isl\u00edn)<\/strong><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve recently been looking at different ways to say \u201cI love you\u201d in Irish.\u00a0 Some of you might have been wondering how to pronounce them, especially the phrases where the straightforward \u201cgr\u00e1<\/strong>\u201d [graw] changes to \u201cghr\u00e1<\/strong>\u201d [\u03b3raw, to be explained below, note the IPA\u00a0gamma symbol for the “gh”] and the straightforward \u201ccro\u00ed<\/strong>\u201d changes to \u201cchro\u00ed<\/strong>\u201d [khree].<\/p>\n

Regarding the “gh-” sound, I\u2019ve noticed some pronunciation guides online that simply say \u201cgraw\u201d for the pronunciation of both \u201cgr\u00e1<\/strong>\u201d and \u201cghr\u00e1<\/strong>,\u201d which is, unfortunately, misleading.\u00a0 For the \u201cch\u201d sound of \u201cchro\u00ed<\/strong>,\u201d you\u2019ll find at least three approaches, 1) the official IPA representation of \/x\/, 2) the typical \u201cpronunciation guide\u201d usage of \u201ckh\u201d (which I mostly advocate in this blog, for practicality\u2019s sake), and 3) some sources just glossing over the fricative sound and making the \u201cch\u201d a simple \u201ck\u201d sound.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve actually dealt with this issue previously in this blog, as some of you may recall, but since there are always more l\u00e9itheoir\u00ed nua ar an liosta<\/strong> and also many reasons to proclaim one\u2019s love, or to talk about how to do so, we\u2019ll revisit the fricatives.\u00a0 Some of the other blogs that discussed the fricatives are https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/treoir-don-treoir-a-guide-to-the-guide-for-pronunciation-cuid-a-2\/<\/a> (which mostly dealt with the broad “dh-” and “gh-” sounds) and https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/treoir-don-treoir-a-guide-to-the-guide-for-pronunciation-cuid-a-3\/<\/a> (which mostly dealt with the broad “ch-” sound).<\/p>\n

Some of the love phrases we discussed previously were \u201cMo ghr\u00e1 th\u00fa,\u201d \u201cTusa mo ghr\u00e1,\u201d \u201cIs t\u00fa mo ghr\u00e1,\u201d<\/strong> and \u201cGr\u00e1 mo chro\u00ed th\u00fa<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

For \u201cgr\u00e1<\/strong>,\u201d the basic noun for \u201clove,\u201d transcribing the sound as \u201cgraw\u201d is reasonable.\u00a0 In the North, of course, the vowel sound is a little different, but for this blog, we\u2019ll just stick to consonant issues.<\/p>\n

For \u201cghr\u00e1<\/strong>\u201d [\u03b3raw], as in \u201cmo ghr\u00e1<\/strong>\u201d (my love), I described the voiced velar fricative sound previously as \u201ca rumbling guttural sound that seems to want to stay in the throat.\u201d\u00a0 That\u2019s \u201cguttural\u201d as in Latin \u201cguttur<\/em>\u201d (throat), not \u201cgutters\u201d as in drainage systems.\u00a0 I added that, subjectively speaking, it is \u201ca bit softer and less blunt than the more familiar voiceless<\/em> velar fricative,\u201d the latter being represented by German \u201cAchtung<\/em>\u201d or \u201cBuch<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 The voiced<\/em> velar fricative (as in Irish broad “gh” or “dh”) may be found in some<\/em> pronunciations of German \u201csagen<\/em>\u201d and some<\/em> pronunciations of Spanish \u201cagua<\/em>,\u201d but not in all, and not typically in the American high school language class presentation.\u00a0 The best way to pick up sounds that are not in one\u2019s linguistic inventory, of course, is to listen, listen, listen, and for that, short of living in the Gaeltacht, I\u2019d recommend tuning in to www.rnag.ie<\/a> as often as possible and listening to the native speakers.<\/p>\n

For \u201ccro\u00ed<\/strong>\u201d (heart), the sound is quite straightforward, almost like \u201ckree\u201d as in \u201cCree\u201d Indian, or \u201ccreel\u201d or \u201ccreepie,\u201d etc., but with the flapped (lightly trilled) “r.” \u00a0Remember the long vowel \u201c\u00ed\u201d here trumps the short \u201co\u201d sound, which is, essentially, silent.<\/p>\n

For \u201cchro\u00ed<\/strong>,\u201d as in \u201cmo chro\u00ed<\/strong>\u201d (my heart), the sound is, as I\u2019ve mentioned several times before, like German \u201cAchtung<\/em>\u201d or \u201cBuch<\/em>,\u201d like the Welsh \u201cbach<\/em>\u201d or \u201cfach<\/em>,\u201d and as you might hear in the pronunciation of \u201cLoch<\/strong>\u201d especially by a Gaelic speaker.\u00a0 This is the voiceless velar fricative.\u00a0 In American English, we may find it sometimes in the pronunciation of Hebrew- or Yiddish-derived words like \u201cChanukah\u201d and \u201cChutzpah,\u201d but many Americans tend to minimize the throaty quality of these sounds and simply start off with an initial \u201ch\u201d sound.\u00a0 Unless, of course, they actually speak Hebrew or Yiddish, in which case the voiceless velar fricative comes quite naturally.<\/p>\n

Feeling completely tongue-tied?\u00a0 Actually, it\u2019s a vocal cord issue, not really the tongue.\u00a0 There is some good news \u2013 there are some ways to avoid the velar fricatives and still say you love someone, like \u201cT\u00e1 cion agam ort<\/strong>\u201d and \u201cT\u00e1 gr\u00e1 agam duit<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

T\u00e1 cion agam ort<\/strong>, very literally, there is love\/affection at me on you.<\/p>\n

T\u00e1 gr\u00e1 agam duit<\/strong>, very literally, there is love at me to you.<\/p>\n

Of course, if you pronounce the latter with typical Cois Fharraige Irish, the \u201cduit<\/strong>\u201d will become “dhuit\u201d<\/strong> and you\u2019ll be right back in there with the voiced velar fricatives.<\/p>\n

In fact, at some point, to really master Irish pronunciation, you\u2019ll need the velar fricatives.\u00a0 If you want to say \u201cC\u00e9n chaoi a bhfuil t\u00fa, a Dhonncha<\/strong>?,\u201d you\u2019ve got two voiceless ones and one voiced one.\u00a0 If you want to talk about the poet Nuala N\u00ed Dhomhnaill<\/strong>, you\u2019ve got a voiced one every time you say her surname.\u00a0 If you live \u201csa Chloch\u00e1n Liath<\/strong> (Dungloe),\u201d you\u2019ve got two (voiceless, within the same word, using Donegal Irish) and if your muintir<\/strong> are from \u201cContae Dh\u00fan na nGall<\/strong>,\u201d you got a voiced one.\u00a0 Not to mention speaking about \u201cd\u00fachas<\/strong>\u201d (heritage), as in \u201cIs as an gCloch\u00e1n \u00f3 dh\u00fachas m\u00e9<\/strong>\u201d (I\u2019m from An Cloch\u00e1n<\/strong>\/Clifden originally).\u00a0 The phrase \u201c\u00f3 dh\u00fachas<\/strong>\u201d is a \u201cdouble-whammy\u201d example, like \u201ca Dhonncha<\/strong>,\u201d with both a voiced and a voiceless velar fricative.\u00a0 And isn\u2019t that<\/em> special!<\/p>\n

And in case you think that velar fricatives are a bizarre topic for discussion in an Irish language blog, I\u2019d like to add two points as closers.<\/p>\n

First, both the voiceless and voiced velar fricatives are widely used sounds in Irish and they do occur in a variety of other languages.\u00a0 They happen not to occur in English, except in a few loan words, and even there, English speakers will tend to soften them to the point where they are no longer fricative.\u00a0 In other words, English speakers will tend to say Hanukah with an initial \u201ch\u201d sound instead of \u201cChanukah\u201d with an initial \u201ckh\u201d sound.\u00a0 They\u2019ll also tend to say \u201cHallah\u201d instead of \u201cChallah\u201d for the braided bread. \u00a0BTW, who’s talking about \u201cChallah\u201d these days?\u00a0 Well, plenty of people in U.S. delis and bakeries, for one, but more recently, and newly exciting to both art historians and the world at large, anyone discussing Rembrandt\u2019s \u201cThe Supper at Emmaus.\u201d\u00a0 Apparently the recent cleaning, removing many layers of varnish, revealed that the bread being served at Emmaus was, in fact, challah, bread braided in three strands before it\u2019s baked.<\/p>\n

Second, \u201cVelar Fricatives\u201d made headline news not too long ago in the online journal Significance: Statistics Making Sense<\/em> (October 22, 2010).\u00a0 A statistics journal, no less!\u00a0 Michael O\u2019Kelly\u2019s article, \u201cHow\u2019s your velar fricative? A numerical guide to urban and rural Irish speakers,\u201d commented on some research by Dr. Brian \u00d3 Broin, concerning the accuracy of pronunciation among difference demographics of Irish speakers.\u00a0 O\u2019Kelly\u2019s article can be found at http:\/\/www.significancemagazine.org\/details\/webexclusive\/870327\/Hows-your-velar-fricative-A-numerical-guide-to-urban-and-rural-Irish-speakers.html<\/a><\/p>\n

So keep your fricatives velarized when whispering \u201csweet nothings\u201d in Irish, and remember to make them voiceless or voiced according to whether you\u2019re saying \u201cchro\u00ed<\/strong>\u201d or \u201cghr\u00e1<\/strong>.\u201d\u00a0 Or, if you prefer, choose one of the fricative-less alternatives.<\/p>\n

Hmmm, \u201csweet nothings\u201d as Gaeilge<\/strong>?\u00a0 \u201cBaothbhriathra mealltacha<\/strong>\u201d \u2013 that\u2019s a nice mouthful, nach ea?\u00a0 \u00c1bhar blag eile, b\u2019fh\u00e9idir?<\/strong>\u00a0 You might note that while the Irish phrase is considered equivalent to the English, it contains neither the word \u201csweet\u201d nor the word \u201cnothing.\u201d\u00a0 How\u2019s that?\u00a0 Stay tuned!\u00a0 SGF, R\u00f3isl\u00edn\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(le R\u00f3isl\u00edn) We\u2019ve recently been looking at different ways to say \u201cI love you\u201d in Irish.\u00a0 Some of you might have been wondering how to pronounce them, especially the phrases where the straightforward \u201cgr\u00e1\u201d [graw] changes to \u201cghr\u00e1\u201d [\u03b3raw, to be explained below, note the IPA\u00a0gamma symbol for the “gh”] and the straightforward \u201ccro\u00ed\u201d changes…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3898],"tags":[3972,111222,111223,10714,374678,474769,30,374681,289855,4488,111225,4650,474773,111215,4676,172923,474772,374675,374676,111214,474775,374674,474774,5004,474771,374677,111224,111216,5307,935,111207,111195,474,5667,32951,229646,374679,6539,11,9243,474776,111221,374680,289856,143,2545,111227,9595,207457,111217,111218,30166,111219,111220,7296],"class_list":["post-1286","post","type-post","status-publish","hentry","category-irish-language","tag-achtung","tag-agua","tag-bach","tag-baoth","tag-baothbhriathra-mealltacha","tag-braided","tag-bread","tag-brian-o-broin","tag-broad","tag-buch","tag-challah","tag-chanukah","tag-chlochan","tag-chroi","tag-chutzpah","tag-cion","tag-clochan","tag-cois-fharraige","tag-creepie","tag-croi","tag-dhonncha","tag-dhuchas","tag-donncha","tag-duchas","tag-dungloe","tag-emmaus","tag-fach","tag-fricative","tag-gaeltacht","tag-german","tag-ghra","tag-gra","tag-i-love-you","tag-irish","tag-liath","tag-loch","tag-michael-okelly","tag-pronounce","tag-pronunciation","tag-rembrandt","tag-rural","tag-sagen","tag-significance-magazine","tag-slender","tag-spanish","tag-statistics","tag-supper-at-emmaus","tag-urban","tag-velar","tag-velar-fricative","tag-voiced","tag-voiced-velar-fricative","tag-voiceless","tag-voiceless-velar-fricative","tag-welsh"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1286","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/36"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1286"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1286\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8805,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1286\/revisions\/8805"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}