language64

Irish Lesson 64

PRONUNCIATION REVIEW

The sound for slender "g" in English resembles the English sound for "g" in the words "give" and "get", except that the Irish sound is pronounced with the point of the tongue lower in the mouth and with the sides of the tongue pressed against the upper back teeth. The slender sound occurs when the nearest vowel in the word is "e" or "i". Examples of slender "g" at the beginning of a word:

geit (get), a sudden start; géar (gyay*r), sharp; gearr (gyahr), short; geoin (GYOH-in), noise; gile (GIL-e), whiteness; giúis (GYOO-ish), pine tree; gleic (glek), contest; glé(glay*), bright; glic (glik), clever; gleann (gloun), glen.

gleacaíocht (GLAK-ee-ohk*t), physical exercise; gleo (gloh), noise; gliúmáil (GLOO-maw*-il), fumbling; gné(gnay), species; gníomhaire (GNEEV-uh-re), agent; greim (grem), a bite; gréasaí(GRAY*-see), shoemaker; gread (grad), thrash; grian (GREE-uhn), sun.

You will notice that in some of the words above, you tend to add an additional (i) sound after the (g), as in "gréasaí".

Examples of slender "g" inside or at the end of a word:

cigire (KIG-i-re), inspector; figiúr (fig-YOOR), figure; ligim (LIG-im), I allow; léigear (LAY*-guhr), siege; smig (smig), chin; meirg (MER-ig), rust; oifig (IF-ig), office; seilg (SHEL-ig), hunt.

Note that the combination "ng" has its own sound; the (g) sound rarely follows it. "Pingin", a penny, is (PING-in), not (PING-gin).

When a slender "g" at the beginning of a word is aspirated, as in "géag" (GAY*-uhg), arm; "mo ghéag" (muh YAY*-uhg), my arm, the sound is very close to English (y), but there should be a trace of (g) in it, too. Examples, some of which are difficult to pronounce at first, are:

an ghé(un YAY*), the goose; ghearr sé(YAHR shay*), he cut; bean ghlic (ban ylik), a clever women.

If aspirated inside a word, slender "g" may have an (eye) sound:

oighear (EYE-uhr), ice; leigheas (leyes), medicine, remedy.

GRAMMAR

A few final pointers on comparative and superlative usage before we continue to other topics. The phrases "níos láidre" (nees LAW*-dre) and "is láidre" (is LAW*-dre) can serve in simple sentences to indicate that something is "stronger" or "strongest". The form is:

Feicim an fear is láidre (FEK-im un far is LAW*-dre), I see the strongest man.

Tabhair dom ceann níos láidre (TOO-ir duhm kyoun nees LAW*-dre), Give me a stronger one.

In the past, the forms change slightly:

Chonaic séan fear ba láidre (k*uh-NIK shay* un far buh LAW*-dre), He saw the strongest man.

Fuair séceann níba láidre (FOO-ir shay* kyoun NEE-buh LAW*-dre), He got a stronger one.

If an adjective begins with a vowel or "f" before a vowel, the past forms contain "ab" or "nib", as in:

óg, young: abóige, níbóige; (ahb OH-i-ge, neeb OH-i-ge); maith, good: ab fhearr, níb fhearr (ahb AHR, neeb AHR).

Examples of sentences with these forms:

Chuala séan scéal ab aosta (K*OO-uh-luh shay* un shkay*l ahb AY*S-tuh), He heard the oldest story.

Shuigh séar an stól abísle (hee shay* er un stohl ahb EESH-le), He sat on the lowest stool.

Bhíméar an traein níb fhaide (vee may* er tray*n neeb A-de), I was on the longer train.

Tháinig síar an láab fhuaire (HAW*-nig shee er an law* ahb OO-i-re), She came on the coldest day.

Bhíduine níb oilte uainn (vee DIN-e neeb IL-te WOO-in), We wanted a more skilled person.

VOCABULARY

Masculine Nouns

féilire (FAY*-li-re), calendar; iasc (EE-uhsk). an t-iasc, fish; gnó(gnoh), business; paiste (PAHSH-te), patch; sort (sohrt), sort, kind

Feminine Nouns

móin, an mhóin (MOH-in, un VWOH-in), turf, peat; litir (LI-tir), letter; páirc, an pháirc (paw*rk, un faw*rk), grassy field, park

aibí(A-bee), ripe; múinte (MOO-in-te), polite; ceanúil (kan-OO-il), loving, fond; slán (slaw*n), safe

DRILL

Form Irish sentences from these elements:

We got: a better calendar; the best calendar.

They bought: wetter turf; the wettest turf.

I read (past): a longer letter; the longest letter.

Did you ever see: the younger girl; the youngest girl?

Where was: a dryer field; the dryest field?

They asked him for: the ripest apple; a riper apple.

Key:Fuaireamar féilire níb fhearr (FOO-ir-uh-muhr FAY*-li-re neeb ahr); fuaireamar an féilire ab fhearr (ahb ahr).

Cheannaigh siad móin níba fhliche (HYAN-ee SHEE-uhd MOH-in NEE-buh LI-hye).

Leigh mélitir níb fhaide (lay* may* LI-tir neeb A-de); leigh méan litir ab fhaide (ahb A-de).

An bhfaca túriamh an cailín níbóige? (un VAHK-uh too reev un kah-LEEN neeb OH-i-ge); an bhfaca túriamh an cailín abóige?

Cáraibh páirc níba thirime? (kaw* rev paw*rk NEE-buh HIR-i-me); cáraibh an pháirc ba thirime? (un faw*rk buh HIR-i-me).

D'iarr siad an t-úll ab aibíair (deer SHEE-uhd un tool ahb A-bee er); d'iarr siadúll níb aibíair (ool neeb A-bee er).