Lesson 1: Word Stress. Vowels

The pronunciation of Irish may look quite bewildering at the beginning. However, it is quite regular, implying that the same letter or combination of letters will always have the same pronunciation. This lesson and the following two ones are meant to acquaint you with the way such associations of letters with sounds are pronounced.

In order to render the pronunciation of certain Irish words, the IPA system will be used between square brackets for the broad transcription of sounds. However, there are two exceptions: (1) is rendered here as [ā]) and (2) slender consonants are marked by placing the symbol [´] after them, e.g. [b´], [k´], [d´], whereas broad consonants are left unmarked, e.g. [b], [k], [d] , as in the An Gúm dictionaries Foclóir Póca (Baile Átha Cliath: Rialtas na hÉireann, 1986) and Foclóir Scoile (Baile Átha Cliath: Rialtas na hÉireann, 1994).

Word Stress

Except for a few common words with an unstressed prefix, and according to the main pattern of accentuation, all words are strongly accented on the first syllable. However, especially in Munster Irish, if a polysyllabic word contains a long vowel in a non‑initial syllable, this vowel will be stressed, e.g. ‘Aibreán’ [a´b´r'a:n] April). Many speakers of Irish outside the Gaeltacht areas have adopted this usage.

Some words in Irish are always stressed on the second syllable, such as: abhaile (at home), amach (out), amárach (tomorrow), amuigh (out, outside), anois (now), anseo (here), ansin (there), aréir (last night), arís (again), iníon (daughter), inné (yesterday), inniu (today), isteach (in), istigh (inside), tráthnóna (afternoon, evening), pianó (piano), tobac (tobacco).

Vowels

Irish has both short vowels and long vowels. The long vowels are generally indicated in writing by an acute accent / in Irish: síneadh fada.

(1) The long vowels are:

• á, pronounced [a:] as in tá [ta:]. This sound, graphically rendered as [a:], is actually pronounced [æ:] in the North and [a:] in the South.
• é, pronounced [e:] as in sé [s´e:]. The é is pronounced [e:] rather like the French ‘é’, or like the German ‘eh’.
• í, pronounced [i:] as in sí [s´i:],
• ó, pronounced [o:] as in bó [bo:]. The ó is pronounced [o:] rather like the French ‘au’, or the German ‘oh’.
• ú, pronounced [u:] as in tú [tu:],

(2) There are three combinations of vowels that are always pronounced as long vowels, even though they do not have the acute accent:

• ae, pronounced [e:] as in lae [le:]. The pronunciation is similar to é.
• ao, pronounced [i:] or [e:] , lao [li:] or [le:]. This combination is pronounced [i:] in the North and [e:] in the South. The pronunciation is similar to í or é.
• eo, pronounced [o:] as in ceol [k´o:l]. The pronunciation of this combination rhymes with ‘hole’. The pronunciation is similar to ó.

(3) The short vowels are:

• a, pronounced [a] as in mac [mak]. It is similar to the ‘a’ in English ‘father’.
• e, pronounced [e] as in te [t´e]. It is similar to the English ‘e’.
• ea, pronounced [a] as in bean [b´an]. It is similar to the ‘a’ in English ‘cat’.
• i, pronounced [i] as in in [in]. It is similar to the English ‘i’.
• o, [pronounced o] as in cos [kos]. It is similar to the English ‘u’ when short.
• u, pronounced [u] as in rud [rud]. It is similar to the ‘u’ in English ‘put’.

Remark. Short vowels differ from long vowels in one important respect. Short vowels are given their full pronunciation only in the first syllable of a word. In every other syllable, they are all reduced to the neutral sound of English vowels when unstressed, as in ‘but’ (i.e. the schwa, rendered here as [ā]). Thus the Irish word for Irish, ‘Éireannach’, is pronounced ['e:r´ānāx]. But in Irish the neutral vowel is often not pronounced before or after any other vowel.

(4) There are two important diphthongs in Irish, both written using a combination of vowels and consonants:

• [ai] chiefly rendered as: (a) adh, pronounced [ai] as in Tadhg [taig] and (b) agh(a), pronounced [ai] as in aghaidh [ai]. The pronunciation is similar to the English ‘eye’.
• [au] chiefly rendered as: (a) abh(a), pronounced [au] as in abhann [aun]. The pronunciation of this diphthong rymes with the English ‘clown’. (b) amh(a), pronounced [au] as in samhradh [saurā].