Irish language

File:Irish-speaking-areas-ireland.png

Irish-speaking areas of Ireland.

Irish (Ir. Gaeilge) is the original language of the Celtic peoples of Ireland. It is a Celtic language of the Goidelic branch, and is related to Scots Gaelic, Welsh, Manx, Cornish, and other early Celtic languages of the British Isles. While for many centuries it was the primary language of Ireland, and possesses a rich literature, it is now the natural (as opposed to the learned) language of only a small minority of the Irish people, primarily in the west of Ireland in a region known as the Gaeltacht. Nevertheless, it remains an official language of the Irish state; its teaching is mandated in public schools.

Grammar

Phonology

The vowel phonemes of Connacht Irish.Template:Connacht Irish vowel chart.png/credit

File:Munster Irish vowel chart.png

The vowel phonemes of Munster Irish.Template:Munster Irish vowel chart.png/credit

Phonology here refers to the sound patterns of Irish, which vary by dialect but all share certain features. Phonologists have traditionally classified most of the language's 33 or so consonants into 'broad' and 'slender' pairs, i.e. respectively velarised or palatalised, involving different placement of the tongue. This difference is phonemic: substituting one for another produces a different word, e.g. bó 'cow' and beo 'alive'. Such consonants also affect which of Irish's 15 or so vowels may acceptably co-occur with them.

Another interesting feature of Irish phonology concerns consonant clusters, i.e. sequences of consonants. Words may begin with two or three consonants, which usually agree in being broad or slender. Two-member clusters consist of an obstruent consonant followed by a liquid consonant (e.g. pleidhce /ˈpʲlʲəicə/ 'idiot') or nasal consonant (e.g. cnaipe /ˈkn̪ˠapʲə/ 'button'); three-member clusters start with a sibilant such as in sparán /ˈsˠpˠaɾˠaːn̪ˠ/ 'purse', preceding a voiceless stop and a liquid. However, under consonant mutation (changing consonants according to some rule), other sequences can occur: e.g. bhlas /wɫ̪asˠ/ 'tasted', mbláth /mˠɫ̪aː/ 'flower'.

References

• de Búrca S (1958) The Irish of Tourmakeady, Co. Mayo. Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. ISBN 0901282499.
• Ní Chiosáin M (1999) Syllables and phonotactics in Irish. In van der Hulst H & Ritter NA The syllable: Views and Facts. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. pp.551–575. ISBN 3110162741.
• Ó Cuív B (1944) 'The Irish of West Muskerry, Co. Cork'. Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. ISBN 0901282529.
• Ó Sé D (2000) 'Gaeilge Chorca Dhuibhne'. Dublin: Institiúid Teangeolaíochta Éireann. ISBN 0946452970.

See also

• Phonology of Irish
• Orthography of Irish
• Ireland (state)
• Northern Ireland