2 Chapter Two: Pronunciation
Chapter Title: GUIDE TO PRONUNCIATION
Stephen Colbert and Saoirse Ronan: The Irish Lesson:
From Ireland’s Immortals: A History of the Gods of Irish Myth by MARK WILLIAMS, Princeton University Press. Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvc775gk.6
S O UN D S
During the Old Irish period there was a gradual change in how vowels were pronounced in unstressed, i.e. non-initial, syllables. Early on they all sounded distinctly different, but later they all (with the exception of ‘u’) became a nondescript ‘uh’ sound, like the ‘a’ at the end of English sofa, technically called a schwa and written as ə in phonetic notation. This was particularly obvious at the ends of words: by about 875 the names Lóegaire and Banba―note the different final vowels—ended when spoken with identical ‘uh’ sounds of this sort.
The key uses the following five symbols:
i. ə the ‘uh’ sound at the end of sofa
ii. ɣ a throaty gh sound, similar to the –ch in Scots loch but further back and down in the gullet. Not to be confused with the letter ‘y’
iii. kh the ch in Scots loch, spelled with a k– to avoid confusion with the ch in English child, a sound which did not occur in Old Irish
iv. ð the th– sound at the start of those, that, and than, which is different from the th– sound at the beginning of thick, thin, or think
v. ʸ indicates that the preceding consonant is ‘palatal’, that is, accompanied by a y-glide like the m in mew or the c in cute (contrast moo and coot). This often occurs at the end of a word: in a form like the place-name Crúachain, given in the key as KROO-əkh-ənʸ, the ʸ is there simply to indicate that the final consonant is pronounced like the first -n- in ‘onion’: it does not add a syllable.
Acallam na Senórach AG-əll-əv nə SHEN-or-əkh
Áeb aiv (to rhyme with English ‘hive’)
Áed aið (to rhyme with English ‘lithe’)
Aengus AIN-ɣəss (a Middle Irish form: ‘AIN’ probably to rhyme with ‘fine’, but in Anglo-Irish writings this name tends to be pronounced ENG-guss. See also Óengus
áes dána ice DAHN-ə (ice as in English)
áes síde ice SHEATHE-ə (ice and SHEATHE as in English)
áes trebtha ice TREV-thə (ice as in English)
Aí approximately the same as English ‘eye’
Áine AHN-yə (later AWN-yə)
Aillenn AL-yən
Aillén AL-yane (yane to rhyme with ‘mane’)
Airmed AR-vəð
Aisling(e) ASH-ling, ASH-ling-ə
Aldui, Allae AL-wee, AL-ə
Alloid AL-əð
Amairgen AV-ar-ɣənʸ
Ana, Anu ANə, ANoo
Aobh see Áeb
Aoife EE-fʸə (or modern EE-fə)
Auraicept na n-Éces OW-rə-kept nə NAY-gəss
Badb BAð-v
Balor BAL-ər
Banba BAN-vəh (in later Irish, BAN-ə-vəh)
Beira BAY-rə (an anglicization)
Bé Binn BAY VIN
Bé Dreccain BAY ðRECK-ənʸ (not unlike English ‘bathe reckon’, said quickly)
Bé Néit BAY NʸADE (rhymes with ‘made’)
Bóadag BOW–əð-əɣ (BOW rhyming with English ‘crow’)
Bóand BOW-ən (BOW rhyming with English ‘crow’)
Bodb Derg BOðv DʸERg
Bran mac Febail BRAN mack FEV-əlʸ
Bregon BRE-ɣən
Bres BRESS (to rhyme with ‘press’)
Brian BREE-ən (not like the English pronunciation of the name)
Bride BREE-jə (Scottish Gaelic; not like English ‘bride’)
Bríg BREEɣ
Brigit BRI-ɣid (anglicized Bridget is often substituted, especially when referring to the saint)
Bruig na Bóinne BROO(ɣ) nə BOW-nʸə (BOW rhyming with English ‘crow’)
Bua BOO-ə
Buí BWEE
Cáel Kail (like the modern name ‘Kyle’); in later Irish this came to be pronounced a bit like the English word ‘quail’
Cáer Iborméith KAYR IV-ər-vayth (KAYR rhymes with English ‘fire’; vayth rhymes with ‘faith’)
Cailleach Bheur KAL-yəkh VUR (VUR to rhyme with ‘fur’)
Caillech Bérri KAL-yəkh VAY-rə (VAY to rhyme with ‘day’)
Caílte KYLE-tʸə (KYLE like the modern name ‘Kyle’) or, later, KWEEL-tʸə
Caíntigern KAIN-tʸiɣ-ern (KAIN to rhyme with ‘pine’)
Cairbre see Coirpre
Cas Corach KASS KOR-əkh
Cath Maige Tuired KATH MAɣə TOO-rəð
Cé KʸAY (to rhyme with ‘day’)
Cermait Milbél KʸER-məd MʸIL-vʸayl (vʸayl to rhyme with ‘pale’)
Cessair KʸESS-ər
Cessán (Ceasan) KʸESS-ahn
Cían KEE-ən
Coirpre KOR-brə
Conchobor mac Nessa KON-khəv-ər mack NESS-ə
Conn KON
Connlae KON-leh
Cormac KOR-mək
Créde KRAYð-ə (KRAYð to rhyme with English ‘lathe’)
Credne KREð-nʸə
Crom Crúach KROM KROO-əkh
Crom Dub KROM DUV (DUV like English ‘dove’, the bird)
Crúachain, Crúachu KROO-əkh-ənʸ, KROO-əkh-oo
Cú Chulainn KOO KHULL-ənn (KHULL rhymes with ‘skull’)
Curcóg KURK-ogue (rhymes with ‘vogue’)
Cú Roí KOO ro-EE (later KOO RWEE)
Dagda DAɣ-ðə
Dáire Donn DAH-rʸə DON
Dairenn DARʸən
Dál Cais DAHL GASH
Dalua də-LOO-ə
Danann see Túatha Dé Danann
Delbaeth DʸEL-əv-ayth (ay in the last syllable is like English ‘eye’)
Dían Cécht DʸEE-ən KAYkht Díarmait (later Diarmaid) DʸEE-ər-mədʸ dindshenchas DIN-HEN-khəss
Donand DON-ən
Donn DON
Éber AY-vər
Echtrae Chonnlai EKH-trə KHONN-lee
Esrus ESS-rəss
Etan ED-ən
Étar AID-ər (quite close to English ‘aider’, provided the final ‘r’ is sounded)
Elatha EL-ath-ə
Elcmar ELK-vər (going by Modern Irish Ealcmhar)
Eochaid Airem YOKH-əð AR-əv Eochaid Ollathair YOKH-əð oll-ATH-ər Eochaidh YOKH-ee
Étaín The Old Irish pronunciation was probably AY-dine, to rhyme with English ‘fine’, but the name is conventionally pronounced by most scholars in the Modern Irish way, as AY-deen (modern Éadaoin)
Ethliu ETH-lʸoo
Eithne (Ethne) ETH-nʸə
Éremón AY-rə-vone (AY rhymes with ‘day’; –vone rhymes with ‘phone’)
Ériu AYR-yoo
Falias FAL-ee-əss
Fand FANN
Ferdoman FʸER-DOVən
Fer Maisse FʸER MASH-ə
Fíachna FEE-əkh-nə
fían, fíana FEE-ən, FEE-ən-ə
fíanaigecht FEE-ən-a-ɣekht
Fidbadach FIð-vəð-əkh
Fidchell FIð-khel
Fid Rúscach FIð ROOS-gəkh
fili, pl. filid FIL-ee (later FIL-ə), pl. FIL-ið
Findias FINN-ee-əss
Finnbarr FIN-var
Finn mac Cumaill FIN mack KU-vəl (KU-vəl rhymes with ‘shovel’; later it became KOO-wəl, close to English ‘cool’)
Fintan mac Bóchra FIN-tən mack BOW-khrə (BOW rhymes with ‘crow’)
Fionnghuala FʸONN-ɣoo-ələ (= Fionnuala, Finnula)
Fir Bolg FEER VOLg (FEER like English ‘fear’); later FEER VOL-əg
Fir Dé like English ‘fear they’
Flann mac Lonáin FLAN mack LON-ahnʸ
Flann Mainistrech FLAN MANʸish-trəkh
Fomoiri FOV-o-rə (roughly rhymes with English ‘hoverer’)
Fódla FOWð-lə (FOW like English ‘foe’); laterFOH–lə, to rhyme with ‘Coca Cola’
Fúamnach FOO-əv-nəkh
Gilla Coemáin GʸILLə KOI-vahn
Goibnenn GOV-nʸənn
Goibniu GOV-nʸoo
Goirias GOR-ee-əss
Ilbrecc IL-vrek
Immacallam in dá Thuarad IM-əg-əll-əv ən DAH THOO-ər-əð
Immram Brain IM-rəv Branʸ
Indech INN-yekh
Íth EEth (rhymes with ‘teeth’)
Iuchar YUKH-ər
Iucharba YUKH-ər-və
Kail uncertain, because invented by William Sharp: probably rhymes with ‘fail’
Keithoir KʸETH-or (a Middle Irish name, Ceth(e)or, adapted in modernity by William Sharp: this is a guess at how Sharp might have pronounced it)
Lebor Gabála LʸEVər GAVAL-ə; alternatively LʸOWER (to rhyme with ‘flower’) gəWAUL-ə (WAUL like British English ‘wall’)
Lebor na hUidhre LʸOWER (to rhyme with ‘flower’) nə HIR-ə (the Modern Irish pronunciation is usually used for this manuscript)
Lí Ban LEE VAN (sometimes given as Lí Bán, in which case LEE VAHN)
Lochlann LOKH-lən
Lóegaire LOI-ɣər-ə
Luchta LUKH-tə
Lug Lámfhota LUɣ LAH-vodə (the vowel in Lug is similar to that in English ‘look’; later this name came to be pronounced LOO)
Lugaid Fer Trí LUɣ-əð FʸER TREE
Lugaid Mac Con LUɣ-əð MACK KON Lugaid Riab nDerg LUɣ-əð REE-əv NʸErg Luigni LUɣ -nʸə
Mac Cécht mack KAYkht
Macha MAKH-ə
Máeltne MAILT-nʸə (MAILT like English ‘mild’ but with the final -d replaced by a t)
Manannán mac Lir MAN-ənn-ahn mack LIR
Mongán mac Fiachna MONG-ahn mack FʸAKH-nə Medb MEð-v
Míach MEE-əkh
Midir MIð-ər
Míl Espáine MEEL ESS-PAH-nʸə
Mochaomhóg mə-KHWEEVE-ogue (-ogue rhymes with ‘vogue’)
Módhán MOW-ðahn (MOW like English ‘mow’)
Mórfhesa MOHR-essə
Morrígan, Morrígu MOR-ree-ɣən, MOR-ree-ɣoo (thus in Old Irish; in later Irish, the first syllable was often taken to be the word mór, ‘big’, and given an accent―in which case the name should be pronounced MOH-ree-ɣən with a long ‘o’)
Muirias MWEER-ee-əss
Mumain MUV-ənʸ (almost rhymes with English ‘oven’)
Nemain NʸEV-ənʸ
Nemed NʸEV-əð
Nemglan NʸEV-ɣlən
Néit NʸADE (rhymes with ‘made’)
Núadu Argatlám NOO-əð-oo AR-gad-LAHV
Óengus OIN-ɣəss
Ollam Oll-əv
Ógarmach OWG-ar-vəkh (OWG to rhyme with ‘vogue’)
Ogma Oɣ-mə
Orchil OR-khil (a goddess invented in the nineteenth century, so pronunciation uncertain)
Partholón PARTH-əll-own (last two syllables sound much like English ‘alone’)
Rúadán ROO-ə-ðahn
Sadb SAðv (later sive, to rhyme with English ‘five’)
samildánach SAV-il-ðahn-əkh
Scothníam SGOTH-nʸee-əv
Senchán Torpéist SHEN-khahn TOR-paysht Senchus Már SHEN-khəs MAHR
Seithoir SHETH-or (a Middle Irish name, Seth(e)or, adapted in modernity by William Sharp: this is a guess at how Sharp might have pronounced it)
Semias SHEV-ee-əss (or, if the name is actually Sémias, perhaps SHAVE–ee-əss: SHAVE like English ‘shave’)
síabair, pl. síabraí SHEE-əv-ər, SHEE-əv-ree
Síd SHEEð (much like English sheathe); later Sídhe, Sí, both pronounced ‘shee’
Sinand SHIN-ənn
Slat SLAD
Táin Bó Cúailnge TOINʸ (or TAWNʸ) BOW (as in ‘bow and arrow’) KOOL-ngʸə Tait son of Taburn
TADʸ son of TAV-ərn Tanaide TAN-əð-ə
Teithoir TʸETH-or (a Middle Irish name, Teth(e)or, adapted in modernity by William Sharp: this is a guess at how Sharp might have pronounced it)
Tírechán TʸEER-əkh-ahn
Tír Tairngire TʸEER TARN-gʸir-ə
Tochmarc Étaíne TOKH-vərk AY-deen-yə
Trén TRAYnʸ (quite close to English ‘train’)
trénfher quite close to English ‘trainer’ provided the final -r is sounded clearly
Tuán mac Cairill TOO-ahn mack CAril (CA- as in ‘cat’, not as in ‘car’)
Túath Dé TOO-əth DAY (‘DAY’ as English)
Túatha Dé Danann TOO-əth-ə DAY DA-nənn
Tuire(a)nn TOORʸən
Tuirill TOORʸəll
Tuis TUSH (rhymes with ‘hush’)
Uchtdelb UKHT-dʸelv
Uí Néill EE NʸALE (NʸALE rhymes with ‘nail’)
Uiscias USH-gee-əss (USH rhymes with ‘hush’)
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