Why is Irish spelling so weird?

The reason why Irish spelling looks weird at first is that it makes slender and broad consonants explicit. Instead of using a different character for broad and slender, Irish uses vowels (and sometimes extra consonants) to indicate if a consonant is slender or broad.

Why is there no K in Irish?

There is no K in the Gaelic Alphabet, ancient or modern; nor had the ancient Latins any character like that letter: they gave the sound of K to C, as in the word sacra (pronounced "sakra"), where the c has the sound of the English letter k.

Why is the Irish alphabet different?

The old Gaelic script was replaced, because it was cheaper to print books and newspapers in ordinary Roman letters. Today practically everything published in Irish is printed in Roman letters, and the Caighdeán Oifigiúil (CO), the official standard for written Irish, uses Roman letters as well.

Why does Irish have so many extra letters?

Gaelic isn't a fan of having too many consonants of certain types stuck together, so it tends to stick extra vowels in between them, even when there's no vowel written. To be precise: where an L, N or R is followed by a B, BH, CH, G, GH, M or MH, or preceded by an M, an extra vowel comes between the two.

Do the Irish roll their R's?

The Irish don't drop 'r'; think of the word 'Ireland' – the English pronunciation sounds like 'island', whereas the Irish enunciate the 'r', so it sounds more like 'oirrland'. And the Scots not only don't drop it, they trill it, so 'Fergus from Aberdeen' really sounds like 'Ferrgus from Aberrdeen.

Lee Mack: Spelling Irish Names | Hit the Road Mack

What is the H in Irish?

The Irish alphabet doesn't actually contain the letter H, even though it appears constantly in modern Irish spelling! The H is used to denote a special effect called lenition -- which is really a fancy way of talking about aspiration of consonants.

Is B pronounced V in Irish?

B -> BH. The /bh/ is pronounced very much like the English W, when it is followed by a broad vowel (a, o, u). When it is followed by a slender vowel (e, i), it is more like the English V.

How is D pronounced in Irish?

D or like the English word 'THE' or the 'th' in THRONG. For example, the Irish word drong is pronounced 'drong' or 'throng' and is the origin of the English word 'throng'. As noted above, when an 'h' is used to change the way a consonant is pronounced, the consonant is said to be 'aspirated' or 'lenited.

What letter does not exist in Irish?

The letters j (jé), k (ká), q (cú), v (vé), w (wae), x (ex), y (yé) and z (zae) do not occur in native Irish words, but do appear in some English loanwords, for example jab (job) and veain (van).

What is the Irish name for Jane?

Sinead is the Irish version of the name Jane or Jennifer, derived from the French name Jeanette and the Scottish name Jean.

What is Hannah in Irish?

SIOBHÁINÍN, genitive idem (the same), Hannah, (Josephine); a diminutive of Siobhán, which see.

Why is Caoimhe pronounced keeva?

A fairly common feminine name in Ireland, Caoimhe is pronounced kee-va and comes from the Irish caomh, meaning dear or noble. It originates from the same root as the masculine name Caoimhín (pronounced kee-veen).

Is learning Irish hard?

While Irish words may look quite unfamiliar at first glance, once you've learned rules like these and had time to practice, you might find that learning Irish is more straightforward than many other languages.

How do you pronounce Caol in Irish?

How do you say Celtic in Irish?

"In Irish and Scottish and Welch and so forth, the letter 'C' is always “kuh” and Celtic is 'Celtic' [with a hard 'C']," said Harbeck.

How do you spell Owen in Irish?

When derived from the Welsh naming, Owen is spelled Owain and pronounced OH-ween. The Irish form of the name is Eoghan, pronounced O-wen or YO-wen.

Is EA Irish?

The first type begins with the Irish word “an” and is followed by a noun. For example “An Meiriceánach tú?”, “Are you an American?” Meiricéanach is the noun. To answer yes to this question, you say “Is Meiriceánach mé” or the short version is Is ea, commonly pronounced shah.

What is É called in Irish?

In Irish the acute accent (fada) marks a long vowel and so é is pronounced /eː/.

Do Irish still speak Gaelic?

In Ireland, Gaelic (called Irish by those who live there) is recognized as the official language of the nation, and it is required to be taught in all government-funded schools. Meanwhile in Scotland, English is the official language and Gaelic is recognised as a minor language.

Does ó take a Séimhiú?

The initial letters who do not take a séimhiú are H, J, L, N, R, S, V and all the vowels. The use of the séimhiú is random, but here is an incomplete list: The vocative a. Following some (but not all) prepositions, including sa, faoi, ó and roimh.

What is a Seimhiu in Irish?

GRAMMAR ALERT – An Séimhiú/ Lenition

Basically, when an initial consonant is lenited (or softened) it changes the way that consonant is sounded and how the beginning of the word is spelt. You lenite or soften the sound of a consonant in Irish by normally placing a 'h' after it.

What are eclipses in Irish language?

An eclipsis or an úrú happens when the sound of a consonant is replaced — or “eclipsed” — by a different sound. This is indicated by writing the new letter or letters in front of the first consonant of the word. These “eclipsing” letters are always written lowercase.