The Sounds of Irish

In Irish, we have two groups of sounds: consonants and vowels. Consonants are blocked or stopped sounds, while vowels allow air to flow freely.

Vowels

Broad vowels like Á, Ó, and Ú have a wide and relaxed mouth shape, while slender vowels like É and Í have a narrower gap in the mouth. Vowels can be either broad or slender, not both, and we use this to help us write and pronounce words correctly.

The pronunciation of vowels can vary across different dialects of Irish (especially combinations with other vowels or consonants), but generally:

• Á (Long): Open your mouth wide, round your lips slightly. Place the back of your tongue slightly arched below your bottom teeth.

• A (Short): Tongue somewhat high in the mouth and slightly back. Keep your lips relaxed and slightly open.

• Ó (Long): Round your lips without sticking them out. Arch the back of your tongue closer to the back roof of your mouth. Place the tip of your tongue on the salivary glands.

• O (Short): Tongue high in the mouth (more than for A) and somewhat to the back. Keep your lips relaxed and slightly open.

• Ú (Long): Protrude your lips and bring them close together. Arch your tongue very much towards the roof of your mouth without touching it. Place the tip of your tongue as far back as possible and at the bottom of your mouth.

• U (Short): Tongue high in the mouth (like for O) and further back than for O. Keep your lips relaxed and slightly open. (Similar to the English vowel in "bull," "pull," "full.")

• É (Long): Keep your lips open and relaxed. Arch the center of your tongue towards the front of your mouth. Create a gap for air at the hard ridge behind the upper teeth. (Similar to the AE sound.)

• E (Short): Sound similar to the vowel in the English word "day," not "bed." Keep your lips open and relaxed.

• Í (Long): Keep your lips open and relaxed, but not as much as for É. Arch your tongue in the middle almost to the roof of your mouth. Leave only a little gap for air, making a higher EE sound.

• I (Short): Made slightly higher in the mouth compared to the English "i" sound. Keep your lips open and relaxed. Even in unaccented positions, the "i" sound is always distinctly heard.

Vowels can be either long or short, and they contribute to the distinction between broad and slender vowels in Irish. Broad vowels have an open and relaxed feeling in the mouth, while slender vowels feel narrower and more pinched. Understanding the difference between broad and slender vowels is crucial for Irish spelling and pronunciation.

Consonants

Consonants are sounds that are blocked or stopped before they leave our mouth. They are different from vowels, which allow air to flow freely. Some consonants, like "C," "P," and "T," completely stop the sound. Others, such as "L," "M," "N," and "S," are similar to vowels and can be stretched out and connected to other consonants.

Most consonants are made in similar ways in our mouths with small differences. For example, "P," "B," and "M" use similar mouth positions. So, by learning a few mouth positions and how to change them, we can accurately pronounce all the consonant sounds in Irish.

P-B-M

Broad Form: Lips pushed forward and rounded, sudden release of air. Slight "u" sound can be added.

Slender Form: Lips tightened and placed against the teeth. Slight "y" sound can be added.

C-G-NG

Broad Form: Back of the tongue pressed against the top of the mouth, sudden release of air. Slight "u" sound can be added.

Slender Form: Tip of the tongue pressed against the lower teeth, sides of the tongue pressed against the back upper teeth. Gradual release of contact. Slight "y" sound can be added.

T-D-N-L

Broad Form: Tip of the tongue pressed against the upper teeth, sudden release of air. Slight "u" sound can be added.

Slender Form: Tongue positioned as if making an "Ny" sound. Front of the tongue against the upper teeth and under the hard ridge behind them. Gradual release of contact. Slight "y" sound can be added.

F-V/W

Broad Form: Inside of the lower lip pressed against the upper teeth, lips slightly pursed. Air forced between the lips and teeth with a slight forward motion.

Slender Form: Inside of the lower lip pressed against the upper teeth, lips slightly pursed. Air forced between the lips and teeth while the lip is drawn slightly back. Slight "y" sound can be added.

S

Broad Form: Tongue placed slightly between the open teeth, resulting in a softer sound.

Slender Form: Tongue pulled further back into the mouth, just below the ridge behind the palate, creating a gap for more air to escape.

H

Used as a prefix to a vowel or aspirated forms of "T" and "S." It is a voiced sound made with the vocal cords.

R

Broad Form: Edge of the tongue close to the hard ridge behind the upper teeth, letting air pass through and vibrating the tongue.

Slender Form: Spread out tongue with a small hollow in the front, tip of the tongue close to the bottom of the hard ridge behind the upper teeth. Voiced air is pushed through, creating a slight whistling sound at the end.

Broad Vs. Slender in Spelling

Irish has a unique way of spelling words because it has a lot of consonant sounds compared to other languages. To simplify this, Irish pairs similar sounds together under one written letter. This system is called broad and slender.

Broad vowels like Á, Ó, and Ú have a relaxed and open mouth shape, while slender vowels like É and Í have a pinched and narrow shape. The vowels help us know how to pronounce the consonants around them. If there is a broad vowel on one side of a consonant, there should be a broad vowel on the other side too. The same applies to slender vowels. This helps us determine the sounds of the consonants.

Sometimes we use additional vowels to indicate changes in mouth position, even though they are not individually pronounced. Understanding these vowel combinations can be challenging, but there are spelling rules to guide us. This unique spelling system has been used in Irish for over 1,400 years.