Old Irish/Guide to Old Irish spelling - Revision history

Silmeth: /* Old Irish spelling and pronunciation of vowels (and marking of slender consonants) */

2026-10-10T21:47:19Z

Old Irish spelling and pronunciation of vowels (and marking of slender consonants)

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:47, 10 October 2026
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	</ref> any vowel quality or a diphthong could occur,		</ref> any vowel quality or a diphthong could occur,
	* in an unstressed syllable in the absolute end of a word any short vowel (but not long or diphthong) could occur,		* in an unstressed syllable in the absolute end of a word any short vowel (but not long or diphthong) could occur,
	* in an unstressed syllables after the main stress and between two consonants you may find either a long vowel, an {{IPA\|/u/}}, or a short vowel that is ''completely determined'' by the quality of the surrounding consonants; because of that Kim McCone and David Stifter postulate only two medial unstressed short vowel phonemes for Old Irish: {{IPA\|/u/}} and {{IPA\|/ə/}}<ref>because the medial unstressed vowel is so consistently written, phonemic transcription for OIr. on Wiktionary doesn’t use the {{IPA\|/ə/}} character and instead transcribes their full quality, eg. ''sacart'' is [ˈsaɡ'''a'''r͈t], ''beirid'' is [ˈbʲerʲ'''i'''ðʲ], ''légaid'' is {{IPA\|/ˈl͈ʲeɣ'''i'''ðʲ/}} – Wiktionary here often (but not consistently) uses square brackets [] to mark it’s a “surface-phonemic” transcription, ie. it shows the surface value of the vowels even if phonologically you can treat all those vowels as a single {{IPA\|/ə/}}; note that to get Stifter’s transcription it’s sufficient to change all non-''u'' short unstressed vowels followed by a consonant to {{IPA\|/ə/}}; and vice versa, to restore the ‘surface’ vowel, enough to change {{IPA\|/ə/}} to the corresponding written one</ref>,		* in unstressed syllables after the main stress and between two consonants you may find either a long vowel, an {{IPA\|/u/}}, or a short vowel that is ''completely determined'' by the quality of the surrounding consonants; because of that Kim McCone and David Stifter postulate only two medial unstressed short vowel phonemes for Old Irish: {{IPA\|/u/}} and {{IPA\|/ə/}}<ref>because the medial unstressed vowel is so consistently written, phonemic transcription for OIr. on Wiktionary doesn’t use the {{IPA\|/ə/}} character and instead transcribes their full quality, eg. ''sacart'' is [ˈsaɡ'''a'''r͈t], ''beirid'' is [ˈbʲerʲ'''i'''ðʲ], ''légaid'' is {{IPA\|/ˈl͈ʲeɣ'''i'''ðʲ/}} – Wiktionary here often (but not consistently) uses square brackets [] to mark it’s a “surface-phonemic” transcription, ie. it shows the surface value of the vowels even if phonologically you can treat all those vowels as a single {{IPA\|/ə/}}; note that to get Stifter’s transcription it’s sufficient to change all non-''u'' short unstressed vowels followed by a consonant to {{IPA\|/ə/}}; and vice versa, to restore the ‘surface’ vowel, enough to change {{IPA\|/ə/}} to the corresponding written one</ref>,
	* in pretonic position, ie. in unstressed syllables '''before''' the main stress only long vowels, diphthongs, and three short vowel qualities were allowed: {{IPA\|/a, o, i/}}<ref>These may have had their “full” tense phonetic quality {{IPA\|[a, o, i]}} or possibly were relaxed vowels {{IPA\|[ə, ə̹, ɪ]}} or something like that.</ref>, they are commonly spelt ''a, o, i'' but sometimes ''u'' is used instead of ''o'' – that’s the reason why Proto-Celtic ''*(nīst?) exs-bereti'' ‘does (not) say’ results in Old Irish vowel distinction in ''ní·'''e'''pir'' {{IPA\|/n´iː ˈheb´ər´/}} versus '''''a'''s·beir'' {{IPA\|/asˈb´er´/}} – before the stress {{IPA\|/e/}} quality is not available and the vowel changes to {{IPA\|/a/}}.		* in pretonic position, ie. in unstressed syllables '''before''' the main stress only long vowels, diphthongs, and three short vowel qualities were allowed: {{IPA\|/a, o, i/}}<ref>These may have had their “full” tense phonetic quality {{IPA\|[a, o, i]}} or possibly were relaxed vowels {{IPA\|[ə, ə̹, ɪ]}} or something like that.</ref>, they are commonly spelt ''a, o, i'' but sometimes ''u'' is used instead of ''o'' – that’s the reason why Proto-Celtic ''*(nīst?) exs-bereti'' ‘does (not) say’ results in Old Irish vowel distinction in ''ní·'''e'''pir'' {{IPA\|/n´iː ˈheb´ər´/}} versus '''''a'''s·beir'' {{IPA\|/asˈb´er´/}} – before the stress {{IPA\|/e/}} quality is not available and the vowel changes to {{IPA\|/a/}}.

Silmeth: /* Eclipsis or nasalization */

2026-10-06T13:36:14Z

Eclipsis or nasalization

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:36, 6 October 2026
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	Old Irish, like Modern Irish, had a voicing / nasalizing mutation (called ''eclipsis'' in the context of Modern Irish but more often ''nasalization'' in the context of Old Irish). This was:		Old Irish, like Modern Irish, had a voicing / nasalizing mutation (called ''eclipsis'' in the context of Modern Irish but more often ''nasalization'' in the context of Old Irish). This was:

	* not marked for voiceless stops ''c, p, t'' and the fricative ~~⟨f⟩~~ which were voiced (ie. pronounced {{IPA\|/ɡ, b, d/}} and {{IPA\|/β/}}), eg. ''a '''t'''eg '''f'''orcetail'' ‘the house of teaching’ is {{IPA\|/a ˈ'''d'''´eɣ ˈ'''β'''orɡ´ədəl´/}} or ''isin '''t'''empul'' ‘into the temple’ {{IPA\|/isin ˈ'''d´'''empul/}},		* not marked for voiceless stops ''c, p, t'' and the fricative ''f'' which were voiced (ie. pronounced {{IPA\|/ɡ, b, d/}} and {{IPA\|/β/}}), eg. ''a '''t'''eg '''f'''orcetail'' ‘the house of teaching’ is {{IPA\|/a ˈ'''d'''´eɣ ˈ'''β'''orɡ´ədəl´/}} or ''isin '''t'''empul'' ‘into the temple’ {{IPA\|/isin ˈ'''d´'''empul/}},
	* marked for voiced stops by prefixing them with a nasal consonant character: ''mb, nd, ng'' – these might have been pronounced as nasals with plosive release {{IPA\|/mb, nd, ŋɡ/}} originally but later during Old or Middle Irish period they reduced to pure nasals {{IPA\|/m(ː), N(ː), ŋ(ː)/}}, eg. ''i '''mb'''líadnai'' ‘this year’ (lit. ‘in a year’) {{IPA\|/i ˈ'''m´(b´)'''l´iːa̯ðni/}}.		* marked for voiced stops by prefixing them with a nasal consonant character: ''mb, nd, ng'' – these might have been pronounced as nasals with plosive release {{IPA\|/mb, nd, ŋɡ/}} originally but later during Old or Middle Irish period they reduced to pure nasals {{IPA\|/m(ː), N(ː), ŋ(ː)/}}, eg. ''i '''mb'''líadnai'' ‘this year’ (lit. ‘in a year’) {{IPA\|/i ˈ'''m´(b´)'''l´iːa̯ðni/}}.

Silmeth at 13:34, 6 October 2026

2026-10-06T13:34:28Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:34, 6 October 2026
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	Note on the phonemic transcription below – if the stress is not explicitly marked, it falls on the first syllable. Also, two vowels standing next to each other mean a diphthong, if they make a hiatus (multiple syllables), then they’re explicitly separated with {{IPA\|⟨.⟩}}. The characters {{IPA\|/ɸ/}} and {{IPA\|/f/}} are used interchangeably and mean bilabial fricative, the same is true for {{IPA\|/β/}} and {{IPA\|/v/}}. The prime symbol {{IPA\|⟨´⟩}} is used to mark slenderization/palatalization (thus {{IPA\|/p´/}} means {{IPA\|/pʲ/}} and {{IPA\|/s´/}} denotes a consonant realized as something like {{IPA\|[sʲ ~ ʃ]}}).		Note on the phonemic transcription below – if the stress is not explicitly marked, it falls on the first syllable. Also, two vowels standing next to each other mean a diphthong, if they make a hiatus (multiple syllables), then they’re explicitly separated with {{IPA\|⟨.⟩}}. The characters {{IPA\|/ɸ/}} and {{IPA\|/f/}} are used interchangeably and mean bilabial fricative, the same is true for {{IPA\|/β/}} and {{IPA\|/v/}}. The prime symbol {{IPA\|⟨´⟩}} is used to mark slenderization/palatalization (thus {{IPA\|/p´/}} means {{IPA\|/pʲ/}} and {{IPA\|/s´/}} denotes a consonant realized as something like {{IPA\|[sʲ ~ ʃ]}}).

	=== Consonants and ~~marking lenition or lack of lenition~~ ===		=== Consonants, lenition, and eclipsis ===

	Old Irish orthography was based on Latin – as it was learnt by the Gaels from the Brythonic people – and British Latin pronunciation of that time had undergone basically the same processes as [[:Category:Welsh\|Welsh]]. The spelling is unintuitive to Modern Irish speakers, as it is based on Brythonic lenition patterns.		Old Irish orthography was based on Latin – as it was learnt by the Gaels from the Brythonic people – and British Latin pronunciation of that time had undergone basically the same processes as [[:Category:Welsh\|Welsh]]. The spelling is unintuitive to Modern Irish speakers, as it is based on Brythonic lenition patterns.
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	* first is the older '''Cothriche, Cothrige''' {{IPA\|/koθ´r´əɣ´e/}}, which continues something like {{IPA\|[kʷaθrixijah]}} (phonemically {{IPA\|/kʷatrikijas/}}, which would be written something like {{smallcaps\|*qat(t)ric(c)ias}} in ogham) – the Gaels borrowed Latin {{IPA\|/p/}} as {{IPA\|/kʷ/}} as there was no native {{IPA\|/p/}} phoneme in Primitive Irish, and the medial voiceless {{IPA\|/t, k/}} were lenited to {{IPA\|/θ, x/}}, the nominative ending {{IPA\|/-ah/}} fell out due to apocope before Old Irish,		* first is the older '''Cothriche, Cothrige''' {{IPA\|/koθ´r´əɣ´e/}}, which continues something like {{IPA\|[kʷaθrixijah]}} (phonemically {{IPA\|/kʷatrikijas/}}, which would be written something like {{smallcaps\|*qat(t)ric(c)ias}} in ogham) – the Gaels borrowed Latin {{IPA\|/p/}} as {{IPA\|/kʷ/}} as there was no native {{IPA\|/p/}} phoneme in Primitive Irish, and the medial voiceless {{IPA\|/t, k/}} were lenited to {{IPA\|/θ, x/}}, the nominative ending {{IPA\|/-ah/}} fell out due to apocope before Old Irish,
	* later '''Pátraic''' {{IPA\|/paːdrəɡ´/}} – notice ''t'' and ''c'' written like in Latin original but read voiced – that’s because it was borrowed in later times from British Latin with the Brythonic lenition, and this form is continued today in Irish ''Pádraig'' and Scottish Gaelic ''Pàdraig''.		* later '''Pátraic''' {{IPA\|/paːdrəɡ´/}} – notice ''t'' and ''c'' written like in Latin original but read voiced – that’s because it was borrowed in later times from British Latin with the Brythonic lenition, and this form is continued today in Irish ''Pádraig'' and Scottish Gaelic ''Pàdraig''.

			==== Eclipsis or nasalization ====

			Old Irish, like Modern Irish, had a voicing / nasalizing mutation (called ''eclipsis'' in the context of Modern Irish but more often ''nasalization'' in the context of Old Irish). This was:

			* not marked for voiceless stops ''c, p, t'' and the fricative ⟨f⟩ which were voiced (ie. pronounced {{IPA\|/ɡ, b, d/}} and {{IPA\|/β/}}), eg. ''a '''t'''eg '''f'''orcetail'' ‘the house of teaching’ is {{IPA\|/a ˈ'''d'''´eɣ ˈ'''β'''orɡ´ədəl´/}} or ''isin '''t'''empul'' ‘into the temple’ {{IPA\|/isin ˈ'''d´'''empul/}},
			* marked for voiced stops by prefixing them with a nasal consonant character: ''mb, nd, ng'' – these might have been pronounced as nasals with plosive release {{IPA\|/mb, nd, ŋɡ/}} originally but later during Old or Middle Irish period they reduced to pure nasals {{IPA\|/m(ː), N(ː), ŋ(ː)/}}, eg. ''i '''mb'''líadnai'' ‘this year’ (lit. ‘in a year’) {{IPA\|/i ˈ'''m´(b´)'''l´iːa̯ðni/}}.

			Sometimes a dot, the ''punctum delens'', was written above the eclipsing nasal (''dered ṁbetho'' ‘the end of the world’).

	=== Old Irish spelling and pronunciation of vowels (and marking of slender consonants) ===		=== Old Irish spelling and pronunciation of vowels (and marking of slender consonants) ===
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	There were 5 non-reduced phonemic vowel qualities in OIr.: {{IPA\|/a, o, u, e, i/}} and they could be long or short – they were generally written down using their respective Latin alphabet characters. Long vowels either weren’t marked at all or had the acute accent (‘fada’) over them (á, ó, ú, é, í). OIr. also had quite a few diphthongs, more about them in a minute.		There were 5 non-reduced phonemic vowel qualities in OIr.: {{IPA\|/a, o, u, e, i/}} and they could be long or short – they were generally written down using their respective Latin alphabet characters. Long vowels either weren’t marked at all or had the acute accent (‘fada’) over them (á, ó, ú, é, í). OIr. also had quite a few diphthongs, more about them in a minute.

	In stressed syllables<ref>most often the first syllable of the word, or in case of compound verbs commonly the second syllable – first after the first prefix (in modern normalized spelling often marked with a mid-high dot, eg. ''as·beir'' {{IPA\|/asˈb´er´/}})		Which vowel qualities were possible in the syllable depended on its position relative to the word stress:
	</ref> any vowel quality or a diphthong could occur~~. In~~ unstressed syllable in the absolute end of a word any short vowel (but not long or diphthong) could occur~~. But~~ in unstressed syllables between two consonants you may find either a long vowel, an {{IPA\|/u/}}, or a short vowel that is ''completely determined'' by the quality of the surrounding consonants~~. Because~~ of that Kim McCone and David Stifter postulate only two medial unstressed short vowel phonemes for Old Irish: {{IPA\|/u/}} and {{IPA\|/ə/}}<ref>because the medial unstressed vowel is so consistently written, phonemic transcription for OIr. on Wiktionary doesn’t use the {{IPA\|/ə/}} character and instead transcribes their full quality, eg. ''sacart'' is [ˈsaɡ'''a'''r͈t], ''beirid'' is [ˈbʲerʲ'''i'''ðʲ], ''légaid'' is {{IPA\|/ˈl͈ʲeɣ'''i'''ðʲ/}} – Wiktionary here often (but not consistently) uses square brackets [] to mark it’s a “surface-phonemic” transcription, ie. it shows the surface value of the vowels even if phonologically you can treat all those vowels as a single {{IPA\|/ə/}}; note that to get Stifter’s transcription it’s sufficient to change all non-''u'' short unstressed vowels followed by a consonant to {{IPA\|/ə/}}; and vice versa, to restore the ‘surface’ vowel, enough to change {{IPA\|/ə/}} to the corresponding written one</ref>.		* in stressed syllables<ref>most often the first syllable of the word, or in case of compound verbs commonly the second syllable – first after the first prefix (in modern normalized spelling often marked with a mid-high dot, eg. ''as·beir'' {{IPA\|/asˈb´er´/}})
			</ref> any vowel quality or a diphthong could occur,
			* in an unstressed syllable in the absolute end of a word any short vowel (but not long or diphthong) could occur,
			* in an unstressed syllables after the main stress and between two consonants you may find either a long vowel, an {{IPA\|/u/}}, or a short vowel that is ''completely determined'' by the quality of the surrounding consonants; because of that Kim McCone and David Stifter postulate only two medial unstressed short vowel phonemes for Old Irish: {{IPA\|/u/}} and {{IPA\|/ə/}}<ref>because the medial unstressed vowel is so consistently written, phonemic transcription for OIr. on Wiktionary doesn’t use the {{IPA\|/ə/}} character and instead transcribes their full quality, eg. ''sacart'' is [ˈsaɡ'''a'''r͈t], ''beirid'' is [ˈbʲerʲ'''i'''ðʲ], ''légaid'' is {{IPA\|/ˈl͈ʲeɣ'''i'''ðʲ/}} – Wiktionary here often (but not consistently) uses square brackets [] to mark it’s a “surface-phonemic” transcription, ie. it shows the surface value of the vowels even if phonologically you can treat all those vowels as a single {{IPA\|/ə/}}; note that to get Stifter’s transcription it’s sufficient to change all non-''u'' short unstressed vowels followed by a consonant to {{IPA\|/ə/}}; and vice versa, to restore the ‘surface’ vowel, enough to change {{IPA\|/ə/}} to the corresponding written one</ref>,
			* in pretonic position, ie. in unstressed syllables '''before''' the main stress only long vowels, diphthongs, and three short vowel qualities were allowed: {{IPA\|/a, o, i/}}<ref>These may have had their “full” tense phonetic quality {{IPA\|[a, o, i]}} or possibly were relaxed vowels {{IPA\|[ə, ə̹, ɪ]}} or something like that.</ref>, they are commonly spelt ''a, o, i'' but sometimes ''u'' is used instead of ''o'' – that’s the reason why Proto-Celtic ''*(nīst?) exs-bereti'' ‘does (not) say’ results in Old Irish vowel distinction in ''ní·'''e'''pir'' {{IPA\|/n´iː ˈheb´ər´/}} versus '''''a'''s·beir'' {{IPA\|/asˈb´er´/}} – before the stress {{IPA\|/e/}} quality is not available and the vowel changes to {{IPA\|/a/}}.

	Slender consonants in stressed syllables are followed by front vowels ''e'' or ''i'' (or diphthongs beginning in them), eg. ''ben'' {{IPA\|/b´en/}} ‘woman, wife’.		Slender consonants in stressed syllables are followed by front vowels ''e'' or ''i'' (or diphthongs beginning in them), eg. ''ben'' {{IPA\|/b´en/}} ‘woman, wife’.

Silmeth at 11:00, 30 January 2024

2024-01-30T11:00:22Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:00, 30 January 2024
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	* {{IPA\|/a(ː)i̯/}} written ''áe'' (before broad consonant) or ''aí'' (before broad or slender), eg. ''láech, laích'' {{IPA\|/Laːi̯x/}} ‘hero’, genitive ''laích'' {{IPA\|/Laːi̯x´/}} ‘hero’s, of hero’, ''máel, maíl'' {{IPA\|/maːi̯l/}} ‘shorn, bald’, ''cáera, caíra'' {{IPA\|/kaːi̯ra/}} ‘sheep’,		* {{IPA\|/a(ː)i̯/}} written ''áe'' (before broad consonant) or ''aí'' (before broad or slender), eg. ''láech, laích'' {{IPA\|/Laːi̯x/}} ‘hero’, genitive ''laích'' {{IPA\|/Laːi̯x´/}} ‘hero’s, of hero’, ''máel, maíl'' {{IPA\|/maːi̯l/}} ‘shorn, bald’, ''cáera, caíra'' {{IPA\|/kaːi̯ra/}} ‘sheep’,
	* {{IPA\|/u(ː)i̯/}} written ''uí'', eg. ''druí'' {{IPA\|/dRuːi̯/}} ‘druid, draoi’,		* {{IPA\|/u(ː)i̯/}} written ''uí'', eg. ''druí'' {{IPA\|/dRuːi̯/}} ‘druid, draoi’,
	/oːi̯/ and {{IPA\|/aːi̯/}} fell together fairly early, {{IPA\|/uːi̯/}} merged with them too, so you get spellings like ''lóech, móel, draí'' too. In Classical Gaelic they all evolved into {{IPA\|/ɯː/}} written as ''ao'' ~ ''áo'' and evolved differently in later languages<ref>something weird happened with this diphthong/vowel in the word ''Goídelc'', it was regularly ''G'''áoi'''dhealg, G'''aoi'''dhealg'' {{IPA\|/~~ɡɯːð´əlɡ~~ ~ ~~ɡɯːɣ´əlɡ~~/}} in Classical Gaelic, but later evolved (irregularly?) into ''{{color\|green\|Gaeilg(e)}}, {{color\|#00A0DA\|Gàidhlig}}, {{color\|red\|Gaelg/Gailck}}''</ref>, hence in modern languages ''aon, laoch, laoich, maol, caora, draoi(dh)''.		/oːi̯/ and {{IPA\|/aːi̯/}} fell together fairly early, {{IPA\|/uːi̯/}} merged with them too, so you get spellings like ''lóech, móel, draí'' too. In Classical Gaelic they all evolved into {{IPA\|/əː/}} written as ''ao'' ~ ''áo'' and evolved differently in later languages<ref>something weird happened with this diphthong/vowel in the word ''Goídelc'', it was regularly ''G'''áoi'''dhealg, G'''aoi'''dhealg'' {{IPA\|/ɡəːð´əlɡ ~ ɡəːɣ´əlɡ/}} in Classical Gaelic, but later evolved (irregularly?) into ''{{color\|green\|Gaeilg(e)}}, {{color\|#00A0DA\|Gàidhlig}}, {{color\|red\|Gaelg/Gailck}}''</ref>, hence in modern languages ''aon, laoch, laoich, maol, caora, draoi(dh)''.

	''u''-diphthongs:		''u''-diphthongs:

Silmeth at 20:10, 13 August 2022

2022-08-13T20:10:15Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:10, 13 August 2022
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	But OIr. also allowed '''hiatus''', ie. two syllabic vowels standing next to each other, and most commonly two consecutive vowel signs next to each other mean that.		But OIr. also allowed '''hiatus''', ie. two syllabic vowels standing next to each other, and most commonly two consecutive vowel signs next to each other mean that.
	In modern editions often diaeresis (◌̈) is placed over the second one in this case, eg. ''fiach, fiäch'' {{IPA\|/f´i.əx/}} ‘raven’, ''siur, siür'' {{IPA\|/s´i.ur/}} ‘sister’, early ''óac~~, óäc~~'' {{IPA\|/o~~(ː)~~.əɡ/}} ‘young’ (later ''óc'' {{IPA\|/oːɡ/}}), ''at·taat, at·taät'' {{IPA\|/aˈta.əd/}} ‘they are’. Hiatus generally merged with long diphthongs in Ireland before MIr. but it stayed sometimes in Sc. Gaelic, hence eg. modern Sc. G. {{color\|#00A0DA\|''fitheach''}} {{IPA\|/fi.əx/}}, {{color\|#00A0DA\|''piuthar''}} {{IPA\|/pju.ər/}}<ref name="piuthar"></ref> vs Irish {{color\|green\|''fiach''}} {{IPA\|/f´iːəx/}}, {{color\|green\|''siúr''}} {{IPA\|/ʃuːr/}}.		In modern editions often diaeresis (◌̈) is placed over the second one in this case, eg. ''fiach, fiäch'' {{IPA\|/f´i.əx/}} ‘raven’, ''siur, siür'' {{IPA\|/s´i.ur/}} ‘sister’, early ''oäc'' (often written as ''óac'') {{IPA\|/o.əɡ/}} ‘young’ (later ''óc'' {{IPA\|/oːɡ/}}), ''at·taat, at·taät'' {{IPA\|/aˈta.əd/}} ‘they are’. Hiatus generally merged with long diphthongs in Ireland before MIr. but it stayed sometimes in Sc. Gaelic, hence eg. modern Sc. G. {{color\|#00A0DA\|''fitheach''}} {{IPA\|/fi.əx/}}, {{color\|#00A0DA\|''piuthar''}} {{IPA\|/pju.ər/}}<ref name="piuthar"></ref> vs Irish {{color\|green\|''fiach''}} {{IPA\|/f´iːəx/}}, {{color\|green\|''siúr''}} {{IPA\|/ʃuːr/}}.

	Note that when no diaeresis is written, the spelling can be ambiguous, esp. if the second element is ''u'', eg. ''fiur'' can mean either monosyllabic {{IPA\|/f´iu̯r/}} (‘man’, dat.sg.) or disyllabic {{IPA\|/f´i.ur/}} (‘sister’, lenited ''siür''<ref name="fiur">this lenition of {{IPA\|/s´/}} to {{IPA\|/f´/}} happens because in earlier language this word had {{IPA\|/sw-/}} (cf. eg. German '''''Schw'''ester'') which lenited first to {{IPA\|/hw/}} and later yielded {{IPA\|/f/}}</ref>). In unstressed syllable ''Ciu'' means {{IPA\|/C´u/}}, as mentioned above (''léiciud'' {{IPA\|/L´eːɡ´uð/}}).		Note that when no diaeresis is written, the spelling can be ambiguous, esp. if the second element is ''u'', eg. ''fiur'' can mean either monosyllabic {{IPA\|/f´iu̯r/}} (‘man’, dat.sg.) or disyllabic {{IPA\|/f´i.ur/}} (‘sister’, lenited ''siür''<ref name="fiur">this lenition of {{IPA\|/s´/}} to {{IPA\|/f´/}} happens because in earlier language this word had {{IPA\|/sw-/}} (cf. eg. German '''''Schw'''ester'') which lenited first to {{IPA\|/hw/}} and later yielded {{IPA\|/f/}}</ref>). In unstressed syllable ''Ciu'' means {{IPA\|/C´u/}}, as mentioned above (''léiciud'' {{IPA\|/L´eːɡ´uð/}}).

Silmeth: /* Diphthongs and hiatus */

2022-07-21T19:09:31Z

Diphthongs and hiatus

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:09, 21 July 2022
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	The first two of them later moved towards long {{IPA\|/(ʲ)oː/}} and {{IPA\|/(ʲ)u/}} respectively, hence modern ''{{color\|green\|beo}}, {{color\|#00A0DA\|beò}}'' {{IPA\|/b´oː, bjɔː/}}, ''{{color\|green\|ceol}}, {{color\|#00A0DA\|ceòl}}'' {{IPA\|/k´oːl, k´ɔːl/}}, ''{{color\|green\|inniu}}, {{color\|#00A0DA\|an-diugh}}'' {{IPA\|/əˈN´u(v), əN´ˈd´u/}}.		The first two of them later moved towards long {{IPA\|/(ʲ)oː/}} and {{IPA\|/(ʲ)u/}} respectively, hence modern ''{{color\|green\|beo}}, {{color\|#00A0DA\|beò}}'' {{IPA\|/b´oː, bjɔː/}}, ''{{color\|green\|ceol}}, {{color\|#00A0DA\|ceòl}}'' {{IPA\|/k´oːl, k´ɔːl/}}, ''{{color\|green\|inniu}}, {{color\|#00A0DA\|an-diugh}}'' {{IPA\|/əˈN´u(v), əN´ˈd´u/}}.

	and the two ''a''-diphthongs which appeared from breaking of older ''ē~~, ō~~'' before broad consonants, they survived to this day:		and the two ''a''-diphthongs which appeared from breaking of older ''ē'' (before broad consonants) and ''ō'', they survived to this day:
	* {{IPA\|/iːa̯/}} written ''ía'', eg. ''grían'' {{IPA\|/g´R´iːa̯n/}} ‘sun’ (from earlier *grēna, cf. gen.sg. ''gréine'' {{IPA\|/g´R´eːn´e/}}),		* {{IPA\|/iːa̯/}} written ''ía'', eg. ''grían'' {{IPA\|/g´R´iːa̯n/}} ‘sun’ (from earlier *grēna, cf. gen.sg. ''gréine'' {{IPA\|/g´R´eːn´e/}}),
	* {{IPA\|/uːa̯/}} written ''úa'', eg. ''trúag'' {{IPA\|/tRuːa̯ɣ/}} ‘sad’.		* {{IPA\|/uːa̯/}} written ''úa'', eg. ''trúag'' {{IPA\|/tRuːa̯ɣ/}} ‘sad’.

Silmeth: /* Consonants and marking lenition or lack of lenition */ explain the use of punctum delens

2022-04-25T10:06:39Z

Consonants and marking lenition or lack of lenition: explain the use of punctum delens

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:06, 25 April 2022
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	The doubled non-lenited ''mm, ll, rr, nn'' are sometimes also written initially after unstressed words (like ''a'' ‘his, her’), so ''a mmáthair'' is unambiguously {{IPA\|/a ˈmaːθər´/}} ‘her/their mother’ (but can be written ''a máthair'' too) – spelt as if it were a single word.		The doubled non-lenited ''mm, ll, rr, nn'' are sometimes also written initially after unstressed words (like ''a'' ‘his, her’), so ''a mmáthair'' is unambiguously {{IPA\|/a ˈmaːθər´/}} ‘her/their mother’ (but can be written ''a máthair'' too) – spelt as if it were a single word.

	Lenited ''s'' and ''f'' are often ~~written~~ ''ṡ'' {{IPA\|/h/}}, ''ḟ'' (no sound). The ''s'' from old *sw can also be lenited to {{IPA\|/ɸ/}} written variously as ''f, ph, ṡ'' (so ''a fiur, a phiur, a ṡiur'' for {{IPA\|/a ˈɸ´i.ur/}} ‘his sister’, from ''siur, siür'' {{IPA\|/s´i.ur/}}).		Lenited ''s'' and ''f'' are often marked with the [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/punctum_delens#English ''punctum delens'']:<ref>''Punctum delens'' was originally used to indicate that a letter should be deleted (eg. because it was a typo), thus in Old Irish it was used to “delete” the ''f'' that became silent in a word, and similarly, since there was no letter for /h/, lenited ''s'' was treated as ''deleted''</ref> ''ṡ'' {{IPA\|/h/}}, ''ḟ'' (no sound). The ''s'' from old *sw can also be lenited to {{IPA\|/ɸ/}} written variously as ''f, ph, ṡ'' (so ''a fiur, a phiur, a ṡiur'' for {{IPA\|/a ˈɸ´i.ur/}} ‘his sister’, from ''siur, siür'' {{IPA\|/s´i.ur/}}).

	These conventions are nicely presented by two forms of the name ''Patrick'' to be found in Old Irish – it was borrowed twice from Latin '''''Patricius''''':		These conventions are nicely presented by two forms of the name ''Patrick'' to be found in Old Irish – it was borrowed twice from Latin '''''Patricius''''':

Silmeth: /* Diphthongs and hiatus */ fiur → oc fiur (make dative use clearer by including a preposition before the dative

2022-02-06T11:30:16Z

Diphthongs and hiatus: fiur → oc fiur (make dative use clearer by including a preposition before the dative

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:30, 6 February 2022
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	Also stressed short vowels {{IPA\|/i, a, e/}} could merge with {{IPA\|/u/}} to form short diphthongs:		Also stressed short vowels {{IPA\|/i, a, e/}} could merge with {{IPA\|/u/}} to form short diphthongs:
	* {{IPA\|/iu̯/}} written ''iu'', eg. ''fiur'' {{IPA\|/f´iu̯r/}} ~~‘man’~~ (dat.sg.),		* {{IPA\|/iu̯/}} written ''iu'', eg. ''(oc) fiur'' {{IPA\|/f´iu̯r/}} ‘(at) a man’ (dat.sg.),
	* {{IPA\|/au̯/}} written ''au'', eg. ''baullu'' {{IPA\|/bau̯Lu/}} ‘members’ (acc.pl. of ''ball'' {{IPA\|/baL/}}) – this early merged with {{IPA\|/u/}}, hence also ''bullu'' {{IPA\|/buLu/}},		* {{IPA\|/au̯/}} written ''au'', eg. ''baullu'' {{IPA\|/bau̯Lu/}} ‘members’ (acc.pl. of ''ball'' {{IPA\|/baL/}}) – this early merged with {{IPA\|/u/}}, hence also ''bullu'' {{IPA\|/buLu/}},
	* {{IPA\|/eu̯/}} written ''eu, eo'', eg. ''(dond) euch, eoch'' {{IPA\|/eu̯x/}} ‘(to the) horse’ (dat.sg. of ''ech'' {{IPA\|/ex/}}).		* {{IPA\|/eu̯/}} written ''eu, eo'', eg. ''(dond) euch, eoch'' {{IPA\|/eu̯x/}} ‘(to the) horse’ (dat.sg. of ''ech'' {{IPA\|/ex/}}).

Silmeth: /* Diphthongs and hiatus */ use nested reference for fiür/piuthar lenition

2022-01-19T19:10:57Z

Diphthongs and hiatus: use nested reference for fiür/piuthar lenition

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:10, 19 January 2022
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	But OIr. also allowed '''hiatus''', ie. two syllabic vowels standing next to each other, and most commonly two consecutive vowel signs next to each other mean that.		But OIr. also allowed '''hiatus''', ie. two syllabic vowels standing next to each other, and most commonly two consecutive vowel signs next to each other mean that.
	In modern editions often diaeresis (◌̈) is placed over the second one in this case, eg. ''fiach, fiäch'' {{IPA\|/f´i.əx/}} ‘raven’, ''siur, siür'' {{IPA\|/s´i.ur/}} ‘sister’, early ''óac, óäc'' {{IPA\|/o(ː).əɡ/}} ‘young’ (later ''óc'' {{IPA\|/oːɡ/}}), ''at·taat, at·taät'' {{IPA\|/aˈta.əd/}} ‘they are’. Hiatus generally merged with long diphthongs in Ireland before MIr. but it stayed sometimes in Sc. Gaelic, hence eg. modern Sc. G. {{color\|#00A0DA\|''fitheach''}} {{IPA\|/fi.əx/}}, {{color\|#00A0DA\|''piuthar''}} {{IPA\|/pju.ər/}}<ref>~~with {{IPA\|/pj-/}} instead of {{IPA\|/ʃ-/}} by analogical delenition of {{IPA\|/f´-/}} in the OIr. lenited form ''fiür'' {{IPA\|/f´i.ur/}} (see the next footnote) as if from ''piür, phiür''~~</ref> vs Irish {{color\|green\|''fiach''}} {{IPA\|/f´iːəx/}}, {{color\|green\|''siúr''}} {{IPA\|/ʃuːr/}}.		In modern editions often diaeresis (◌̈) is placed over the second one in this case, eg. ''fiach, fiäch'' {{IPA\|/f´i.əx/}} ‘raven’, ''siur, siür'' {{IPA\|/s´i.ur/}} ‘sister’, early ''óac, óäc'' {{IPA\|/o(ː).əɡ/}} ‘young’ (later ''óc'' {{IPA\|/oːɡ/}}), ''at·taat, at·taät'' {{IPA\|/aˈta.əd/}} ‘they are’. Hiatus generally merged with long diphthongs in Ireland before MIr. but it stayed sometimes in Sc. Gaelic, hence eg. modern Sc. G. {{color\|#00A0DA\|''fitheach''}} {{IPA\|/fi.əx/}}, {{color\|#00A0DA\|''piuthar''}} {{IPA\|/pju.ər/}}<ref name="piuthar"></ref> vs Irish {{color\|green\|''fiach''}} {{IPA\|/f´iːəx/}}, {{color\|green\|''siúr''}} {{IPA\|/ʃuːr/}}.

	Note that when no diaeresis is written, the spelling can be ambiguous, esp. if the second element is ''u'', eg. ''fiur'' can mean either monosyllabic {{IPA\|/f´iu̯r/}} (‘man’, dat.sg.) or disyllabic {{IPA\|/f´i.ur/}} (‘sister’, lenited ''siür''<ref name="fiur">this lenition of {{IPA\|/s´/}} to {{IPA\|/f´/}} happens because in earlier language this word had {{IPA\|/sw-/}} (cf. eg. German '''''Schw'''ester'') which lenited first to {{IPA\|/hw/}} and later yielded {{IPA\|/f/}}</ref>). In unstressed syllable ''Ciu'' means {{IPA\|/C´u/}}, as mentioned above (''léiciud'' {{IPA\|/L´eːɡ´uð/}}).		Note that when no diaeresis is written, the spelling can be ambiguous, esp. if the second element is ''u'', eg. ''fiur'' can mean either monosyllabic {{IPA\|/f´iu̯r/}} (‘man’, dat.sg.) or disyllabic {{IPA\|/f´i.ur/}} (‘sister’, lenited ''siür''<ref name="fiur">this lenition of {{IPA\|/s´/}} to {{IPA\|/f´/}} happens because in earlier language this word had {{IPA\|/sw-/}} (cf. eg. German '''''Schw'''ester'') which lenited first to {{IPA\|/hw/}} and later yielded {{IPA\|/f/}}</ref>). In unstressed syllable ''Ciu'' means {{IPA\|/C´u/}}, as mentioned above (''léiciud'' {{IPA\|/L´eːɡ´uð/}}).

			{{#tag:ref\|with {{IPA\|/pj-/}} instead of {{IPA\|/ʃ-/}} by analogical delenition of {{IPA\|/f´-/}} in the OIr. lenited form ''fiür'' {{IPA\|/f´i.ur/}}<ref name="fiur"/> as if from ''piür, phiür''\|follow=piuthar}}

	=== Footnotes ===		=== Footnotes ===

Silmeth: druid did not have an etymological hiatus

2021-12-04T19:24:29Z

druid did not have an etymological hiatus

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:24, 4 December 2021
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	But OIr. also allowed '''hiatus''', ie. two syllabic vowels standing next to each other, and most commonly two consecutive vowel signs next to each other mean that.		But OIr. also allowed '''hiatus''', ie. two syllabic vowels standing next to each other, and most commonly two consecutive vowel signs next to each other mean that.
	In modern editions often diaeresis (◌̈) is placed over the second one in this case, eg. ''fiach, fiäch'' {{IPA\|/f´i.əx/}} ‘raven’, ''siur, siür'' {{IPA\|/s´i.ur/}} ‘sister’, early ''óac, óäc'' {{IPA\|/o(ː).əɡ/}} ‘young’ (later ''óc'' {{IPA\|/oːɡ/}}), ~~early~~ ''~~druï~~'' {{IPA\|/~~dRu~~.i/}} ~~(→ ''druí'')~~. Hiatus generally merged with long diphthongs in Ireland before MIr. but it stayed sometimes in Sc. Gaelic, hence eg. modern Sc. G. {{color\|#00A0DA\|''fitheach''}} {{IPA\|/fi.əx/}}, {{color\|#00A0DA\|''piuthar''}} {{IPA\|/pju.ər/}}<ref>with {{IPA\|/pj-/}} instead of {{IPA\|/ʃ-/}} by analogical delenition of {{IPA\|/f´-/}} in the OIr. lenited form ''fiür'' {{IPA\|/f´i.ur/}} (see the next footnote) as if from ''piür, phiür''</ref> vs Irish {{color\|green\|''fiach''}} {{IPA\|/f´iːəx/}}, {{color\|green\|''siúr''}} {{IPA\|/ʃuːr/}}.		In modern editions often diaeresis (◌̈) is placed over the second one in this case, eg. ''fiach, fiäch'' {{IPA\|/f´i.əx/}} ‘raven’, ''siur, siür'' {{IPA\|/s´i.ur/}} ‘sister’, early ''óac, óäc'' {{IPA\|/o(ː).əɡ/}} ‘young’ (later ''óc'' {{IPA\|/oːɡ/}}), ''at·taat, at·taät'' {{IPA\|/aˈta.əd/}} ‘they are’. Hiatus generally merged with long diphthongs in Ireland before MIr. but it stayed sometimes in Sc. Gaelic, hence eg. modern Sc. G. {{color\|#00A0DA\|''fitheach''}} {{IPA\|/fi.əx/}}, {{color\|#00A0DA\|''piuthar''}} {{IPA\|/pju.ər/}}<ref>with {{IPA\|/pj-/}} instead of {{IPA\|/ʃ-/}} by analogical delenition of {{IPA\|/f´-/}} in the OIr. lenited form ''fiür'' {{IPA\|/f´i.ur/}} (see the next footnote) as if from ''piür, phiür''</ref> vs Irish {{color\|green\|''fiach''}} {{IPA\|/f´iːəx/}}, {{color\|green\|''siúr''}} {{IPA\|/ʃuːr/}}.

	Note that when no diaeresis is written, the spelling can be ambiguous, esp. if the second element is ''u'', eg. ''fiur'' can mean either monosyllabic {{IPA\|/f´iu̯r/}} (‘man’, dat.sg.) or disyllabic {{IPA\|/f´i.ur/}} (‘sister’, lenited ''siür''<ref name="fiur">this lenition of {{IPA\|/s´/}} to {{IPA\|/f´/}} happens because in earlier language this word had {{IPA\|/sw-/}} (cf. eg. German '''''Schw'''ester'') which lenited first to {{IPA\|/hw/}} and later yielded {{IPA\|/f/}}</ref>). In unstressed syllable ''Ciu'' means {{IPA\|/C´u/}}, as mentioned above (''léiciud'' {{IPA\|/L´eːɡ´uð/}}).		Note that when no diaeresis is written, the spelling can be ambiguous, esp. if the second element is ''u'', eg. ''fiur'' can mean either monosyllabic {{IPA\|/f´iu̯r/}} (‘man’, dat.sg.) or disyllabic {{IPA\|/f´i.ur/}} (‘sister’, lenited ''siür''<ref name="fiur">this lenition of {{IPA\|/s´/}} to {{IPA\|/f´/}} happens because in earlier language this word had {{IPA\|/sw-/}} (cf. eg. German '''''Schw'''ester'') which lenited first to {{IPA\|/hw/}} and later yielded {{IPA\|/f/}}</ref>). In unstressed syllable ''Ciu'' means {{IPA\|/C´u/}}, as mentioned above (''léiciud'' {{IPA\|/L´eːɡ´uð/}}).

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:34, 6 October 2026
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	Note on the phonemic transcription below – if the stress is not explicitly marked, it falls on the first syllable. Also, two vowels standing next to each other mean a diphthong, if they make a hiatus (multiple syllables), then they’re explicitly separated with {{IPA\|⟨.⟩}}. The characters {{IPA\|/ɸ/}} and {{IPA\|/f/}} are used interchangeably and mean bilabial fricative, the same is true for {{IPA\|/β/}} and {{IPA\|/v/}}. The prime symbol {{IPA\|⟨´⟩}} is used to mark slenderization/palatalization (thus {{IPA\|/p´/}} means {{IPA\|/pʲ/}} and {{IPA\|/s´/}} denotes a consonant realized as something like {{IPA\|[sʲ ~ ʃ]}}).		Note on the phonemic transcription below – if the stress is not explicitly marked, it falls on the first syllable. Also, two vowels standing next to each other mean a diphthong, if they make a hiatus (multiple syllables), then they’re explicitly separated with {{IPA\|⟨.⟩}}. The characters {{IPA\|/ɸ/}} and {{IPA\|/f/}} are used interchangeably and mean bilabial fricative, the same is true for {{IPA\|/β/}} and {{IPA\|/v/}}. The prime symbol {{IPA\|⟨´⟩}} is used to mark slenderization/palatalization (thus {{IPA\|/p´/}} means {{IPA\|/pʲ/}} and {{IPA\|/s´/}} denotes a consonant realized as something like {{IPA\|[sʲ ~ ʃ]}}).

	=== Consonants and ~~marking lenition or lack of lenition~~ ===		=== Consonants, lenition, and eclipsis ===

	Old Irish orthography was based on Latin – as it was learnt by the Gaels from the Brythonic people – and British Latin pronunciation of that time had undergone basically the same processes as [[:Category:Welsh\|Welsh]]. The spelling is unintuitive to Modern Irish speakers, as it is based on Brythonic lenition patterns.		Old Irish orthography was based on Latin – as it was learnt by the Gaels from the Brythonic people – and British Latin pronunciation of that time had undergone basically the same processes as [[:Category:Welsh\|Welsh]]. The spelling is unintuitive to Modern Irish speakers, as it is based on Brythonic lenition patterns.
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	* first is the older '''Cothriche, Cothrige''' {{IPA\|/koθ´r´əɣ´e/}}, which continues something like {{IPA\|[kʷaθrixijah]}} (phonemically {{IPA\|/kʷatrikijas/}}, which would be written something like {{smallcaps\|*qat(t)ric(c)ias}} in ogham) – the Gaels borrowed Latin {{IPA\|/p/}} as {{IPA\|/kʷ/}} as there was no native {{IPA\|/p/}} phoneme in Primitive Irish, and the medial voiceless {{IPA\|/t, k/}} were lenited to {{IPA\|/θ, x/}}, the nominative ending {{IPA\|/-ah/}} fell out due to apocope before Old Irish,		* first is the older '''Cothriche, Cothrige''' {{IPA\|/koθ´r´əɣ´e/}}, which continues something like {{IPA\|[kʷaθrixijah]}} (phonemically {{IPA\|/kʷatrikijas/}}, which would be written something like {{smallcaps\|*qat(t)ric(c)ias}} in ogham) – the Gaels borrowed Latin {{IPA\|/p/}} as {{IPA\|/kʷ/}} as there was no native {{IPA\|/p/}} phoneme in Primitive Irish, and the medial voiceless {{IPA\|/t, k/}} were lenited to {{IPA\|/θ, x/}}, the nominative ending {{IPA\|/-ah/}} fell out due to apocope before Old Irish,
	* later '''Pátraic''' {{IPA\|/paːdrəɡ´/}} – notice ''t'' and ''c'' written like in Latin original but read voiced – that’s because it was borrowed in later times from British Latin with the Brythonic lenition, and this form is continued today in Irish ''Pádraig'' and Scottish Gaelic ''Pàdraig''.		* later '''Pátraic''' {{IPA\|/paːdrəɡ´/}} – notice ''t'' and ''c'' written like in Latin original but read voiced – that’s because it was borrowed in later times from British Latin with the Brythonic lenition, and this form is continued today in Irish ''Pádraig'' and Scottish Gaelic ''Pàdraig''.

			==== Eclipsis or nasalization ====

			Old Irish, like Modern Irish, had a voicing / nasalizing mutation (called ''eclipsis'' in the context of Modern Irish but more often ''nasalization'' in the context of Old Irish). This was:

			* not marked for voiceless stops ''c, p, t'' and the fricative ⟨f⟩ which were voiced (ie. pronounced {{IPA\|/ɡ, b, d/}} and {{IPA\|/β/}}), eg. ''a '''t'''eg '''f'''orcetail'' ‘the house of teaching’ is {{IPA\|/a ˈ'''d'''´eɣ ˈ'''β'''orɡ´ədəl´/}} or ''isin '''t'''empul'' ‘into the temple’ {{IPA\|/isin ˈ'''d´'''empul/}},
			* marked for voiced stops by prefixing them with a nasal consonant character: ''mb, nd, ng'' – these might have been pronounced as nasals with plosive release {{IPA\|/mb, nd, ŋɡ/}} originally but later during Old or Middle Irish period they reduced to pure nasals {{IPA\|/m(ː), N(ː), ŋ(ː)/}}, eg. ''i '''mb'''líadnai'' ‘this year’ (lit. ‘in a year’) {{IPA\|/i ˈ'''m´(b´)'''l´iːa̯ðni/}}.

			Sometimes a dot, the ''punctum delens'', was written above the eclipsing nasal (''dered ṁbetho'' ‘the end of the world’).

	=== Old Irish spelling and pronunciation of vowels (and marking of slender consonants) ===		=== Old Irish spelling and pronunciation of vowels (and marking of slender consonants) ===
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	There were 5 non-reduced phonemic vowel qualities in OIr.: {{IPA\|/a, o, u, e, i/}} and they could be long or short – they were generally written down using their respective Latin alphabet characters. Long vowels either weren’t marked at all or had the acute accent (‘fada’) over them (á, ó, ú, é, í). OIr. also had quite a few diphthongs, more about them in a minute.		There were 5 non-reduced phonemic vowel qualities in OIr.: {{IPA\|/a, o, u, e, i/}} and they could be long or short – they were generally written down using their respective Latin alphabet characters. Long vowels either weren’t marked at all or had the acute accent (‘fada’) over them (á, ó, ú, é, í). OIr. also had quite a few diphthongs, more about them in a minute.

	In stressed syllables<ref>most often the first syllable of the word, or in case of compound verbs commonly the second syllable – first after the first prefix (in modern normalized spelling often marked with a mid-high dot, eg. ''as·beir'' {{IPA\|/asˈb´er´/}})		Which vowel qualities were possible in the syllable depended on its position relative to the word stress:
	</ref> any vowel quality or a diphthong could occur~~. In~~ unstressed syllable in the absolute end of a word any short vowel (but not long or diphthong) could occur~~. But~~ in unstressed syllables between two consonants you may find either a long vowel, an {{IPA\|/u/}}, or a short vowel that is ''completely determined'' by the quality of the surrounding consonants~~. Because~~ of that Kim McCone and David Stifter postulate only two medial unstressed short vowel phonemes for Old Irish: {{IPA\|/u/}} and {{IPA\|/ə/}}<ref>because the medial unstressed vowel is so consistently written, phonemic transcription for OIr. on Wiktionary doesn’t use the {{IPA\|/ə/}} character and instead transcribes their full quality, eg. ''sacart'' is [ˈsaɡ'''a'''r͈t], ''beirid'' is [ˈbʲerʲ'''i'''ðʲ], ''légaid'' is {{IPA\|/ˈl͈ʲeɣ'''i'''ðʲ/}} – Wiktionary here often (but not consistently) uses square brackets [] to mark it’s a “surface-phonemic” transcription, ie. it shows the surface value of the vowels even if phonologically you can treat all those vowels as a single {{IPA\|/ə/}}; note that to get Stifter’s transcription it’s sufficient to change all non-''u'' short unstressed vowels followed by a consonant to {{IPA\|/ə/}}; and vice versa, to restore the ‘surface’ vowel, enough to change {{IPA\|/ə/}} to the corresponding written one</ref>.		* in stressed syllables<ref>most often the first syllable of the word, or in case of compound verbs commonly the second syllable – first after the first prefix (in modern normalized spelling often marked with a mid-high dot, eg. ''as·beir'' {{IPA\|/asˈb´er´/}})
			</ref> any vowel quality or a diphthong could occur,
			* in an unstressed syllable in the absolute end of a word any short vowel (but not long or diphthong) could occur,
			* in an unstressed syllables after the main stress and between two consonants you may find either a long vowel, an {{IPA\|/u/}}, or a short vowel that is ''completely determined'' by the quality of the surrounding consonants; because of that Kim McCone and David Stifter postulate only two medial unstressed short vowel phonemes for Old Irish: {{IPA\|/u/}} and {{IPA\|/ə/}}<ref>because the medial unstressed vowel is so consistently written, phonemic transcription for OIr. on Wiktionary doesn’t use the {{IPA\|/ə/}} character and instead transcribes their full quality, eg. ''sacart'' is [ˈsaɡ'''a'''r͈t], ''beirid'' is [ˈbʲerʲ'''i'''ðʲ], ''légaid'' is {{IPA\|/ˈl͈ʲeɣ'''i'''ðʲ/}} – Wiktionary here often (but not consistently) uses square brackets [] to mark it’s a “surface-phonemic” transcription, ie. it shows the surface value of the vowels even if phonologically you can treat all those vowels as a single {{IPA\|/ə/}}; note that to get Stifter’s transcription it’s sufficient to change all non-''u'' short unstressed vowels followed by a consonant to {{IPA\|/ə/}}; and vice versa, to restore the ‘surface’ vowel, enough to change {{IPA\|/ə/}} to the corresponding written one</ref>,
			* in pretonic position, ie. in unstressed syllables '''before''' the main stress only long vowels, diphthongs, and three short vowel qualities were allowed: {{IPA\|/a, o, i/}}<ref>These may have had their “full” tense phonetic quality {{IPA\|[a, o, i]}} or possibly were relaxed vowels {{IPA\|[ə, ə̹, ɪ]}} or something like that.</ref>, they are commonly spelt ''a, o, i'' but sometimes ''u'' is used instead of ''o'' – that’s the reason why Proto-Celtic ''*(nīst?) exs-bereti'' ‘does (not) say’ results in Old Irish vowel distinction in ''ní·'''e'''pir'' {{IPA\|/n´iː ˈheb´ər´/}} versus '''''a'''s·beir'' {{IPA\|/asˈb´er´/}} – before the stress {{IPA\|/e/}} quality is not available and the vowel changes to {{IPA\|/a/}}.

	Slender consonants in stressed syllables are followed by front vowels ''e'' or ''i'' (or diphthongs beginning in them), eg. ''ben'' {{IPA\|/b´en/}} ‘woman, wife’.		Slender consonants in stressed syllables are followed by front vowels ''e'' or ''i'' (or diphthongs beginning in them), eg. ''ben'' {{IPA\|/b´en/}} ‘woman, wife’.

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	The first two of them later moved towards long {{IPA\|/(ʲ)oː/}} and {{IPA\|/(ʲ)u/}} respectively, hence modern ''{{color\|green\|beo}}, {{color\|#00A0DA\|beò}}'' {{IPA\|/b´oː, bjɔː/}}, ''{{color\|green\|ceol}}, {{color\|#00A0DA\|ceòl}}'' {{IPA\|/k´oːl, k´ɔːl/}}, ''{{color\|green\|inniu}}, {{color\|#00A0DA\|an-diugh}}'' {{IPA\|/əˈN´u(v), əN´ˈd´u/}}.		The first two of them later moved towards long {{IPA\|/(ʲ)oː/}} and {{IPA\|/(ʲ)u/}} respectively, hence modern ''{{color\|green\|beo}}, {{color\|#00A0DA\|beò}}'' {{IPA\|/b´oː, bjɔː/}}, ''{{color\|green\|ceol}}, {{color\|#00A0DA\|ceòl}}'' {{IPA\|/k´oːl, k´ɔːl/}}, ''{{color\|green\|inniu}}, {{color\|#00A0DA\|an-diugh}}'' {{IPA\|/əˈN´u(v), əN´ˈd´u/}}.

	and the two ''a''-diphthongs which appeared from breaking of older ''ē~~, ō~~'' before broad consonants, they survived to this day:		and the two ''a''-diphthongs which appeared from breaking of older ''ē'' (before broad consonants) and ''ō'', they survived to this day:
	* {{IPA\|/iːa̯/}} written ''ía'', eg. ''grían'' {{IPA\|/g´R´iːa̯n/}} ‘sun’ (from earlier *grēna, cf. gen.sg. ''gréine'' {{IPA\|/g´R´eːn´e/}}),		* {{IPA\|/iːa̯/}} written ''ía'', eg. ''grían'' {{IPA\|/g´R´iːa̯n/}} ‘sun’ (from earlier *grēna, cf. gen.sg. ''gréine'' {{IPA\|/g´R´eːn´e/}}),
	* {{IPA\|/uːa̯/}} written ''úa'', eg. ''trúag'' {{IPA\|/tRuːa̯ɣ/}} ‘sad’.		* {{IPA\|/uːa̯/}} written ''úa'', eg. ''trúag'' {{IPA\|/tRuːa̯ɣ/}} ‘sad’.

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:30, 6 February 2022
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	Also stressed short vowels {{IPA\|/i, a, e/}} could merge with {{IPA\|/u/}} to form short diphthongs:		Also stressed short vowels {{IPA\|/i, a, e/}} could merge with {{IPA\|/u/}} to form short diphthongs:
	* {{IPA\|/iu̯/}} written ''iu'', eg. ''fiur'' {{IPA\|/f´iu̯r/}} ~~‘man’~~ (dat.sg.),		* {{IPA\|/iu̯/}} written ''iu'', eg. ''(oc) fiur'' {{IPA\|/f´iu̯r/}} ‘(at) a man’ (dat.sg.),
	* {{IPA\|/au̯/}} written ''au'', eg. ''baullu'' {{IPA\|/bau̯Lu/}} ‘members’ (acc.pl. of ''ball'' {{IPA\|/baL/}}) – this early merged with {{IPA\|/u/}}, hence also ''bullu'' {{IPA\|/buLu/}},		* {{IPA\|/au̯/}} written ''au'', eg. ''baullu'' {{IPA\|/bau̯Lu/}} ‘members’ (acc.pl. of ''ball'' {{IPA\|/baL/}}) – this early merged with {{IPA\|/u/}}, hence also ''bullu'' {{IPA\|/buLu/}},
	* {{IPA\|/eu̯/}} written ''eu, eo'', eg. ''(dond) euch, eoch'' {{IPA\|/eu̯x/}} ‘(to the) horse’ (dat.sg. of ''ech'' {{IPA\|/ex/}}).		* {{IPA\|/eu̯/}} written ''eu, eo'', eg. ''(dond) euch, eoch'' {{IPA\|/eu̯x/}} ‘(to the) horse’ (dat.sg. of ''ech'' {{IPA\|/ex/}}).