Irish/Déise Irish/Déise Phonology

All phonemic transcriptions will be directly followed by forms with standardised spelling and grammar. Forms in brackets are offered dialectal alternatives.

Vowels

Short Unstressed Monophthongs

The following monophthongs occur in unstressed environments, though a number of exceptions are noted.

/ə/ unstressed central vowel

[ə] mid central vowel

(Breatnach 1947, ə¹)

Between two consonants of velar quality:

• /kuːnˠtˠəs/ cuntas (cúntas) an account
• /kuːrˠəmˠ/ cúram care
• /dˠerˠəxə/ dorcha dark
• /fˠelˠəṽˠ/ folamh empty
• /gˠɑrˠəvˠ/ garbh rough
• /mˠəˈkɑːnˠtˠə/ macánta honest, good-natured

Absolute final position following a consonant of velar quality:

• /dˠerˠəxə/ dorcha dark
• /mˠəˈkɑːnˠtˠə/ macánta honest, good-natured
• /mˠelˠə/ moladh verbal noun of mol praise
• /mˠirˠkə/ iomarca (murca) too much
• /rˠəurˠtˠə/ rabharta (robharta) a spring tide

[ɘ] high-mid central unrounded vowel

(Breatnach 1947, ə²)

Between two consonants of palatal quality:

• /-/ cleith (cileach) a fishing rod

Absolute final position following a consonant of palatal quality:

[ɵ] high-mid central rounded vowel

(Breatnach 1947, ə³)

Short Stressed Monophthongs

The following monophthongs occur in stressed environments, though a number of exceptions are noted.

In particular, non-absolute initial low vowels /a/ and /ɑ/ do not reduce to /ə/ in the unstressed initial syllable where the stressed second syllable contains a high long vowel /iː/ or /uː/:

• /lʲaˈnˠuːnʲtʲ/ leanúint verbal noun of lean follow
• /bʲaˈnˠuː/ beannú verbal noun of beannaigh bless
• /bˠɑˈlʲuː/ bailiú verbal noun of bailigh gather
• /kɑˈlʲiːnʲ/ cailín a young woman
• /kɑˈhˠiːrʲ/ cathaoir a chair

In exception to the above, the low vowel /ɑ/ does not reduce to /ə/ in the unstressed initial syllable where the stressed second syllable contains the mid long vowel /eː/ in at least one instance:

• /kɑpˠˈtˠeːnʲ/ captaen (captaein) a captain

In another exception to vowel reduction, non-absolute initial low vowels /a/ and /ɑ/ do not reduce to /ə/ in the unstressed initial syllable of a verb where the stressed second syllable consists of a verbal ending with the long vowel /oː/:

• /ʃaˈsoː ʃeː/ seasfaidh sé (seasó sé) future masculine singular of seas (seasaigh) stand
• /hʲaˈsoːx ʃeː/ sheasfadh sé (seasóch sé) conditional masculine singular of seas (seasaigh) stand
• /mˠɑˈrˠoː ʃeː/ maróidh sé (maró sé) future masculine singular of maraigh kill
• /ṽˠɑˈrˠoːx ʃeː/ mharódh sé (mharóch sé) conditional masculine singular of maraigh kill

Where the stress is contained in the third syllable, the vowel in the first syllable does not reduce to /ə/:

• /bˠɑlˠəˈvˠɑːnˠ/ balbhán a dumb person, a silent person
• /kelˠəˈmˠuːrʲ/ colmóir (colmúir) a hake
• /sbʲalˠəˈdˠoːrʲ/ spealadóir a reaper, a scytheman
• /anʲəˈṽʲiː/ ainmhí an animal

In exception to the above, the low vowel /ɑ/ does reduce to /ə/ (and is usually deleted in absolute initial position unless immediately preceded by a word ending in a consonant) in the unstressed initial syllable where the third syllable contains the stress in at least one instance:

• /(ə)mˠəˈdˠɑːnˠ/ amadán a fool

/a/ low front vowel

[a] low front unrounded vowel

(Breatnach 1947, a¹)

Absolute initial position preceding a consonant of palatal quality:

• /abʲəɟ/ aibigh ripen, mature

Following a consonant of palatal quality:

/ɑ/ low back vowel

[ɑ̈] low central unrounded vowel

(Breatnach 1947, a²)

[ɑ] low back unrounded vowel

(Breatnach 1947, a³)

/e/ mid vowel

[e̞] mid front unrounded vowel

(Breatnach 1947, e¹)

[ɜ] low-mid central unrounded vowel

(Breatnach 1947, e²)

[o̞] mid back rounded vowel

(Breatnach 1947, o)

/i/ high vowel

[ɪ] near-high near-front unrounded vowel

(Breatnach 1947, i¹)

Absolute word-initial position preceding a consonant of palatal quality:
/iʃɟə/ uisce, /ihʲəmʲ/ ithim.

Between two consonants of palatal quality:
/mʲinʲəc/ minic, /mʲiʃə/ mise, /mʲiʃdʲə/ miste, /eː ʃinʲ/ é sin, /ʃiɲə/ sinne, /tʲinʲə/ tine.

[ɪ̈] near-high central unrounded vowel

(Breatnach 1947, i²)

[ʊ] near-high near-back rounded vowel

(Breatnach 1947, u¹)

[ʊ̈] near-high central rounded vowel

(Breatnach 1947, u²)

Long Monophthongs

/ɑː/ long low back unrounded vowel

[ɑː] long low back unrounded vowel

(Breatnach 1947, a:)

/eː/ long mid front unrounded vowel

[eː] long high-mid front unrounded vowel

(Breatnach 1947, e:¹)

[ɘː] long high-mid central unrounded vowel

(Breatnach 1947, e:²)

[ɜː] long low-mid central unrounded vowel

(Breatnach 1947, e:³)

/oː/ long mid back rounded vowel

[oː] long high-mid back rounded vowel

(Breatnach 1947, o:¹)

[o̞ː] long mid back rounded vowel

(Breatnach 1947, o:²)

[ɵː] long high-mid central rounded vowel

(Breatnach 1947, o:³)

/iː/ long high front unrounded vowel

[iː] long high front unrounded vowel

(Breatnach 1947, i:¹)

[i̠ː] long high near-front unrounded vowel

(Breatnach 1947, i:²)

/uː/ long high front unrounded vowel

[uː] long high back rounded vowel

(Breatnach 1947, u:¹)

[u̟ː] long high near-back rounded vowel

(Breatnach 1947, u:²)

Diphthongs

/iə/

[iə]

(Breatnach 1947, iə¹)

[i̠ə]

(Breatnach 1947, iə²)

[iɘ]

(Breatnach 1947, iə³)

/ia/

[i̞æ̈]

(Breatnach 1947, ia)

/uə/

[uɘ]

(Breatnach 1947, uə¹)

[uə]

(Breatnach 1947, uə²)

Nasalisation

All vowels undergo varying degrees of allophonic nasalisation when neighbouring a consonant of nasal quality.

Where a historical consonant of nasal quality has since become lost in a word while the vowel has retained its nasalisation, that vowel has since phonemicised as a nasal vowel and should be marked as such in phonemic transcription.

Pretonic Syllable Reduction

In absolute initial pretonic position, /ə/ usually undergoes vowel deletion, reducing the number of syllables in a lexeme:

There is at least one a case of permanent vowel deletion in absolute initial position being pronounced in all environments:

• /rʲɑːnˠ/ arán (reán) bread

In the initial syllable preceding a coronal sonorant, where the second syllable holds the stress, /ə/ usually undergoes vowel deletion, reducing the number of syllables in a lexeme:

Consonants

Coronal Sonorants

/rʲ/

There is at least one a case of permanent palatalisation in absolute initial position being pronounced in all environments:

• /rʲɑːnˠ/ arán (reán) bread