A Pronunciation Guide to Erse (Irish & Highland Gaelic)
By Wordworx
In accordance with Miss Peggy's wishes, what follows is a "condensed" key to the pronunciation of the original dialect of Eire, known as "Erse." It is also similar to the Scots' vernacular---in the main---although the Celts differed slightly in their enunciation.Single hard consonants retain their sound as in regular English, although usually not when in direct combination with other consonants. However in some of the consonant-combinations, the first letter is silent.
dh: pronounced as the English "th" in thin
bh: pronounced as the English "v", if at the end of a word
th: pronounced as the single English letter "t". In some words however, the "t" is silent, while the "h" is still English "h"
ch: pronounced as the single English letter "k"
dt: is sounded as "t", the "d" is silent
mb: pronounced as the English "b", the "m" is silent
bh: pronounced the same as English "h", at the beginning of a word
fh: is a bit different; the "h" is silent while the "f" is English "f"
mh: pronounced as "mb" as in English "lamb"
sc: pronounced the same as in English "sh"
gc: pronounced as English "qu" or "kw" as in "quiet"
[b]gh: pronounced as English "g", the "h" is silent
[i]dr: the "d" is silent, the "r" is English "r"
As to vowels, I do not have the inflection keys on my keyboard, so a vowel followed by an apostrophe denotes a rising intonation of the vowel preceding it.
a: by itself is usually pronounced as English short "u"
a': pronounced as English "aw"
ai: pronounced as English "i"
ai': pronounced as English long "e"
e: pronounced as English "uh"
e': pronounced as English long "a"
ea: pronounced as English short "a" or "aw"
i: pronounced as English short "e"
i': pronounced as English "ay"
o: pronounced sometimes as either English long or short "o"
o': always long English "o"
u: pronounced the same as English long "u" or "oo"
w: strange, yes, but this letter is also used sometimes as the long English vowel "u", ergo, "double-u"
Phrases in Erse
Beannachtai' na Fe'ile Pa'draig oraibh!
(Ban-nuk-tee nuh Fay-luh Paw-rig o-riv)
Happy St. Patrick's Day to you all!
Beaga'n agus a ra' go maith
(Bah-gawn uhgoos uh raw go miit)
Say little but say it well
Beannacht De' leat!
(Ban-uk Day lat)
God's blessing go with you!
Go n-e'iri' do thuras leat!
(Go nay-er-ay dah too-rus lat)
May your trip succeed with you.
Go n-e'iri' an bo'thar leat!
(Go nay-er-ay un bo-tar lat)
May the road succeed with you!
Ma's e' do thoil e'
(Mawss ay do to-el ay)
Please
Go raibh maith agat
(Go riiv miit uh-gut)
Thank you
Bui'ochas le Dia
(Boo-ay-okus luh De-uh)
Thank God
Na' bac leis
(Naw bus luh-ees)
Never mind
Bi' curamach
(Bay koo-ruh-muk)
Be careful
Bi' ciu'in
(Bay kee-oo-en)
Be quiet
Du'n do bheal
(Doo-un daw hawl)
Shut your mouth
Gabh mo leithsce'al
(Guv maw luh-eet-shay-ul)
Pardon me
Eistigi liom
(Ees-tee-gee lee-om)
Listen to me
Abair e' sin ari's, le do thoil
(A-bi-er ay seen uh-rays, luh daw tawl)
Say it again, please
Sla'n leat
(Slawn lat)
Goodbye [if you're staying]
Sla'n agat
(Slawn uh-gut)
Goodbye [if you're leaving]
Sonas ort!
(Shawnus awrt!)
Happiness on you!, [and also Thank You!]
Maith thu'l
(Mite tool)
Good for you
Mo sheacht mbeanacht ort!
(Maw shawk ban-uk awrt!)
My seven blessings on you!
Go maire tu'l
(Gaw mi-er tool)
May you live long
Rath De' ort!
(Ruht Day awrt!)
God bless you! also God's bounty on you!
Go gcuire Dia an ta'dh ort!
(Gaw kwi-er De-uh uhn tawth awrt!)
May God put luck on you!
Beannacht De' leat!
(Ban-nuk Day lat!)
God's blessing with you
Bail o' Dhia ort!
(Bile o De-uh awrt!)
Prosperity from God on you!
Go raibh mi'le maith agat!
(Gaw riiv mayl mite uh-gut!)
May you have a thousand good things!
Erin go braugh!
(Awr-in gaw brow!)
God bless Ireland!
And just one malediction, I suppose . . .
Loscadh is do' ort!
(Luh-shath ees do awrt!)
Scorching and burning on you!
This information was culled from my family archives, and personal memorabilia. My mother's side of the family were pure Scots (Pilands), my father's side predominantly Irish (Richards).
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