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User:Mahagaja/Irish bh and mh

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In Irish, the digraphs bh and mh (also, especially in Gaelic type, ḃ and ṁ) represent the lenition of b and m respectively, either synchronically (initial position only) or historically (in most cases noninitially). The two digraphs are pronounced identically in most contexts.

As is generally the case in Irish orthography, the value of a consonant letter depends on what the closest vowel letter is: if the nearest vowel letter is one of a, o, or u, the consonant is considered "broad", while if the nearest vowel letter is one of e or i, the consonant in considered "slender". Broad bh and mh stand in general for the phoneme /w/ (including its allophone [vˠ]), while slender bh and mh stand for /vʲ/ (see Irish phonology for a full explanation of these symbols). Examples, using the pronunciation of Ring, County Waterford,[1] include: bhuail /wuəlʲ/ "struck", sábháil /sˠaːˈwaːlʲ/ "act of saving", dubh /d̪ˠʊw/ "black"; bheadh /vʲɛx/ "would be", saibhir /ˈsˠɛvʲəɾʲ/ "rich", agaibh /(ə)ˈɡɪvʲ/ "at you (plural)".

Word-internal -abh-
Broad bh merges with a preceding stressed a or ea to form the diphthong /əu/ in all dialects. In Munster and Connacht, an unstressed vowel is deleted after this diphthong, with the result that (e)abha(i) also corresponds to /əu/ in those dialects. Examples, using the pronunciation of Cois Fhairrge,[2] include: abhainn /əun̠ʲ/ "river", seabhac /ʃəuk/ "hawk". Forms of the verb tabhair "give" are exceptional in many dialects: /t̪ˠuːɾʲ/ in West Muskerry and the Dingle Peninsula,[3][4] /t̪ˠoːɾʲ/ in Connacht.
In Donegal, (e)abh stands for the diphthong /au/ only before another consonant, e.g. Eabhrais /ˈauɾˠəʃ/ "Hebrew language", cabhlach /ˈkauɫax/ "fleet".[5] The spelling (e)abha(i), on the other hand, stands for the monophthong /oː/, e.g. gabhar /ɡoːɾˠ/ "goat", feabhas /fʲoːsˠ/ "excellence". This /oː/ contrasts with /ɔː/ spelled ó(i), eo(i), so the pair leabhar "book"/(go) leor "enough", contrast in Donegal as /l̠ʲoːɾˠ/ vs. /l̠ʲɔːɾˠ/ (compare Munster and Connacht, where they are pronounced /l̠ʲəuɾˠ/ vs. /l̠ʲoːɾˠ/).
Word-internal -ibh-
In Connacht and Ulster, word-internal slender bh is pronounced /vʲ/ as expected. In Munster, however, it is not pronounced in most cases when a short vowel letter follows. A preceding short vowel is lengthened or diphthongized, while a following schwa is deleted.[6] Examples include sléibhe /ʃlʲeː/ "mountain (genitive singular)", sléibhte /ˈʃlʲeːtʲə/ "mountains", taibhseach /ˈt̪ˠəiʃəx/ "showy", taibhreamh /ˈt̪ˠəiɾˠəw/ "dream", Eibhlín /əiˈlʲiːnʲ/ "Evelyn; Eileen", cuibhreach /ˈkiːɾʲəx/ "fetter". Exceptions include saibhir /ˈsˠɛvʲəɾʲ/ "rich" and aoibhinn /ˈiːvʲəɲ/ "charming".[1]
Word-finally
At the end of a word after a stressed vowel, bh generally has its usual pronunciation of /vʲ/ when slender and /w/ (or its allophone [vˠ]) when broad, e.g. treibh /tʲɾʲɛvʲ/ "tribe",[7] dubh /d̪ˠʊw/ "black".[4] A notable exception to this is that in the Aran Islands and Connemara, the word sibh "you (plural)" and the monosyllabic inflected prepositions in the second person plural (díbh "from you (pl.)", daoibh "to you (pl.)", fúibh "under you (pl.)", libh "with you (pl.)", uaibh "from you (pl.)", tríbh "through you (pl.)") are pronounced with /bʲ/ instead of expected /vʲ/.[2][8] In Mayo and Donegal, the words gabh "take; go" and raibh "was" are exceptionally pronounced [ɡo] and [ɾˠo].[7][9]
Very few Irish words end in broad bh after an unstressed vowel; one of the few is áitreabh "habitation". It is apparently pronounced the same as word-final broad mh after an unstressed vowel.[6]
Word-final slender bh after an unstressed vowel is found mostly in the second personal plural forms of inflected prepositions, e.g. agaibh "at you (pl.)", oraibh "on you (pl.)". It was formerly found in the dative plural of nouns as well, but such forms no longer exist in the spoken language and are archaic in the written language. Word-final unstressed -(a)ibh is pronounced [əvʲ] in Munster and Donegal, [iː] in Connacht.
After r, l, and n
As mentioned below, an unwritten epenthetic vowel [ə] is heard when one of the consonants r, l, or n precedes bh. In Connacht and Ulster, if this sequence is word-final and broad, the resulting /ə/ + /w/ sequence surfaces as /uw/ or /uː/, as in marbh /ˈmˠaɾˠuː/ "dead", balbh /ˈbˠaɫ̪uː/ "mute", banbh /ˈbˠan̪ˠuː/ "young pig".[8][2][10][7][5] Word-internally, expected /ə/ + /w/ + /ə/ surfaces as /uː/ in all major dialects, e.g. arbhar /ˈaɾˠuːɾˠ/ or /aˈɾˠuːɾˠ/ "grain", searbhas /ʃaˈɾˠuːsˠ/ "sarcasm".[1]
The group bhf
The group bhf represents two different pairs of phonemes depending on its position in the word. At the beginning of a word, it indicates the eclipsis of f and stands for /w/ (broad) and /vʲ/ (slender). Examples, using the pronunciation of the Dingle Peninsula,[4] include: bhfuacht /wuəxt̪ˠ/ "cold", bhfeirm /ˈvʲɛɾʲəmʲ/ "farm". In the middle of a word, it occurs in the future and conditional tenses of verbs whose stem ends in bh, and stands for /fˠ/ (broad) and /fʲ/ (slender). Example: scríobhfaidh mé /ˈʃcɾʲiːfˠə mʲə/ "I will write".[9]
Other notes
The word bhur "your (plural)" has an unexpected pronunciation in almost all dialects: /uːɾˠ/ in Munster,[1][3] /ə/ in Connacht,[8][2][10][7], /mˠəɾˠ/ in Donegal.[9][5]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Breatnach, Risteard B. (1947). The Irish of Ring, Co. Waterford. Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. ISBN 0-901282-50-2.
  2. ^ a b c d de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1966). The Irish of Cois Fhairrge, Co. Galway (2nd edn. ed.). Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. ISBN 0-901282-51-0. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help)
  3. ^ a b Ó Cuív, Brian (1944). The Irish of West Muskerry, Co. Cork. Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. ISBN 0-901282-52-9.
  4. ^ a b c Ó Sé, Diarmuid (2000). Gaeilge Chorca Dhuibhne (in Irish). Dublin: Institiúid Teangeolaíochta Éireann. ISBN 0-946452-97-0.
  5. ^ a b c Quiggin, E. C. (1906). A dialect of Donegal. Cambridge University Press.
  6. ^ a b O'Rahilly, T. F. (1932). Irish Dialects Past and present. Dublin: Browne and Nolan. Reprinted 1972 by the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. ISBN 0-901282-55-3.
  7. ^ a b c d Mhac an Fhailigh, Éamonn (1968). The Irish of Erris, Co. Mayo. Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. ISBN 0-901282-02-2.
  8. ^ a b c Finck, Franz Nikolaus (1899). Die araner mundart  (in German). Marburg: N. G. Elwert.
  9. ^ a b c Wagner, Heinrich (1959). Gaeilge Theilinn (in Irish). Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. ISBN 1-85500-055-5.
  10. ^ a b de Búrca, Seán (1958). The Irish of Tourmakeady, Co. Mayo. Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. ISBN 0-901282-49-9.
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