Aids to the Pronunciation of Irish/Chapter 8

by the Christian Brothers

CHAPTER VIII.

Rules for the Tonic Accent.

50. The position of the stress of the voice in the pronunciation of words is one of the main factors in producing differences of dialect. The position of the stress is greatly influenced by the pitch of the voice. In Ulster the “falling inflection” is prevalent, whilst in the south of Ireland the “rising inflection” is general—i.e., in Munster the pitch of the voice in the second syllable is higher than in the first; in Ulster it is lower than in the first. Between the two extremes of the country every shade of variety exists.

51. In Ulster both pitch and stress are highest on the first syllable, and to this there is no exception. In Munster, the general rule of stress on the first syllable is often counteracted by the universal one of pitch on the second. Hence the word arán is pronounced a’ran in Ulster, in Munster, ’rán.

52. (1) In simple words the tonic accent or stress of the voice falls on the first syllable—

agus, capall, tobar, doras, balla, folaṁ, fada.

(2) In derived words the first syllable retains the tonic accent, unless a long vowel occurs in the second syllable—

bánuiġ, caillim, amanta, feiseanna, marcaiġ.

(3) When a long vowel occurs in the second syllable the tonic accent is drawn on to that syllable in Connaught and in Munster—

bradán, folláin, casán, fuiseog, casúr, coróin, Tomás, ordóg, guirtín, báidín, máilín, oileán, fuinneog.

(4) In Munster (but not in Connaught or in Clare) the terminations -aċ or aċt (eaċt), occurring in the second syllable will draw the tonic accent to themselves, except when there is a long vowel in the first syllable—

marcaċ, bacaċ, beannaċt, curraċ, peacaċ.

Notice the position of the accent in—

marcaċ (2nd), marcaiġ (1st); bacaċ (2nd), bacaiġ (1st); coileaċ, coiliġ; peacaċ, peacaiġ; beannaċt, beannuiġ.

(a) The termination (e)aċ does not draw the tonic accent over ṫ, but a long vowel sound does.

(1) laṫaċ, soiṫeaċ, faṫaċ, daṫaċ, caṫaċ, dlaṫaċ.

(2) taiṫiġe, caṫaoir, maiṫeaṁnas, breiṫeaṁnas, laṫaiġe.

(5) A long vowel in the second syllable cannot attract the tonic accent over a “protected liquid” (§ 59)—

iompáil (=iompóḋ in C), streanncán, dranntán, neanntóg. (6) In compound words the accent sometimes falls on the prefix,^[1] sometimes on the stem.

(a) When the component parts are fused together the accent falls on the prefix,* unless a long vowel in the second syllable draws the accent to itself: domblas, aiṁleas, aisiog, anfa (§ 20 (f)), fóirneart, anḃruiṫ, coṁursa, coṁairle, coṁaipeaṁ, aṫtuirre, coiṁeascar (=Kee-uss-gur), leaṫḋoras, banríoġain.

The accent is drawn from the first syllable by the long vowel in: neaṁṡuim (=na-heem), soiscéal, leaṫtaoḃ, leiṫscéal, coigcríoċ, eascáirdear, foiréigin.

Both syllables are equally accented in neaṁníḋ (nav′-nee), díombáḋ (dí-má), seandraoi, naoiḋeanán.

(b) In those words in which the component parts are still regarded as separable, the accent falls on the stem.

coiṁmeas, coṁaimsir, aiseirġe, coṁlosgaḋ, sean-aṫair, leas-ainm, do-ṁarḃṫa, iontuigseanaċ, inċreidte, coiṁċeangail, díċeannaim, neiṁṡeaḋ (=ne-fá).

53. The vowels in the syllable immediately preceding the accented syllable are shortened, and in many cases are almost entirely lost.

salaċ=s’laċ.	bacaċ=bŭcaċ.
fiosaċ=fisaċ.	coróin=cróin.
ciotóg=citóg.	poróiste=próiste.
arán=’rán.	tar éis=tréis.
casán=cŭsán.	idir=’dir.
curraċ=cŭraċ.	biorán=breán.
bradán=brădán	sparán=sprán.
beagán=bĭgán.	fuláir=f’láir.
	galánta=g’lánta.

54. There are some short words which are never stressed in ordinary conversation or reading; such as—(1) the definite article an, na; (2) the possessive adjectives mo, do, a; (3) the modern relative particle, as also the particles do- and a- used before some of the irregular verbs; (4) all particles such as go, gur, ní, naċ, níor, mura, &c., &c, used with verbs; (5) monosyllabic prepositions, &c.

These words are sometimes spoken of as proclitics, because they throw their accent on to the following noun or verb.

For example: an fear is pronounced as one word—viz., infear, with the accent on the second syllable; ar an gclár as one word of three syllables, with the tonic accent on the third syllable.

55. In Connaught and Munster ann is proclitic in annso, annsan, annsúd (i.e., ann is not accented, but throws its accent on to the following syllable):

Munster	-	annso′,	annsan′,	annsúd′,
Connaught	-	inseo′,	insin′,	in siúd′.
Ulster	-	ann′seo,	ann′sin,	ann′siúd.

56. The n of the singular article (an) is usually omitted (in pronunciation), unless a vowel immediately precedes or follows, e.g.—

as an tobar=as a’ tobar,

dún an doras=dún a’ doras;

but, an oiḋċe, tá an doras dúnta (=tá ’n, &c), go dtí an áit, &c.

When emphatic, however, the n is retained—

an fear so=in fear so,

an ḃean san=in ḃean san.

57. The preposition ag is usually pronounced eg or ig, though ge (from aige) is common in Munster.

The g of ag is not pronounced before verbal nouns beginning with a consonant:—

ag fás=ă fás; ag dul=ă dul;

but, ag ól, ag imirt.

If a vowel precedes and a consonant follows, the ag is suppressed: tá sé ag dul=tá sé ’dul.

Ġá or ḋá (before verbal nouns)=á (generally), the á being always stressed. The a of ag on the contrary is never stressed.

In the compounds of ag with the personal pronouns the accent falls on the second syllable in Munster. The a in second syllable in agam, agat, aca, although stressed = second a in “capall.”

58. As the student has now learned the rules which govern the position of the tonic accent, we shall introduce words of more than one syllable. In these exercises the words are not classified according to the vowel sounds, as in the first set of exercises.

(1)	capall	molfar	ólta	cara
	balla	fada	púca	míle
	sróna	faca	sonas	dúnann
	dada	tugann	cóta	tobar
	Nóra	sona	ólann	olann
	donas	píbe	mire	mílte
	cuma	solas	Síle	scilling

(2)	cipín	casóg	barróg	arán
	garsún	scadán	casán	casúr
	Tomás	ordóg	bradán	sparán
	marcaċ	bacaċ	tobac	salaċ
	sólás	dólás	plámás	bagún
	píbín	púcóg	súgán	bábóg
	tógann	árdán	curtar	droma
	rugas	fola	ólfar	fásann
	ólgar	fanann	dúnta	Éire
	púnta	gála	mála	dáta

(3)	codanna	amadán	ridire
	bádóra	dromanna	Sasana
	amanna	gigilim	píbíní
	cipíní	scamall	sagart

scaball	tácla	miste
amannta	crónán	slata
lingim	salann	lúbfar
stadann	danar	dólán
olcas	scata	dúnta

(4)	doras	salann	lingis
	bacann	bacaċ	stadas
	lasta	cosa	basa
	galar	pobal	ráfla
	sásta	súsa	taca
	masla	coda	crosta
	dána	móna	tugta
	bromaċ	mala	díle
	Éirinn	sodar	cliste

Reading Exercise.

(5) (a) Tá (a)n capall ag ól as^[2] an tobar.

(b) Níl an tobar san glan, aċ’ tá tart mór ar an gcapall. (pr. gapall (§ 139)).

(c) Cé h-é sin ag an doras.

(d) Tá Art annsan agus é ag imirt.

(e) Tugann sé an galún do Nóra.

(f) Glacann Nóra an galún.

(g) Tá an stól ar an urlár (M.u=ú (§ 73)).

(h) Níl an olann agam fós.

(i) Casfar ort fear agus mála mór faoi (M=fé) an ascall aige.

(j) Tá an donas ar an lá.

(l) Tá im (M.=ím (§ 72)) úr ar an arán. (l) Má tá na bróga glan agat, níl brón ort.

(m) Tá ocras mór ar an asal.

(n) Tá an doras mór glas.

(o) Stad annsan, tá an doras dúnta fós.

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1. This passing of the accent from the stem to the prefix has had the peculiar effect of giving compound, verbs a double conjugation in Old Irish—an uncontracted and a contracted inflection. The latter was used after such particles as ní, naċ, go, &c. For example—from the root “riṁ,” a number, with the prefix “aḋ” was formed the uncontracted present, “aḋriṁi,” he counts, but after ní the contracted form was used—viz., ní áirṁi, he does not count (These words were not aspirated in writing in Old Irish—viz., adrimi, áirmi, rim). The accent was on the stem in aḋriṁi, but on the prefix in áirṁi.
   
   The verbs which are called “irregular” in Modern Irish are only survivals of this double inflection—e.g., do-ḃeirim, I give (accent on ḃeir); ní ṫaḃ(ai)raim=ní ṫaḃraim I do not give (=ní ḋo-ḃ(ei)raim) with accent on the prefix.
2. as, out of, is pronounced ass.
   as or is, and, „iss.