Discussion
Ask a question about 'Munster Irish' Start a new discussion about 'Munster Irish' Answer questions from other users |
{{IPA-ga notice}}
[[Image:Gaeltachtai le hainmneacha2.svg|thumb|right|The three dialects of the Irish language, with Munster in the south.]]
'''Munster Irish''' is the [[dialect]] of the [[Irish language]] spoken in the province of [[Munster]]. [[Gaeltacht]] regions in Munster are found in the [[Dingle Peninsula]] [[Gaeltacht]] of west [[County Kerry|Kerry]], in the [[Iveragh Peninsula]] in south Kerry, in [[Cape Clear Island]] off the coast of west [[County Cork|Cork]], in West [[Muskerry]]; [[Coolea]], [[Ballingeary]], [[Ballyvourney]], [[Kilnamartyra]], and Renaree of central [[County Cork|Cork]]; and in the [[Ring, County Waterford|Ring]] Gaeltacht in west [[County Waterford|Waterford]]. The north and west of [[Corca Dhuibhne]] are today the only place in the province of Munster where Irish has survived as the daily spoken language of most of the community although the language is spoken on a daily basis by a minority in other official [[Gaeltacht]] areas in the province. Historically, the Irish language was spoken throughout the province of [[Munster]] and Munster Irish had some influence on those parts of [[Connacht]] and [[Leinster]] bordering [[Munster]] such as [[Kilkenny]], [[Wexford]] and south [[Galway]] and the [[Aran Islands]].
Munster dialect played an important role in the Gaelic Revival of the early 20th century. The noted author [[Peadar Ua Laoghaire]] wrote in Munster dialect and stated that he wrote his novel ''[[oldwikisource:Séadna|Séadna]]'' to show younger people what he viewed as good Irish.
[[Peig Sayers]] was illiterate, but her autobiography, ''Peig'', is also in Munster dialect and rapidly became a key text. Other influential Munster works are the autobiographies ''Fiche Blian ag Fás'' by [[Muiris Ó Súilleabháin]] and ''An tOileánach'' by [[Tomás Ó Criomhthain]].
==Lexicon==
Munster Irish differs from the [[Ulster Irish|Ulster]] and [[Connacht Irish|Connacht dialects]] in a number of respects. Some words and phrases used in Munster Irish are not used in the other dialects, such as:
(Corca Dhuibhne, West Muskerry, Waterford) or {{lang|ga|''ar aon chor''}} (Clear Island, West Carberry) "at any rate" (other dialects {{lang|ga|''ar chor ar bith''}} (Connacht) and {{lang|ga|''ar scor ar bith''}} (Ulster) "under" (standard {{lang|ga|''faoi''}}) "Irish language" (Cork and Kerry), {{lang|ga|''Gaeilinn''}} (Waterford) (standard {{lang|ga|''Gaeilge''}}) "that...not; do not" (standard {{lang|ga|''nach''}}) "also" (Connacht {{lang|ga|''freisin''}}, Ulster {{lang|ga|''fosta''}}) or {{lang|ga|''atso''}} "here" and {{lang|ga|''ansan''}} or {{lang|ga|''atsan''}} "there" instead of standard {{lang|ga|''anseo''}} and {{lang|ga|''ansin''}}, respectively
* In both demonstrative pronouns and adjectives speakers of Munster Irish diffentiate between {{lang|ga|''seo''}} "this" and {{lang|ga|''sin''}} "that" following a palatalised consonant or front vowel and {{lang|ga|''so''}} "this" and {{lang|ga|''san''}} "that" following a velarised consonant or back vowel in final position: {{lang|ga|''an bóthar so''}} "this road", {{lang|ga|''an bhó san''}} "that cow", {{lang|ga|''an chairt sin''}} "that cart", {{lang|ga|''an claí seo''}} "this fence"
* the use of {{lang|ga|''thá''}} instead of {{lang|ga|''tá''}} in the extreme west of Corca Dhuibhne and in Ring
* the preposition {{lang|ga|''chuig''}} "to, towards", common in [[Connacht Irish]] and [[Ulster Irish]] where it developed as a back formation from the 3rd person singular preposition ''chuige'' "towards him" is not used in Munster. The form ''chun'' (from Classical Irish ''do chum''), also found in the West and North, is used in preference.
* Munster Irish uses a fuller range of "looking" verbs, while these in Connacht and Ulster are restricted: {{lang|ga|''féachaint''}} "looking", "watching", {{lang|ga|''breithniú''}} "carefully observing", {{lang|ga|''amharc''}} "look, watch", ''glinniúint'' "gazing, staring", ''sealladh'' "looking" etc.
* the historic dative form {{lang|ga|''tigh''}} "house", as in Scots and Manx Gaelic, is now used as the nominative form (Standard {{lang|ga|''teach''}})
* Munster retains the historic form of the personal pronoun {{lang|ga|''sinn''}} "us" which has largely been replaced with {{lang|ga|''muid''}} (or {{lang|ga|''muinn''}} in parts of Ulster) in most situations in Connacht and Ulster.
* [[Corca Dhuibhne]] and [[Ring, County Waterford|Ring]] use the independent form {{lang|ga|''cím''}} (earlier {{lang|ga|''do-chím''}}) "I see" as well as the dependent form ''ficim / feicim '' (earlier {{lang|ga|''ad-chím''}}), while [[Muskerry]] and Clear Island use the forms ''chím'' (independent) and ''ficim''.
* The adverbial forms {{lang|ga|''chuige'', ''a chuige''}} in [[Corca Dhuibhne]] and {{lang|ga|''a chuigint''}} "at all" in [[Ring, County Waterford|Ring]] are sometimes used in addition to {{lang|ga|''in aon chor''}} or {{lang|ga|''ar aon chor''}}
* The adjective {{lang|ga|''cuibheasach''}} {{IPA|/kiːsəx/}} is used adverbially in phrases such as {{lang|ga|''cuibheasach beag''}} "rather small", "fairly small", {{lang|ga|''cuibheasach mór''}} "quite large". Connacht uses {{lang|ga|''sách''}} and Ulster {{lang|ga|''íontach''}}, {{lang|ga|''pioc''}}, ''puinn'' and ''tada'' in West Munster, {{lang|ga|''dada''}} in Ring, {{lang|ga|''ní dúrt pioc''}} "I said nothing at all", {{lang|ga|''níl faic dá bharr agam''}} "I have gained nothing by it"
* The interjections {{lang|ga|''ambaiste'', ''ambaist'', ''ambasa'', ''ambaic''}} "Indeed!", "My word!", "My God!" in West Munster and {{lang|ga|''amaite'', ''amaite fhéinig''}} in Ring (''ambaiste'' = ''dom bhaisteadh'' "by my baptism", ''am basa'' = ''dom basaibh'' "by my palms", ''ambaic'' = ''dom baic'' "by my heeding"; ''amaite'' = ''dom aite'' "my oddness") "sudden" instead of {{lang|ga|''tobann''}} in the other major dialects "potato", {{lang|ga|''fata''}} in Connacht and {{lang|ga|''préata''}} in Ulster "suitable", {{lang|ga|''feiliúnach''}} in Connacht and {{lang|ga|''fóirsteanach''}} in Ulster in Connacht and {{lang|ga|''bomaite''}} in [[Donegal]]
* Munster differentiates between {{lang|ga|''ach go háirithe''}} "anyway", "anyhow" and {{lang|ga|''go háirithe''}} "particularly", "especially" "soap", {{lang|ga|''gallaoireach''}} in Connacht and {{lang|ga|''sópa''}} in Ulster is "difference" in Munster, and is a Latin loan : {{lang|ga|''níl aon deifir eatarthu''}} "there is no difference between them"; the Gaelic word ''deifir'' "hurry" is retained in the other dialects. or {{lang|ga|''deithneas''}} "hurry" whereas the other major dialects use {{lang|ga|''deifir''}} used instead of standard {{lang|ga|''-(i)úil''}} in [[Dún Chaoin]] in words such as {{lang|ga|''suimeamhail''}}, {{lang|ga|''cáirdeamhail''}}, {{lang|ga|''oifigeamhail''}}, etc. instead of standard {{lang|ga|''suimiúil''}}, {{lang|ga|''cáirdiúil''}}, {{lang|ga|''oifigiúil''}}, etc.
==Phonology==
The [[phoneme|phonemic]] inventory of Munster Irish (based on the accent of West Muskerry in western [[County Cork|Cork]]) is as shown in the following chart (based on {{Harvnb|Ó Cuív|1944}}; see [[International Phonetic Alphabet]] for an explanation of the symbols). Symbols appearing in the upper half of each row are [[velarization|velarized]] (traditionally called "broad" consonants) while those in the bottom half are [[palatalization|palatalized]] ("slender"). The consonant {{IPA|/h/}} is neither broad or slender.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Consonant
phonemes
! colspan="2" rowspan="2"| [[Bilabial consonant|Bilabial]]
! colspan="6" | [[Coronal consonant|Coronal]]
! colspan="4" | [[Dorsal consonant|Dorsal]]
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" | [[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Dental consonant|Dental]]
! colspan="2" | [[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
! colspan="2" | [[Palato-alveolar consonant|Palato-
alveolar]]
! colspan="2" | [[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
! colspan="2" | [[Velar consonant|Velar]]
|-
!| [[Stop consonant|Plosive]]
| style="border-right-width: 0;" | {{IPA|pˠ}}
{{IPA|pʲ}} || style="border-left-width: 0;" | {{IPA|bˠ}}
{{IPA|bʲ}}
| style="border-right-width: 0;" | {{IPA|t̪ˠ}}
|| style="border-left-width: 0;" | {{IPA|d̪ˠ}}
| style="border-right-width: 0;" |
{{IPA|tʲ}} || style="border-left-width: 0;" |
{{IPA|dʲ}}
| style="border-right-width: 0;" | || style="border-left-width: 0;" |
| style="border-right-width: 0;" |
{{IPA|c}} || style="border-left-width: 0;" |
{{IPA|ɟ}}
| style="border-right-width: 0;" | {{IPA|k}}
|| style="border-left-width: 0;" | {{IPA|ɡ}}
| style="border-right-width: 0;" | || style="border-left-width: 0;" |
|-
!| [[Fricative consonant|Fricative]]/
[[Approximant consonant|Approximant]]
| style="border-right-width: 0;" | {{IPA|ɸˠ}}
{{IPA|ɸʲ}} || style="border-left-width: 0;" | {{IPA|βˠ}}
{{IPA|βʲ}}
| style="border-right-width: 0;" | || style="border-left-width: 0;" |
| style="border-right-width: 0;" | {{IPA|sˠ}}
|| style="border-left-width: 0;" |
| style="border-right-width: 0;" |
{{IPA|ʃ}} || style="border-left-width: 0;" |
| style="border-right-width: 0;" |
{{IPA|ç}} || style="border-left-width: 0;" |
{{IPA|j}}
| style="border-right-width: 0;" | {{IPA|x}}
|| style="border-left-width: 0;" | {{IPA|ɣ}}
| style="border-right-width: 0;" | {{IPA|h}} || style="border-left-width: 0;" |
|-
!| [[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
| style="border-right-width: 0;" | || style="border-left-width: 0;" | {{IPA|mˠ}}
{{IPA|mʲ}}
| style="border-right-width: 0;" | || style="border-left-width: 0;" | {{IPA|n̪ˠ}}
| style="border-right-width: 0;" | || style="border-left-width: 0;" |
{{IPA|nʲ}}
| style="border-right-width: 0;" | || style="border-left-width: 0;" |
| style="border-right-width: 0;" | || style="border-left-width: 0;" |
{{IPA|ɲ}}
| style="border-right-width: 0;" | || style="border-left-width: 0;" | {{IPA|ŋ}}
| style="border-right-width: 0;" | || style="border-left-width: 0;" |
|-
!| [[Flap consonant|Tap]]
| style="border-right-width: 0;" | || style="border-left-width: 0;" |
| style="border-right-width: 0;" | || style="border-left-width: 0;" |
| style="border-right-width: 0;" | || style="border-left-width: 0;" | {{IPA|ɾˠ}}
{{IPA|ɾʲ}}
| style="border-right-width: 0;" | || style="border-left-width: 0;" |
| style="border-right-width: 0;" | || style="border-left-width: 0;" |
| style="border-right-width: 0;" | || style="border-left-width: 0;" |
| style="border-right-width: 0;" | || style="border-left-width: 0;" |
|-
!| [[Lateral consonant|Lateral
approximant]]
| style="border-right-width: 0;" | || style="border-left-width: 0;" |
| style="border-right-width: 0;" | || style="border-left-width: 0;" | {{IPA|l̪ˠ}}
| style="border-right-width: 0;" | || style="border-left-width: 0;" |
{{IPA|lʲ}}
| style="border-right-width: 0;" | || style="border-left-width: 0;" |
| style="border-right-width: 0;" | || style="border-left-width: 0;" |
| style="border-right-width: 0;" | || style="border-left-width: 0;" |
| style="border-right-width: 0;" | || style="border-left-width: 0;" |
|}
The [[vowel]]s of Munster Irish are as shown on the following chart. These positions are only approximate, as vowels are strongly influenced by the palatalization and velarization of surrounding consonants.
[[Image:Munster Irish vowel chart.svg|center|200px]]
In addition, Munster has the [[diphthong]]s {{IPA|/iə, ia, uə, əi, ai, au, ou/}}.
Some characteristics of Munster that distinguish it from the other dialects are:
* The [[fricative consonant|fricative]] {{IPA|[βˠ]}} is found in [[syllable onset|syllable-onset]] position. (Connacht and Ulster have {{IPA|[w]}} here.) For example, {{lang|ga|''bhog''}} "moved" is pronounced {{IPA|[βˠɔɡ]}} as opposed to {{IPA|[wɔɡ]}} elsewhere.
* The [[diphthong]]s {{IPA|/əi/}}, {{IPA|/ou/}}, and {{IPA|/ia/}} occur in Munster, but not in the other dialects.
* Word-internal [[consonant cluster|clusters]] of [[obstruent consonant|obstruent]] + [[sonorant consonant|sonorant]], {{IPA|[m]}} + {{IPA|[n/r]}}, and [[stop consonant|stop]] + fricative are broken up by an epenthetic {{IPA|[ə]}}, except that stop + [[liquid consonant|liquid]] remains in the onset of a [[stress (linguistics)|stressed]] [[syllable]]. For example, {{lang|ga|''eaglais''}} "church" is pronounced {{IPA|[ˈɑɡəl̪ˠɪʃ]}}, but {{lang|ga|''Aibreán''}} "April" is {{IPA|[aˈbrɑːn̪ˠ]}} (as if spelled ''Abrán'').
* Orthographic short ''a'' is diphthongized (rather than lengthened) before word-final ''m'' and the [[Old Irish language|Old Irish]] [[tenseness|tense]] sonorants spelled ''nn'', ''ll'' (e.g. {{lang|ga|''ceann''}} {{IPA|[kʲaun̪ˠ]}} "head").
* Word-final {{IPA|/j/}} is realized as {{IPA|[ɟ]}}, e.g. {{lang|ga|''marcaigh''}} "horsemen" {{IPA|[ˈmˠɑɾˠkɪɟ]}}.
* Stress is attracted to noninitial [[syllable weight|heavy syllables]]: {{lang|ga|''corcán''}} {{IPA|[kəɾˠˈkɑːn̪ˠ]}} "pot", {{lang|ga|''mealbhóg''}} {{IPA|[mʲal̪ˠəˈβˠoːɡ]}} "satchel". Stress is also attracted to {{IPA|[ax, ɑx]}} in the second syllable: {{lang|ga|''coileach''}} {{IPA|[kəˈlʲax]}} "rooster", {{lang|ga|''beannacht''}} {{IPA|[bʲəˈn̪ˠɑxt̪ˠ]}} "blessing", {{lang|ga|''bacacha''}} {{IPA|[bˠəˈkɑxə]}} "lame" (pl.).
* In some varieties, long {{IPA|/ɑː/}} is rounded to {{IPA|[ɒː]}}.
==Morphology==
[[Irish verbs]] are characterized by having a mixture of ''analytic'' forms (where information about [[grammatical person|person]] is provided by a [[pronoun]]) and ''synthetic'' forms (where information about number is provided in an ending on the verb) in their conjugation. In Munster synthetic forms are more often used than in the standard language, where analytic forms (those with a general ending + personal pronoun) are more common.
{|class="wikitable"
! Munster || Standard || Gloss
|-
| ''Present'' || ||
|-
| '''{{lang|ga|molaim}}''' || '''{{lang|ga|molaim}}''' || "I (sg.) praise"
|-
| '''{{lang|ga|molair}}''' || {{lang|ga|molann tú}} || "you (sg.) praise"
|-
| {{lang|ga|molann sé}} || {{lang|ga|molann sé}} || "he praises"
|-
| '''{{lang|ga|molaimíd}}''' || '''{{lang|ga|molaimid}}''' || "we praise"
|-
| {{lang|ga|molann sibh}} || {{lang|ga|molann sibh}} || "you (pl.) praise"
|-
| '''{{lang|ga|molaid (siad)}}''' || {{lang|ga|molann siad}} || "they praise"
|-
| ''Past'' || ||
|-
| '''{{lang|ga|mholas}}''' || {{lang|ga|mhol mé}} || "I praised"
|-
| '''{{lang|ga|mholais}}''' || {{lang|ga|mhol tú}} || "you (sg.) praised"
|-
| {{lang|ga|mhol sé}} || {{lang|ga|mhol sé}} || "he praised"
|-
| '''{{lang|ga|mholamair}}''' || '''{{lang|ga|mholamar}}''' || "we praised"
|-
| '''{{lang|ga|mholabhair}}''' || {{lang|ga|mhol sibh}} || "you (pl.) praised"
|-
| '''{{lang|ga|mholadar}}''' || {{lang|ga|mhol siad}} || "they praised"
|-
| ''Future'' || ||
|-
| '''{{lang|ga|molfad}}''' || {{lang|ga|molfaidh mé}} || "I will praise"
|-
| '''{{lang|ga|molfair}}''' || {{lang|ga|molfaidh tú}} || "you (sg.) will praise"
|-
| {{lang|ga|molfaidh sé}} || {{lang|ga|molfaidh sé}} || "he will praise"
|-
| '''{{lang|ga|molfaimíd}}''' || '''{{lang|ga|molfaimid}}''' || "we will praise"
|-
| {{lang|ga|molfaidh sibh}} || {{lang|ga|molfaidh sibh}} || "you (pl.) will praise"
|-
| '''{{lang|ga|molfaid (siad)}}''' || {{lang|ga|molfaidh siad}} || "they will praise"
|}
Some irregular verbs have different forms in Munster than in the standard (see [[Dependent and independent verb forms]] for the independent/dependent distinction):
{|class="wikitable"
! Munster independent|| Munster dependent|| Standard independent|| Standard dependent|| Gloss
|-
| {{lang|ga|chím}} || {{lang|ga|ní fheicim}} || {{lang|ga|feicim}} || {{lang|ga|ní fheicim}} || "I see, I do not see"
|-
| {{lang|ga|(do) chonac}} || {{lang|ga|ní fheaca}} || {{lang|ga|chonaic mé}} || {{lang|ga|ní fhaca mé}} || "I saw, I did not see"
|-
| {{lang|ga|deinim}} || {{lang|ga|ní dheinim}} || {{lang|ga|déanaim}} || {{lang|ga|ní dhéanaim}} || "I do, I do not"
|-
| {{lang|ga|(do) dheineas}} || {{lang|ga|níor dheineas}} || {{lang|ga|rinne mé}} || {{lang|ga|ní dhearna mé}} || "I did, I did not"
|-
| {{lang|ga|(do) chuas}} || {{lang|ga|ní dheaghas/níor chuas}} || {{lang|ga|chuaigh mé}} || {{lang|ga|ní dheachaigh mé}} || "I went, I did not go"
|-
| {{lang|ga|gheibhim}} || {{lang|ga|ní bhfaighim}} || {{lang|ga|faighim}} || {{lang|ga|ní fhaighim}} || "I get, I do not get"
|}
Past tense verbs can take the particle {{lang|ga|''do''}} in Munster Irish, even when they begin with consonants. In the standard language, the particle is used only before vowels. For example, Munster {{lang|ga|''do bhris sé''}} or {{lang|ga|''bhris sé''}} "he broke" (standard only {{lang|ga|''bhris sé''}}).
The [[Irish initial mutations|initial mutations]] of Munster Irish are generally the same as in the standard language and the other dialects. Some Munster speakers, however, use {{IPA|/ɾʲ/}} as the lenition equivalent of {{IPA|/ɾˠ/}} in at least some cases, as in {{lang|ga|''a rí''}} {{IPA|/ə ɾʲiː/}} "O king!" {{Harvcol|Sjoestedt|1931|p=46}}, {{lang|ga|''do rug''}} {{IPA|/d̪ˠə ɾʲʊɡ/}} "gave birth" {{Harvcol|Ó Cuív|1944|p=122}}, {{lang|ga|''ní raghaid''}} {{IPA|/nʲiː ɾʲəidʲ/}} "they will not go" {{Harvcol|Breatnach|1947|p=143}}.
==Syntax==
One significant [[syntax|syntactic]] difference between Munster and other dialects is that in Munster (excepting Rinn Ua gCuanach), {{lang|ga|''go''}} ("that") is used instead of {{lang|ga|''a''}} as the [[Irish syntax#Indirect relative|indirect relative]] particle:
"the man whose sister is in the hospital" (standard ''an fear a bhfuil...'')
Another difference is seen in the copula. {{lang|ga|''Fear is ea mé''}} is used in addition to {{lang|ga|''Is fear mé''}}.
==External links==
*[http://www.corkirish.com/ a blog and resources for the study of Cork Irish] {{ga icon}}
{{Irish linguistics}}