The (Irish) Gaelic Dialect(s) of County Antrim (1/?) - Reachraidh (Rathlin Island): Syllable Hiatus

'á léigheamh as:
Holmer, Nils M.: 1942.The Irish language in Rathlin Island, Co. Antrim. Todd Lecture Series, 18. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy.
archive.org/details/TheIrishL...
Ciarán Dunbar(rach):
/ @ciarandunbar263
Ciarán Ó Duibhín:
www3.smo.uhi.ac.uk/oduibhin/i...
bill.celt.dias.ie/vol4/author...
One should distinguish between “Old Gaelic/Irish hiatus” (loss of *w, *j, *s) and “Modern Gaelic hiatus” (loss of 'bh, dh, gh, th');
Old Gaelic/Irish hiatus resulted from the inter-vocalic loss of (at least) three Proto-Celtic sounds;
*w,
*j (Eng. “y”), and
single s (after becoming *h); Modern Gaelic 's' (which I would spell 'ss'…) usually derives from Proto-Celtic *st, *-ss, or *dt (*widtus, became *βissuh, became Old Gaelic ‘fiss’, Modern ‘fios’ [ɸʲɪs̻͆] “knowledge”, compare Latin ‘videō’ ‘I see’ (cf. vision, English ‘wit, wise, wizard’)
Mar shampla;
Proto-Celtic *[ˈwesaːkos] (compare Welsh “gwyach” (from *wesakkos) = Eng. “grebe (bird)”
Ancient Gaelic: *[ˈβʲe(h)axah]
Ancient Gaelic, around AD 500: *[hβ̥ʲɪ.ɑx] (note Ancient Gaelic short vowels regularly raised/mouth-narrowed before a hiatus, e.g. [ɛ.ɑ] became [ɪ.ɑ])
Old Gaelic/Irish, about AD 600: ‘fiach’ [ɸʲɪ.ɑx] “raven”, usually spelt 'fiäch' in modern Old Irish scholarship, but I prefer (and recommend you…) to represent hiatus with ’ in the place of the lost consonant, ‘fi’ach’ rather than ‘fiäch’).
Old Gaelic hiatus survives in Scotland but was lost in Ireland (except Rathlin, and at least nearby parts of coastal Antrim) near the end of the Old Gaelic period, around 900.
In modern Gaelic dialects in Rathlin and Scotland, “new” hiatus has arisen from the loss of intervocalic (=between vowels) fricatives;
bh = |β| (broad or slender),
dh = |ð| becoming |ɣ| (around 1200~1300)
gh = |ɣ|
th = |θ̣| becoming |h|
I san liosta-seo ‘ leanas d’ fhocail a bhfeil “méanughudh” iontu i gCo. Aontroma, úsáidim an litriughudh Clasaiceach, ar féidir le gach canmhain(t) a fhuaimniughudh féin a bhoin(t) as, de ghnáth (mura b’ionann agus an Caighdeán Oifigiúil), ach úas-chamóg (‘) mar chomhartha oir “mhéanughudh” ‘ bha ‘sa tSean-Ghaedhilg (agus ní “dh/gh/th” neamh-staireamhail mar ‘ úsáidtear in Albain fa láthair);
In the following list of words containing hiatus in Co. Antrim, I use the Classical spelling, from which all modern dialect pronunciations can usually be derived (unlike the Caighdeán Oifigiúil), except for an apostrophe (‘) to symbolise a hiatus that existed in Old Gaelic (and not an unetymological ‘dh/gh/th’ as is currently used in Scotland);
a-(fh)ri’is(t) = ‘again’ (Old Gaelic “a fhrithissi”, CO “arís”, Scottish “a-rithist”)
bhi’adh [βʲi.əg] ‘would be’ (or ‘used to be’?)
bleoghan [blʲo.ən] “milking”, CO 'bleán' (Old Gaelic 'blegan' from 'mlegan' "milking")
cá’óg [khɑ.ɑg] (in other dialects cá’óg became cáóg became cág) “jackdaw”
cla(dh?)acht [khlˠɛ̈.ɑxt͆] “digging”
crá’adh [kr̥a.əɡ] ‘tormenting’ (CO ‘crá’)
cru’a [kr̥ɯ.ə] (CO “crú”) “horse-shoe”
dó’adh /dɔː.əg/ (CO “dó”). Spellings with intervocalic dódh- and (better?) dógh- are un-etymological.
fa’ast [ɸɑ.ɑs͆t͆] (CO ‘fós’) adverb ‘still’
faghá(i?)l [ɸɑ.ɑl] (CO ‘fáil’) ‘getting’
fi’ach [ɸʲɪ.ɑx] agus [ɸʲɪ.əx] “raven” (compare one-syllable ‘fiach’ = ‘a debt’)
gnoithe [grɔ.ɪ] ‘business’
lá’a /l͆ˠa.ə/ “day” (Old Gaelic “láa” /l͆ˠɑ.ɑ/, Caighdeán Oifigiúil ‘lá’)
liugha [lʲɯ.ə] “a lithe (fish)”, compare CO ‘liús’ = ‘a luce, pike (fish’
mná’an ‘women’ (CO “mná”)
nigheanan [nʲɪ.ənən] (from Classical plural ‘ingheana’, became ‘inigheana’, became Rathlin _’nigheana(+n)_. CO “iníon, pl. iníonacha” = daughters
práidhinn [pr̥ɑ.ɪ̈n(ʲ)] (CO ‘práinn’)
ru(dh?)a [rɯ.ə] “a point” (hypothetically CO mis-spelling “rú”)
sci’an [skʲɪ.ən] ‘knife’
sci’ist [skʲɪ.ɪ̈ɕtʲ] = (noun) ‘rest’
ubhall /ʊβwʊ̈L̪ː/ (Old Gaelic 'ubull, uball', CO “úll”), craobhan ubhallan [krˠɛ̈βən ɯ.ələn] “apple trees”

[@ColmM36]

Any plans for looking at the Gaeilge of Maigh Eo?

[@dazza2350]

Interesting insights about the auld "Leinster" Irish. The eradication of the language in those areas is truly tragic, I hope that one day we can reconstruct it completely and teach that pronunciation in schools

[@neebeeshaabookwayg6027]

Iontach🎉🎉🎉 ☘️☘️☘️I am always thankful and happy when you share, and, teach your insight and studies!!! ❤❤❤ go raibh MILE MILE MILE 😊 maith agat...🏆🏆🏆🤗 I hope you are doing well! God bless you! Beannachtaí Dé ort agus ar do theach 🙏 Dios bendiga...

[@pio4362]

Some video ideas for your consideration, An Loingseach :) - (most requested) 1-2 hour conversation with Patchy in full unbridled, uncompromising, gan béarlachas Gaelic. - A conversation with Dazpatreg. You might give him a run for his money at impressions of the dialects. - A conversation between you (a strong native Munster speaker) and a strong native Scottish speaker. Test for intelligibility. - A conversation with Prof. Raymond Hickey - the foremost authority of Hiberno English accents, who has also published on dialects of the Irish language. Ye could touch on the topic of the increasing Anglicisation/de-Gaelisation of the English of the bourgeois Irish class and its dire repercussions for when such people try to speak Gaelic without accent modification. And worse: when these people then decide they can teach the Irish language, proliferating a virus of mispronunciation. - A lecture on the influence of Seathrún Chéitinn. Better to do this one in Irish. - Commentary on the Deogan recordings. The interviewees here are all elderly and I'm interested to know how different a young person would sound given the same dialects. - A video where you deconstruct video/audio examples of poor modern spoken Irish and show how the pronunciation could be improved. Or simply a video where you address the appalling state of spoken Irish, especially among L2 speakers, assess whether the situation is salvageable and, if so, suggest ways out of the rut. - Your thoughts on the intrusion of foreign filler words into the speech of weak Irish speakers and how it can be stamped out. Prime offenders: "You know", "So", "Like", "I mean", "Just", "Yeah". - Arguments for/against a standard written form for each of the provinces. - A video on the history of Munster Irish. Or a series on its regional variations much like you're currently doing with Ulster Irish.

[@kevingriffin1376]

A Kerryman understanding a Scottish Gael? There’s a literary quote on that topic. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cahersiveen#Mentions_in_literature

[@matthewedgeworth4509]

Great video fella. Very very interesting as a Country Antrim resident. I'll be sure to look it up those other authors you mention.

[@user-mo5th9wx6d]

Brilliant lecture on a geographically intermediate dialect between Irish and Scottish Gaelic. Borgstrom 'The Dialects of the Outer Hebrides' p. 222 gives examples of hiatus from original Old Irish hiatus: ae 'liver' biid gen. of biadh 'food' bradhain gen. of bró 'quern' fiadhach 'raven' fhathast 'still' latha 'day' nas modha 'more' piuthar 'sister' ogha 'grandchild' rathad 'road' reothadh 'freeze' todhar 'sea-weed' fodha 'under' lethe 'with her'

[@MR-rd3ug]

Class

[@MilesianPaul]

It's very very hard near impossible to find anything on the Irish spoken in South Antrim, although the area south of Toome in the south west corner of the area thingy on the map is believed to of had an Irish speaking population in the year 1800. Does anyone know about this? Thanks in advance

[@conorburke9428]

Níor thuig mé cé chomh neamhchruinn is atá an córás litriú sa Ghaeilge .. GRMA!

[@user-td4do3op2d]

Físeán iontach! Go raibh math agat!

[@ferncat1397]

An spéisiúil! An bhfuil aon eolas agat ar Ghaeilge Chill Mhantáin?

[@cigh7445]

tis dead

[@ciarandunbar263]

Maith thú a chara - fíorbuíoch as seo. le meas CD.

[@DA-og4px]

I find it interesting how Kerry people pronounce ‘Tyrone’. Very different than how it’s pronounced in the north anyway…

[@classuscle1605]

A chara, bheadh sé suimiúil físeán a fheiceáil faoi na canúintí a labhraítí i mBaile Átha Cliath.

[@cigh7445]

Níl canúint ann a chara, tógann sé cúpla glúin le haghaidh teacht chun cinn canúna. Teanga foghlamtha atá ann, agus corr-dhuine a tógadh leis an teanga foghlamtha sin.

[@classuscle1605]

@@cigh7445 Na canúintí a labhraítí ann i bhfad ó shin. Nílim ag tagairt don Ghaeilge a labhraítear ann faoi láthair.

[@donaloc32]

An féidir leat ceann mar so a dhéanamh ar chanúint na Déise? Grma

[@jordanandrei4984]

B’aoibhinn liom físeán ar an gcanúint na nDéise a dh’fheiscint chomh maith!

[@peterhoulihan9766]

10:35 Could be the equivalent of "ḃeaḋ"? The pronunciation is similar.