Irish Language Phonemics for beginners

This representation covers the basic phonetic structure of Irish Gaelic using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). Note that the actual pronunciation can vary slightly depending on regional dialects.

1. Consonants:
   • Plosives: pʲ, pˠ, bʲ, bˠ, tʲ, t̪ˠ, dʲ, d̪ˠ, kʲ, kˠ, ɡʲ, ɡˠ
   • Fricatives: fʲ, fˠ, vʲ, vˠ, s̪ʲ, s̻ˠ, z̪ʲ, z̻ˠ, hʲ, hˠ, ç, x
   • Nasals: mʲ, mˠ, nʲ, n̪ˠ, ŋʲ, ŋˠ
   • Approximants: lʲ, l̪ˠ, ɾʲ, ɾˠ, j, w
   • Affricates: tʃ, dʒ
2. Vowels:
   • Short: ɪ, ɛ, a, ɔ, ʊ, ə
   • Long: iː, eː, aː, oː, uː
3. Diphthongs:
   • iə, eə, oə, uə, ai, ei, oi, ai̯, au̯

This comparison highlights the shared and unique aspects of both phonetic systems, noting where overlap occurs and where significant differences lead to accent distinctions.

1. Similar Consonant Sounds:
   • Plosives: p, b, t, d, k, ɡ (note palatalized counterparts in Irish)
   • Fricatives: f, v, s, h
   • Nasals: m, n, ŋ
   • Approximants: w, j (Note: RP includes ɹ, whereas Irish has ɾ)
   • Affricates: tʃ, dʒ
2. Similar Vowel Sounds:
   • ɪ, ɛ, a (in contexts like RP's "cat" and "some")
   • ɔ, ʊ, ə (schwa)
3. Unique or Different Sounds
   • Irish Gaelic:
     • Palatalized vs. velarized consonants (e.g., pʲ, pˠ)
     • Distinct nasal sounds like n̪ˠ
   • English RP:
     • The rhotic ɹ
     • Certain diphthongs like eɪ (as in "face"), aɪ (as in "price"), and əʊ (as in "go")
     • Longer vowels such as iː (as in "fleece"), ɑː (as in "far")
4. Diphthongs:
   • Both languages have diphthongs, but their occurrences and combinations differ. For instance, Irish has diphthongs like iə which don't have a direct RP counterpart.

Overall, while there are shared sounds between Irish Gaelic and English Received Pronunciation, the presence of palatalization in Irish Gaelic and certain key differences in vowel and diphthong usage create distinctively different phonetic landscapes between the two languages.