Caibidil a Cúig Déag:Root Inflexion (Infhilleadh na fréimhe) |
Caolú Palatalisation
Leathnú Depalatalisation Coimriú Syncopation Díghlórú change from voiced to an unvoiced consonant |
There are many changes of the final sound or inflexions (infhillteacha) some with various flexion suffixes, e.g. plural suffixes like -tha, -a, -í, -anna, -acha or verb suffixes like -im, -ann, -tar etc. This is known as outward flexion.
This is the case in all inflected languages.
The more importantly described flexions are those in the word stem or word root , which many languages demonstrate. In German these are the phonetic mutation progressions (Ab- and Umlaute) like "lauf, lief, ging, gegangen", etc. One terms this as inner flexion
Those root changes typical in Irish are similar to the German mutations through old, yet often lost suffixes, which once affected the word root (comp. dt. Fuß - Füße, ir. fear - fir [originally: fer - firi])
As opposed to German, in Irish the changes in slenderness of the final consonants are in the foreground and not the vowels (comp. bord - boird [bord - bord'])
Syncopation is also to be found in German (e.g. wechseln, ich wechsle)
This is no more than that a "broad" consonant is replaced with its "slender" component.
Because slender and broad consonants are denoted orthographically by appropriate vowels in their proximity, it follows that:
In
written Irish this is mostly noted by
an inserted i.
e.g. bád (a boat)
becomes báid
(of a boat or boats)
So, the broad d in bád becomes slender d in báid.
Partially there are also certain mutations
necessary for the preceding vowels, that then again almost remind one on the German Ablaute and Umlaute:
vowel | -ea- | -ea- | -éa- | -ia- | -ío- | -io- | -iu- |
becomes | -i- | -ei- | -éi- | -éi- | -í- | -i- | -i- |
example | man | horse | bird | fish | chirp | fair | wet |
nom. | fear | each | éan | iasc | bíog | fionn | fliuch |
palat. | fir | eich | éin | éisc | bíge | finn | fliche |
e.g.: fear (a man) becomes fir (of a man or men)
So, the broad r
in fear becomes slender r in fir
Additional vowel mutations (real Ablaute e.g. mac - mic) are more the exception than the rule.
Caolú aids in the formation of
This means a "slender" consonant is replaced with a "broad" consonant.
(opposite principle of palatalisation)
In
written Irish mostly only an i is omitted :
e.g. abhainn (a river) becomes abhann (of a river)
So, the slender -nn in abhainn becomes broad -nn in abhann
Sometimes more complex mutations need to be taken in the vowels (i zu ea,
etc., partially the reverse of palatalisation, s.o.)
vowel | -ei- | -éi- | -i- | -í- | -ui- |
becomes | -ea- | -éa- | -ea- | -ío- | -o- |
example | bite | tinker | honey | whistle | blood |
nom. | greim | tincéir | mil | feadaíl | fuil |
depalat. | greama | tincéara | meala | feadaíola | fola |
e.g.: Éirinn (Ireland) becomes Éireann (of Ireland)
so, the slender -nn in Éirinn becomes a broad -nn in Éireann
Leathnú aids in the formation of:
Syncopation occurs in bi- and polysyllabic words.
Syncopation means that the vowel of the last syllable of the stem is omitted . (e.g. inis zu insíonn)
So, the originally bisyllabic word stem is shortened and monosyllabic (inis zu ins-)
This always occurs when the following 3 characteristics come together:
a few important examples:
This only occurs before an ending that begins with [h] beginnen. It is especially the future suffixes with f- and verb- and verbal adjective endings with th-.
The voiced consonants b, d, g, bh, mh are devoiced by the [h], which [h] mutes, -bth- is then spoken [p].
Often, even the spelling is simplified since the spelling reform: dth > dt, mhth > f, bhth > f
b | d | g | bh | mh | |
ending with f- | -bf- | -df- | -gf- | -bhf- | -mhf- |
ending with th- | -bth- | -dt- (-dth-) | -gth- | -f-(-bhth-) | -f-(-mhth)- |
pronunciation | [p] | [t] | [k] | [f] | [f] |
examples | scuabfaidh sé scuabtha | goidfidh sé goidte | pógfaidh sé pógtha | scríobhfaidh sé scríofa | snámhfaidh sé snáfa |
translation | he will sweep swept |
he will steal stolen |
he will kiss kissed |
he will write written |
he will swim swum |
One should not confuse the consoant cluster -bhf- within a word with the bhf- as an eclipsis of f-. The latter is spoken [v/w].