The Irish Law of the Letter
Could that be the reason that the letters L, N and R are treated as special and perfect in themselves in the Irish language? L, N and R are not subject to lenition or eclipse - they remain unchanged regardless of their grammatical context. Even when there is a question of gender confusion (e.g. a lámh- could refer to his, her or their hand) these letters are left alone. They are Loners!
There are 17 letters* (26 in English) listed in the Irish alphabet- five vowels (a,e,i,o,u) and twelve consonants.
Like Jose Marino some of these consonants are considered the ‘special ones’. You know them as d, l, m, n, r, s, t.
(m/link ‘dull men rest’ )
If you looked at Irish as a code of sounds you would have to pay particular attention to how certain letters are consistent ‘rule-breakers’. There is not necessarily any logical or esthetical reason why these Irish letters do not follow the rules. However, one thing is certain and that is - these ‘rule-breaking’ letters cause a lot of confusion and uncertainty for those who want to learn ‘an Ghaeilge cheart’.
If language is seen as a code and as a means of protecting the tribe from infiltration by ‘outsiders’, then these rules and exceptions to the rule make some sense. The many grammatical mutations that words undergo in Irish make passing oneself off as a native speaker of Irish a daunting task. The would-be infiltrator would have a difficult task to identify why some letters in Irish are subject to change while others are left alone.
Certain consonants or groups of consonants are not subject to grammer rules that usually cause ‘lenition’ and ‘eclipsis’. If you know these ‘rule-breakers’ you will find grammar rules much easier to apply correctly and consistently.
As a result less hair and less sleep will be lost.
Many words connected with school fall into the category of exceptions-to-the-rules:
e.g. scoil, rang, scrúdu, máistir, seomra, ceardscoil, ar scoil, sport, lón, leabhar, ar an rang, leis an máistir scoile
Unfortunately, these are among the first words students of Irish learn, so the preferrred option of hammer-home-the-rule and then note the exceptions can pose problems to implement.
Recognizing how Irish treats these special ‘rule-breaking’ letters builds confidence in speaking and writing Irish correctly.
Here are some tips to deal with those Magnificent 7 consonants.
No Change!
L + d When two words are joined by the letters ‘l + d’ to make a new word there is no grammatical change.
e.g. ceoldramaíocht, opera
N + d When one word ends and the other word begins with Dental or Loner consonants there is no grammatical change.
e.g. an doras, aon drochscéimh, an-tapa
YES Change!
M The letter ‘m’ is in a category all by itself: It is affected by ‘lenition’, but it is not affected by ‘eclipsis’
e.g. An-mhealltach, very attractive
‘S’ is for special
‘S’ + vowels a, e, i, o, u, = no change but use ‘san’
e.g. san oíche
‘S’+ Loner cononants = yes change put ‘t’ in front
e.g. sa tslí, sa tsneachta, sa tsron,
‘S’ + c, m, p, or t = no change
No ‘t’ and no ‘h’ ever with sc, sm, sp, or st.
(m/link ‘spot scam’ )
e.g. sa scoil, sa smig, sa spéir, sa stair, drochscéimh, priomhsprioc, dátstampa
Note that ‘mar’ usually causes lenition but does not do so when followed by ‘spot scam’ consonants:
e.g. Mar scribhneoir agus mar mhúinteoir, as a writer and as a teacher
You can see from the above example with ‘mar’ how frustrating it might be for anyone learning Irish who knows the rule that ‘mar’ causes lenition but is unaware that ‘spot scam’ consonants are the exception to the rule. All languages are codes and if you enjoy cracking codes Is maith an buachaill an Ghaeilge a thabhairt faoi.
Hearing the language and repeating what you hear is an essential ingredient to learning a language. Music and song provides an excellent and enjoyable way to listen repeatedly to phrases in Irish. Find songs you like on topics that interest you. ‘Mar focal scor,’ I leave you with a link to a video of Sinéad O’Connor singing her version of Óro 'Sé Do Bheatha 'bhaile:
Note to Guitarists If you would like the tab/chords or a guitar arrangement of the song contact me here: guitarlessonsdundrum.com
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