Epenthetic Vowel
In a sequence of short vowel + /l, r, n/ + labial or velar consonant an unwritten /ə/ gets pronounced between the /l, r, n/ and the following consonant:
- gorm /ˈɡɔɾˠəmˠ/ "blue"
- dearg /ˈdʲaɾˠəɡ/ "red"
- dorcha /ˈd̪ˠɔɾˠəxə/ "dark"
- ainm /ˈanʲəmʲ/ "name"
- seanchaí /ˈʃan̪ˠəxiː/ "storyteller"
- leanbh /ˈlʲan̪ˠəw/ "child"
- colm /ˈkɔl̪ˠəm/ "dove"
There is no epenthesis before voiceless stops or after long vowels and diphthongs:
- corp /kɔɾˠpˠ/ "body"
- olc /ɔl̪ˠk/ "bad"
- téarma /tʲeːɾˠmˠə/ "term"
- dualgas /ˈd̪ˠuəl̪ˠɡəsˠ/ "duty"
Read more about this topic: Irish Orthography
Famous quotes containing the word vowel:
“Brute animals have the vowel sounds; man only can utter consonants.”
—Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772–1834)