Pronounciation of Taoiseach and Garda

tintin67

I've always pronounced these words as tee-shock and gar-da but I've noticed some RTE newsreaders and reporters say thee-shock and gar-tha or gor-tha. I've never heard anyone outside RTE say the words this way.
Which is correct?

Raic

tintin67 wrote: »

I've always pronounced these words as tee-shock and gar-da but I've noticed some RTE newsreaders and reporters say thee-shock and gar-tha or gor-tha. I've never heard anyone outside RTE say the words this way.
Which is correct?

I'd put this down to a case of hypercorrection. There is no "th" sound in Irish.
Garda is pronounced the way you suggest and your pronunciation of taoiseach is a close approximation. The ch at the end of taoiseach isn't exactly a k sound it's a guttural sound like in the Scottish word loch. I've heard it described as an "h with attitude".

Fuinseog

tintin67 wrote: »

I've always pronounced these words as tee-shock and gar-da but I've noticed some RTE newsreaders and reporters say thee-shock and gar-tha or gor-tha. I've never heard anyone outside RTE say the words this way.
Which is correct?

ah the RTE pronunciation. i think they may have an online pronunciation guide, but maze it is just for palce names.

it could also be a regional thing. easterners seem to have difficulty being guttural when pronouncing Gaelic.

Krusader

Fuinseog wrote: »

it could also be a regional thing. easterners seem to have difficulty being guttural when pronouncing Gaelic.

Its got nothing to do with Geography, its just lazy Irish, the gutteral sound is the easiest gaelic sound to replicate, i'm sure your pronounciation is flawless :rolleyes:

An gal gréine

Some dialects pronounce 'garda' as if it had a fada on the first 'a', so those newsreaders are just following whichever dialect they learned when they say 'gárda'.
Most Galltacht speakers cant grasp the 'd' or 't' Gaelach, imo....hence you get 'tee' as in golf tee when saying 'Taoiseach'.
Listen to any Gaeltacht speaker saying 'dúlra' and 'trua' and notice the difference.

Victor

tintin67 wrote: »

tee-shock

Try "tee-shuck".

Krusader

I would say tee-shokh or in the north tee-shoh

Enkidu

In English I'd say tee-shuck. In Irish I'd say it as Crosáidí says it, without the ch in the North. The only thing is that the T at the beginning is softer, your tongue touches your front teeth instead of hitting the ridge behind them like in English.

Fuinseog

Crosáidí wrote: »

Its got nothing to do with Geography, its just lazy Irish, the gutteral sound is the easiest gaelic sound to replicate, i'm sure your pronounciation is flawless :rolleyes:

i do not claim to have a flawless accent. I just speak the way I was brought up. I have just noticed easterns seem to be less gutteral when speaking gaelic. it maz be an easz sound to replicate, but i do not hear it from leinster people speaking gaelic, ever.

An gal gréine

Enkidu wrote: »

In English I'd say tee-shuck. In Irish I'd say it as Crosáidí says it, without the ch in the North. The only thing is that the T at the beginning is softer, your tongue touches your front teeth instead of hitting the ridge behind them like in English.

The tongue does'nt follow through as does in the English 'th'; and I would spell the northern sound as Taoi-shaah... I cant write it as Tee- as that compounds the golf-tee sound.

Enkidu

An gal gréine wrote: »

The tongue does'nt follow through as does in the English 'th'; and I would spell the northern sound as Taoi-shaah... I cant write it as Tee- as that compounds the golf-tee sound.

Oh, yes. The T isn't "followed through" as you say. Your rendering of it as Taoi-shaah is probably how I would say it.