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Question on lenition

  • 21-01-2012 5:06pm
    #1
    Mr.Nice Guy
    Registered Users Posts: 45,535 ✭✭✭✭


    I noticed that the word for zoology in the Irish dictionary was the feminine noun 'zó-eolaíocht'. I think I'm right in saying that in Irish a feminine noun beginning with a consonant is lenited so does that mean when we add in 'the' it becomes: 'an zhó-eolaíocht'? It looks quite odd to me and more Chinese than Irish so I have to check that one. :cool:

    Also wondering about the word U-Turn in Irish which the dictionary tells me is 'U-chasadh'. Again when we add the word 'the' does this become an t-U-chasadh? Is that how you would write that word?

    Just trying to wrap my head around these rules on leniting nouns.

    'It is better to walk alone in the right direction than follow the herd walking in the wrong direction.'



Comments

  • #2
    deirdremf
    Registered Users Posts: 1,871 ✭✭✭deirdremf


    Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »
    I noticed that the word for zoology in the Irish dictionary was the feminine noun 'zó-eolaíocht'. I think I'm right in saying that in Irish a feminine noun beginning with a consonant is lenited so does that mean when we add in 'the' it becomes: 'an zhó-eolaíocht'? It looks quite odd to me and more Chinese than Irish so I have to check that one. :cool:
    Sounds like a dreadful makey-uppy word from An Coiste Téarmaíocht.
    As you probably know, there is no Z sound in Irish, native speakers traditionally pronounce it S.
    However, in written Irish, Z was traditionally transliterated ST, so we have words like STodiac for Zodiac and so on. This would seem to be Italina/German Z (pronounced TS) turned back to front.
    But that said, I have never seen a Z with a séimhiú. I'd say leave it as it is.
    Also wondering about the word U-Turn in Irish which the dictionary tells me is 'U-chasadh'. Again when we add the word 'the' does this become an t-U-chasadh? Is that how you would write that word?
    Yeah, that would seem to be right.
    Another makey-uppy word, I think.


  • #3
    Enkidu
    Registered Users Posts: 1,005 ✭✭✭Enkidu


    Interesting question Mr. Nice Guy!

    At least in my experience native speakers don't mutate borrowed words that contain non-Irish sounds, like z, basically because there is no "zh" sound.

    However for something like U-chasadh you would have an t-U-chasadh. For example I've heard an t-ÚFO for the UFO.

    Although in some dialects the eclipses of s was z. So, you had An sagart, but leis an zsagart in speech.

    EDIT: deirdremf makes a good point that z never really occurs, you're basically just using an English word. For most words with z there is a natural Irish equivalent.


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