The History of L N and R - Eachdraidh nam mùthaidhean

Akerbeltz: /* A word about writing lenition */

2023-08-07T08:56:44Z

A word about writing lenition

Akerbeltz: /* A word about writing lenition */

2015-06-26T14:41:19Z

A word about writing lenition

Akerbeltz 14:40, 26 dhen Ògmhios 2015

2015-06-26T14:40:36Z

Akerbeltz 14:39, 26 dhen Ògmhios 2015

2015-06-26T14:39:55Z

Akerbeltz 14:39, 26 dhen Ògmhios 2015

2015-06-26T14:39:34Z

Akerbeltz 02:02, 13 dhen Ghearran 2014

2014-02-13T02:02:50Z

Susanharris 05:14, 8 dhen t-Sultain 2013

2013-09-08T05:14:57Z

Susanharris 09:05, 3 dhen t-Sultain 2013

2013-09-03T09:05:01Z

Susanharris 08:53, 3 dhen t-Sultain 2013

2013-09-03T08:53:17Z

Susanharris 08:45, 3 dhen t-Sultain 2013

2013-09-03T08:45:29Z

@@ Loidhne 64: / Loidhne 64: @@
 ==A word about writing lenition==
-One of my pet peeves. Teachers will often tell you that L N R cannot be lenited. Which is clearly not true as you just found out. Though in their defence, I will point out few have had any training in teaching this stuff and it's pretty hard core phonetics and phonology.
+One of my pet peeves. Teachers will often tell you that L N R cannot be lenited. Which is clearly not true as you just found out. Though in their defence, I will point out that while native speakers do it with enviable easy and without thinking, few have had any training in teaching this stuff in something that is pretty hard core phonetics and phonology. So it's not surprising many are not aware of what they're doing, struggle to explain it or simply go by what is written.
 Anyway, what they '''mean''' is that the writing system does not show the lenition of L N R by adding the h. So while <span style="color: #008000;">cat</span> becomes <span style="color: #008000;">mo c'''h'''at</span>, <span style="color: #008000;">leabaidh</span> stubbornly remains <span style="color: #008000;">mo leabaidh</span>. For some reason, writing lenition on L N R never caught on though you see it here and there. For example in the first Scottish Gaelic Bible translation, they are written as łṅṙ:

@@ Loidhne 66: / Loidhne 66: @@
 One of my pet peeves. Teachers will often tell you that L N R cannot be lenited. Which is clearly not true as you just found out. Though in their defence, I will point out few have had any training in teaching this stuff and it's pretty hard core phonetics and phonology.
-Anyway, what they '''mean''' is that the writing system does not show the lenition of L N R by adding the h. So while <span style="color: #6600CC;">cat</span> becomes <span style="color: #6600CC;">mo c'''h'''at</span>, <span style="color: #6600CC;">leabaidh</span> stubbornly remains <span style="color: #6600CC;">mo leabaidh</span>. For some reason, writing lenition on L N R never caught on though you see it here and there. For example in the first Scottish Gaelic Bible translation, they are written as łṅṙ:
+Anyway, what they '''mean''' is that the writing system does not show the lenition of L N R by adding the h. So while <span style="color: #008000;">cat</span> becomes <span style="color: #008000;">mo c'''h'''at</span>, <span style="color: #008000;">leabaidh</span> stubbornly remains <span style="color: #008000;">mo leabaidh</span>. For some reason, writing lenition on L N R never caught on though you see it here and there. For example in the first Scottish Gaelic Bible translation, they are written as łṅṙ:
 [[Faidhle:lnrdotted.png|center]]

@@ Loidhne 1: / Loidhne 1: @@
 Once again, we have to go WAY back...
-===O chionn fada an t-saoghail...===
+==O chionn fada an t-saoghail...==
 As far back as Common Gaelic actually, which had a lovely balanced system of sonorants - L N and R:
@@ Loidhne 14: / Loidhne 14: @@
 [[File:LNR02.jpg|frame|center|]]
-==Fast forward to Gaelic===
+==Fast forward to Gaelic==
 Taking a big leap in time, most modern Scottish Gaelic dialects have evolved the following system:
@@ Loidhne 36: / Loidhne 36: @@
 Sooo ... what does this have to do with initial consonant clusters?  Lots. The second consonant is considered non-initial, meaning in Common Gaelic it would have had the "weak" pronunciation. But since we have lost two of the "weak" sounds, we have to make do somehow. So, the initial broad l has to fill the gap left by the departure of non-initial broad l so [bɫ] becomes [bL], <span style="color: #008000;">blàth</span> [bLa:], <span style="color: #008000;">blas</span> [bLas], and so on. In essence, the old system is perpetuated wherever possible except where that is no longer possible due to a loss of some sounds. So, today, this is why the system is a bit messy.
-===And it's not the same everywhere of course...===
+==And it's not the same everywhere of course...==
 Incidentally, not all dialects have evolved the same system.
-==Irish==
+===Irish===
 Ulster Irish retains the most complete set of sonorants amongst the Gaelic languages and dialects:
@@ Loidhne 48: / Loidhne 48: @@
 [[File:LNRMumhan.jpg|frame|center|Munster Irish]]
-==Scottish Gaelic===
+===Scottish Gaelic===
 And looking at Scotland:
@@ Loidhne 63: / Loidhne 63: @@
 Fun, isn't it?
-===A word about writing lenition===
+==A word about writing lenition==
 One of my pet peeves. Teachers will often tell you that L N R cannot be lenited. Which is clearly not true as you just found out. Though in their defence, I will point out few have had any training in teaching this stuff and it's pretty hard core phonetics and phonology.

@@ Loidhne 1: / Loidhne 1: @@
 Once again, we have to go WAY back...
-==O chionn fada an t-saoghail...===
+===O chionn fada an t-saoghail...===
 As far back as Common Gaelic actually, which had a lovely balanced system of sonorants - L N and R:

@@ Loidhne 1: / Loidhne 1: @@
-Once again, we have to go WAY back to Common Gaelic which had a lovely balanced system of sonorants - L N and R:
+Once again, we have to go WAY back...
 [[File:LNR01.jpg|frame|center|]]
@@ Loidhne 11: / Loidhne 14: @@
 [[File:LNR02.jpg|frame|center|]]
 Taking a big leap in time, most modern Scottish Gaelic dialects have evolved the following system:
@@ Loidhne 32: / Loidhne 36: @@
 Sooo ... what does this have to do with initial consonant clusters?  Lots. The second consonant is considered non-initial, meaning in Common Gaelic it would have had the "weak" pronunciation. But since we have lost two of the "weak" sounds, we have to make do somehow. So, the initial broad l has to fill the gap left by the departure of non-initial broad l so [bɫ] becomes [bL], <span style="color: #008000;">blàth</span> [bLa:], <span style="color: #008000;">blas</span> [bLas], and so on. In essence, the old system is perpetuated wherever possible except where that is no longer possible due to a loss of some sounds. So, today, this is why the system is a bit messy.
-Incidentally, not all dialects have evolved the same system. Ulster Irish retains the most complete set of sonorants amongst the Gaelic languages and dialects:
+===And it's not the same everywhere of course...===
 [[File:LNRUladh.jpg|frame|center|Ulster Irish]]
@@ Loidhne 40: / Loidhne 48: @@
 [[File:LNRMumhan.jpg|frame|center|Munster Irish]]
 And looking at Scotland:
@@ Loidhne 52: / Loidhne 61: @@
 [[File:LNR03.jpg|frame|center|Elsewhere]]
-Fun, ain't it?
+Fun, isn't it?
 <br />
 <br />
 {{BeaganGramair}}

@@ Loidhne 48: / Loidhne 48: @@
 [[File:LNRCataibh.jpg|frame|center|East Sutherland]]
-and most others have. Fun, ain't it?
+and most others have:
 <br />
 <br />
 {{BeaganGramair}}

@@ Loidhne 30: / Loidhne 30: @@
 #<span style="color: #008000;">ràmh</span> [Raːv] ⇨> <span style="color: #008000;">mo ràmh</span> [mə raːv]
-Sooo ... what does this have to do with initial consonant clusters?  Lots. The second consonant is considered non-initial, meaning in Common Gaelic it would have had the "weak" pronunciation. But since we have lost two of the "weak" sounds, we have to make do somehow. So, the initial broad l has to fill the gap left by the departure of non-initial broad l so [bɫ] becomes [bL], and so on. In essence, the old system is perpetuated wherever possible except where that is no longer possible due to a loss of some sounds. So, today, this is why the system is a bit messy.
+Sooo ... what does this have to do with initial consonant clusters?  Lots. The second consonant is considered non-initial, meaning in Common Gaelic it would have had the "weak" pronunciation. But since we have lost two of the "weak" sounds, we have to make do somehow. So, the initial broad l has to fill the gap left by the departure of non-initial broad l so [bɫ] becomes [bL], <span style="color: #008000;">blàth</span> [bLa:], <span style="color: #008000;">blas</span> [bLas], and so on. In essence, the old system is perpetuated wherever possible except where that is no longer possible due to a loss of some sounds. So, today, this is why the system is a bit messy.
 Incidentally, not all dialects have evolved the same system. Ulster Irish retains the most complete set of sonorants amongst the Gaelic languages and dialects:

@@ Loidhne 20: / Loidhne 20: @@
 #By "not" leniting
-What does this mean practically? For example, the l in <span style="color: #008000;">long</span> and <span style="color: #008000;">balach</span> now sound exactly the same and when you lenite l in <span style="color: #008000;">mo long</span> there's no sound change. Initial [Lʲ] still lenites as it did in Common Gaelic, so <span style="color: #008000;">leabaidh</span> becomes <span style="color: #008000;">mo leabaidh</span> [mə lebɪ].
+What does this mean practically? For example, the l in <span style="color: #008000;">long</span> and <span style="color: #008000;">balach</span> now sound exactly the same and when you lenite l in <span style="color: #008000;">mo long</span> there's no sound change. However, an initial [Lʲ] still lenites as it did in Common Gaelic, so <span style="color: #008000;">leabaidh</span> becomes <span style="color: #008000;">mo leabaidh</span> [mə lebɪ].
 On the other hand, both initial n sounds now lenite to weak [n]:
@@ Loidhne 26: / Loidhne 26: @@
 #<span style="color: #008000;">nàbaidh</span> [Naːbɪ] ⇨ <span style="color: #008000;">mo nàbaidh</span> [mə naːbɪ]
-Initial slender r has merged with initial broad r i.e. there is only one initial r sound left, the strong [R] which lenites to [r]:
+Initial slender r has merged with initial broad r which leaves only one initial r sound, the strong [R] which lenites to [r]:
 #<span style="color: #008000;">rionnag</span> [RuNag] ⇨ <span style="color: #008000;">mo rionnag</span> [mə ruNag]
 #<span style="color: #008000;">ràmh</span> [Raːv] ⇨> <span style="color: #008000;">mo ràmh</span> [mə raːv]