An diofar eadar na mùthaidhean a rinneadh air "Prosthetic f, backformation or eagal and feagal"
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Prosthetic sounds are nothing unusual in the… ah ok, right you are. A prosthetic sound is a "random" sound that gets stuck in front, the middle or at the end of a word to make it conform better with the sound rules of whichever language. | Prosthetic sounds are nothing unusual in the… ah ok, right you are. A prosthetic sound is a "random" sound that gets stuck in front, the middle or at the end of a word to make it conform better with the sound rules of whichever language. | ||
| − | Many languages do this, e.g. Spanish. Spanish phonology (i.e. sound laws) has a rule saying that no word may begin with [sp] [st] or [sk]. But there are words in Spanish which either historically have these initials or loan words coming into Spanish. To get around this problem, Spanish phonology says "prefix [e]" … so Latin spīritus, scola, stabilis become espirito, escuela and estable. Similarly ''Scandinavia, spot'' and ''Stockholm'' become Escandinavia, espot and Estocolmo … | + | Many languages do this, e.g. Spanish. Spanish phonology (i.e. sound laws) has a rule saying that no word may begin with [sp] [st] or [sk]. But there are words in Spanish which either historically have these initials or loan words coming into Spanish. To get around this problem, Spanish phonology says "prefix [e]" … so Latin <span style="color: #000080;">spīritus, scola, stabilis</span> become <span style="color: #000080;">espirito, escuela</span> and <span style="color: #000080;">estable</span>. Similarly ''Scandinavia, spot'' and ''Stockholm'' become <span style="color: #000080;">Escandinavia, espot</span> and <span style="color: #000080;">Estocolmo</span>… |
Backformation means that speakers of a languages take a native or adopted word and re-analyse it as it were. This often happens in loanwords or native words whose meaning has become opaque. Opaque, when a linguist uses the word, means that the meaning is not clear from just looking at the word. For example, you can look at the word ''drumstick'' and figure that it's a stick that's used with a drum. But no matter how hard you stare at a hot ''toddy'', chances are you won't figure it comes from a Hindi word for a palm-tree. | Backformation means that speakers of a languages take a native or adopted word and re-analyse it as it were. This often happens in loanwords or native words whose meaning has become opaque. Opaque, when a linguist uses the word, means that the meaning is not clear from just looking at the word. For example, you can look at the word ''drumstick'' and figure that it's a stick that's used with a drum. But no matter how hard you stare at a hot ''toddy'', chances are you won't figure it comes from a Hindi word for a palm-tree. | ||
| − | Where was I? Ah, backformation. English, for example, adopted the French word for cherries, cerise from Latin ceresia, both mass nouns (as in, no singular). But because English has a very prominent ''-s'' plural, English speakers "figured" that the ''s'' must obviously be a plural, so if many of those little fruits are ''cherries'', one must obviously be - a cherry. This is called backformation. Gaelic does that too, but because it has this phenomenon of lenition at the beginning of words, unlike English it tends to do that at the beginning of words ... | + | Where was I? Ah, backformation. English, for example, adopted the French word for cherries, <span style="color: #000080;">cerise</span> from Latin <span style="color: #000080;">ceresia</span>, both mass nouns (as in, no singular). But because English has a very prominent ''-s'' plural, English speakers "figured" that the ''s'' must obviously be a plural, so if many of those little fruits are ''cherries'', one must obviously be - a cherry. This is called backformation. Gaelic does that too, but because it has this phenomenon of lenition at the beginning of words, unlike English it tends to do that at the beginning of words ... |
Now, Gaelic phonology does not forbid words beginning with a vowel (don't laugh, some languages have no words beginning with vowels!) but it does have something like prosthetic sounds. Most notably [f]. In the case of Gaelic this comes about when native speakers re-interpret words beginning with a vowel as "a word which has lenited X". There is more than just one backformations however. Let us have a quick look at what can happen: | Now, Gaelic phonology does not forbid words beginning with a vowel (don't laugh, some languages have no words beginning with vowels!) but it does have something like prosthetic sounds. Most notably [f]. In the case of Gaelic this comes about when native speakers re-interpret words beginning with a vowel as "a word which has lenited X". There is more than just one backformations however. Let us have a quick look at what can happen: | ||
| Loidhne 18: | Loidhne 18: | ||
| initial vowel ⇨ [f] || because lenited [f] is silent (this is by far the most common one and about the only one still active in modern Gaelic) | | initial vowel ⇨ [f] || because lenited [f] is silent (this is by far the most common one and about the only one still active in modern Gaelic) | ||
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| − | | initial vowel ⇨ [t], [g] or [d] || this happens in words with a soft onset i.e. an almost [j] sound e.g. in English iota, which to Gaelic ears sounds like the word begins with gh th or dh | + | | initial vowel ⇨ [t], [g] or [d] || this happens in words with a soft onset i.e. an almost [j] sound e.g. in English iota, which to Gaelic ears sounds like the word begins with <span style="color: #008000;">gh th</span> or <span style="color: #008000;">dh</span> |
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| Loidhne 32: | Loidhne 32: | ||
! Irish | ! Irish | ||
|- | |- | ||
| − | | halberd || || taileabart || halbard | + | | ''halberd'' || || <span style="color: #008000;">taileabart</span> || <span style="color: #000080;">halbard</span> |
|- | |- | ||
| − | | hogshead || || tocasaid || oigiséid | + | | ''hogshead'' || || <span style="color: #008000;">tocasaid</span> || <span style="color: #000080;">oigiséid</span> |
|- | |- | ||
| − | | throng || || trang "busy" || trang(láil) | + | | ''throng'' || || <span style="color: #008000;">trang</span> "busy" || <span style="color: #000080;">trang(láil)</span> |
|- | |- | ||
| − | | Latin iota || a bit || tiota || giota | + | | Latin <span style="color: #000080;">iota</span> || a bit || <span style="color: #008000;">tiota</span> || <span style="color: #000080;">giota</span> |
|- | |- | ||
| − | | Norse hǫll || hall || talla || halla | + | | Norse <span style="color: #000080;">hǫll</span> || hall || <span style="color: #008000;">talla</span> || <span style="color: #000080;">halla</span> |
|- | |- | ||
| − | | Old Irish áinne || ring || fàinne || fáinne | + | | Old Irish <span style="color: #000080;">áinne</span> || ring || <span style="color: #008000;">fàinne</span> || <span style="color: #000080;">fáinne</span> |
|- | |- | ||
| − | | Old Irish allas || sweat || fallas || allas | + | | Old Irish <span style="color: #000080;">allas</span> || sweat || <span style="color: #008000;">fallas</span> || <span style="color: #000080;">allas</span> |
|- | |- | ||
| − | | Old Irish ásaim || I grow || fàs || fás | + | | Old Irish <span style="color: #000080;">ásaim</span> || I grow || <span style="color: #008000;">fàs</span> || <span style="color: #000080;">fás</span> |
|- | |- | ||
| − | | Old Irish ecla || fear || (f)eagal || eagla | + | | Old Irish <span style="color: #000080;">ecla</span> || fear || <span style="color: #008000;">(f)eagal</span> || <span style="color: #000080;">eagla</span> |
|- | |- | ||
| − | | Old Irish ilur || eagle || (f)iolaire || iolar | + | | Old Irish <span style="color: #000080;">ilur</span> || eagle || <span style="color: #008000;">(f)iolaire</span> || <span style="color: #000080;">iolar</span> |
|- | |- | ||
| − | | Old Irish osclaicim || I open || fosgail || oscail | + | | Old Irish <span style="color: #000080;">osclaicim</span> || I open || <span style="color: #008000;">fosgail</span> || <span style="color: #000080;">oscail</span> |
|- | |- | ||
| − | | Old Irish rádharc || vision, view || fradharc || radharc | + | | Old Irish <span style="color: #000080;">rádharc</span> || vision, view || <span style="color: #008000;">fradharc</span> || <span style="color: #000080;">radharc</span> |
|- | |- | ||
| − | | Old Irish uacht || cold || fuachd || fuacht | + | | Old Irish <span style="color: #000080;">uacht</span> || cold || <span style="color: #008000;">fuachd</span> || <span style="color: #000080;">fuacht</span> |
|- | |- | ||
| − | | Old Irish uath || hate || fuath || fuath | + | | Old Irish <span style="color: #000080;">uath</span> || hate || <span style="color: #008000;">fuath</span> || <span style="color: #000080;">fuath</span> |
|- | |- | ||
| − | | Old Irish urusa || easy || furasta || furasta | + | | Old Irish <span style="color: #000080;">urusa</span> || easy || <span style="color: #008000;">furasta</span> || <span style="color: #000080;">furasta</span> |
|- | |- | ||
| − | |Scots haggis || || taigeis || hagaois | + | | Scots haggis || || <span style="color: #008000;">taigeis</span> || <span style="color: #000080;">hagaois</span> |
|- | |- | ||
|} | |} | ||
A particularly bizarre example of this is the Gaelic word for sister ... because it went through this several times: | A particularly bizarre example of this is the Gaelic word for sister ... because it went through this several times: | ||
| − | # Indo-European swesðr | + | # Indo-European <span style="color: #000080;">swesðr</span> |
| − | # Old Irish siur which lenites to shiur so often (think about it ... mo, do and a (his) all lenite, and you talk about this sort of relationship so much more than you do about 'our sister') it becomes re-analysed as | + | # Old Irish <span style="color: #000080;">siur</span> which lenites to shiur so often (think about it ... <span style="color: #008000;">mo, do</span> and <span style="color: #008000;">a</span> (his) all lenite, and you talk about this sort of relationship so much more than you do about 'our sister') it becomes re-analysed as |
| − | # Early Irish fiur/siur (genitive fethar/sethar) which yields modern | + | # Early Irish <span style="color: #000080;">fiur/siur</span> (genitive <span style="color: #000080;">fethar/sethar</span>) which yields modern |
| − | # Irish deirfiúr 'sister' from dearbh phiuthar 'true sister' and fiúr 'kinswoman' (because two words are better than one …) | + | # Irish <span style="color: #000080;">deirfiúr</span> 'sister' from <span style="color: #000080;">dearbh phiuthar</span> 'true sister' and <span style="color: #000080;">fiúr</span> 'kinswoman' (because two words are better than one …) |
| − | # piuthar - from the old genitive which has now become the nominative for sister and <p> because <f> is obviously lenited <p> … now why didn't you think of that before? ☺ | + | # <span style="color: #008000;">piuthar</span> - from the old genitive which has now become the nominative for sister and <span style="color: #008000;">p</span> because <span style="color: #008000;">f</span> is obviously lenited <span style="color: #008000;">p</span> … now why didn't you think of that before? ☺ |
| − | Anyway, to get back to the point ... this is the reason why you will hear some Gaelic speakers pronounce certain words with f and some without ... it is a process that is still in the middle of happening, so until the language decides on whether it will stick with eagal or adopt feagal, you can take your pick about which one you prefer, it really makes no difference either way as both are "good Gaelic words". | + | Anyway, to get back to the point ... this is the reason why you will hear some Gaelic speakers pronounce certain words with f and some without ... it is a process that is still in the middle of happening, so until the language decides on whether it will stick with <span style="color: #008000;">eagal</span> or adopt <span style="color: #008000;">feagal</span>, you can take your pick about which one you prefer, it really makes no difference either way as both are "good Gaelic words". |
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{{BeaganGramair}} | {{BeaganGramair}} | ||
Mùthadh on 04:26, 8 dhen Fhaoilleach 2012
Prosthetic sounds are nothing unusual in the… ah ok, right you are. A prosthetic sound is a "random" sound that gets stuck in front, the middle or at the end of a word to make it conform better with the sound rules of whichever language.
Many languages do this, e.g. Spanish. Spanish phonology (i.e. sound laws) has a rule saying that no word may begin with [sp] [st] or [sk]. But there are words in Spanish which either historically have these initials or loan words coming into Spanish. To get around this problem, Spanish phonology says "prefix [e]" … so Latin spīritus, scola, stabilis become espirito, escuela and estable. Similarly Scandinavia, spot and Stockholm become Escandinavia, espot and Estocolmo…
Backformation means that speakers of a languages take a native or adopted word and re-analyse it as it were. This often happens in loanwords or native words whose meaning has become opaque. Opaque, when a linguist uses the word, means that the meaning is not clear from just looking at the word. For example, you can look at the word drumstick and figure that it's a stick that's used with a drum. But no matter how hard you stare at a hot toddy, chances are you won't figure it comes from a Hindi word for a palm-tree.
Where was I? Ah, backformation. English, for example, adopted the French word for cherries, cerise from Latin ceresia, both mass nouns (as in, no singular). But because English has a very prominent -s plural, English speakers "figured" that the s must obviously be a plural, so if many of those little fruits are cherries, one must obviously be - a cherry. This is called backformation. Gaelic does that too, but because it has this phenomenon of lenition at the beginning of words, unlike English it tends to do that at the beginning of words ...
Now, Gaelic phonology does not forbid words beginning with a vowel (don't laugh, some languages have no words beginning with vowels!) but it does have something like prosthetic sounds. Most notably [f]. In the case of Gaelic this comes about when native speakers re-interpret words beginning with a vowel as "a word which has lenited X". There is more than just one backformations however. Let us have a quick look at what can happen:
| [h] ⇨ [t] | because lenited [t] yields [h] |
| initial vowel ⇨ [f] | because lenited [f] is silent (this is by far the most common one and about the only one still active in modern Gaelic) |
| initial vowel ⇨ [t], [g] or [d] | this happens in words with a soft onset i.e. an almost [j] sound e.g. in English iota, which to Gaelic ears sounds like the word begins with gh th or dh |
There are more, but those are the most common ones.
Examples to your hearts content, a lot of them are loanwords (except the ones beginning with f + vowel):
| Source | Meaning | Gaelic | Irish |
|---|---|---|---|
| halberd | taileabart | halbard | |
| hogshead | tocasaid | oigiséid | |
| throng | trang "busy" | trang(láil) | |
| Latin iota | a bit | tiota | giota |
| Norse hǫll | hall | talla | halla |
| Old Irish áinne | ring | fàinne | fáinne |
| Old Irish allas | sweat | fallas | allas |
| Old Irish ásaim | I grow | fàs | fás |
| Old Irish ecla | fear | (f)eagal | eagla |
| Old Irish ilur | eagle | (f)iolaire | iolar |
| Old Irish osclaicim | I open | fosgail | oscail |
| Old Irish rádharc | vision, view | fradharc | radharc |
| Old Irish uacht | cold | fuachd | fuacht |
| Old Irish uath | hate | fuath | fuath |
| Old Irish urusa | easy | furasta | furasta |
| Scots haggis | taigeis | hagaois |
A particularly bizarre example of this is the Gaelic word for sister ... because it went through this several times:
- Indo-European swesðr
- Old Irish siur which lenites to shiur so often (think about it ... mo, do and a (his) all lenite, and you talk about this sort of relationship so much more than you do about 'our sister') it becomes re-analysed as
- Early Irish fiur/siur (genitive fethar/sethar) which yields modern
- Irish deirfiúr 'sister' from dearbh phiuthar 'true sister' and fiúr 'kinswoman' (because two words are better than one …)
- piuthar - from the old genitive which has now become the nominative for sister and p because f is obviously lenited p … now why didn't you think of that before? ☺
Anyway, to get back to the point ... this is the reason why you will hear some Gaelic speakers pronounce certain words with f and some without ... it is a process that is still in the middle of happening, so until the language decides on whether it will stick with eagal or adopt feagal, you can take your pick about which one you prefer, it really makes no difference either way as both are "good Gaelic words".
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