Irish Slender R
I think I'm finally getting the hang of this strange sound. I classify it midway between a "z" and a "zh." Or perhaps better yet... you know how you can whistle using the tip of your tongue pressed almost, but not quite, to the roof of your mouth? It sounds like that (in a very exaggerated way... it's closer to an "r" than that, but that sound approximates what becomes of that "r").
I wish I knew how widespread the use of this sound is. It's clearly used in the Cois Fhairrge dialect I'm learning presently, but I've been told it doesn't occur so much in Ulster, for example.
1 comment:
Hi Plastic,.. or is it Mr. Paddy? I came across your blog via Kinja's feed. Excellent stuff!
I'll never forget at school our teacher exaggerating the pronounciation of "air". And now, years later, I read your description of "whistling with the tip of your tongue"... that works! I'd leave out mention of "z(h)", because that's further back the tongue... in my mouth anyway!
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