tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16333114.post7042708099062304537..comments2024-03-28T12:07:29.737-04:00Comments on kenneth in the (212): A History of Irish SurnamesKenneth M. Walshhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01666275272819956774noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16333114.post-49108224892076817972017-01-16T13:57:14.932-05:002017-01-16T13:57:14.932-05:00It is quite simple to read once you know the rules...It is quite simple to read once you know the rules. The letter H doesn't actually exist in Irish, but came to be used to signal changes the sound of the consonants.<br /><br />It used to be written as a dot over the consonant but that changed to putting a H after the consonant. This is called lenition.<br />So woman is bean, pronounced like ban in English. When you use the definite article, you add the H to change it. The woman is 'an bhean', pronounced like 'on van', roughly.<br /><br />With names, some can have older spelling forms that are kept in surnames but as first names are often modernised.<br />Conchubhar or Conchobhar is a good example which is pronounced like"KONN-uh-khoor. with the kh being slightly guttural, a little like you hear loch pronounced in Scottish.<br />Conchúr is a more modernised version usually heard as a first name. <br />The rules are not too difficult once learnt, but you'll be thrown if you try to pronounce stuff as you would in English.<br /><br /><br />It helps with the pronunciation immensely if you pronounce the name as Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02113192159669193981noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16333114.post-90567749045381398762017-01-13T14:27:09.349-05:002017-01-13T14:27:09.349-05:00I would love to know how it came to be that Irish ...I would love to know how it came to be that Irish is spelled in so complicated a fashion! Why are there so many letters needed to make a relatively simple sound?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00768419350047732221noreply@blogger.com