Slender T and D in Irish - notes on affricates, Eamonn Mhac an Fhailigh

[Daniel Cassidy]

Notes on affricates: The slender T and D


<< d´, t´ -- These Erris affricates are not very different from  [those in]
English...‘jig’ and...‘cheer’ respectively. There does seem however  to be a
difference, which is this: for t§ as in English ‘cheer’ the tip of the
tongue is up, and there is also some protrusion of the lips. For t§ as in Erris
Irish t§it§ tuit, t§ax teach [i.e. t´it´, t´ax], the tip of the tongue is down
against the lower teeth and the lips are spread. For the Erris Irish
affricates,  then, it may be said that the primary articulation is palatal, the
secondary  alveolar. The front of the tongue is raised to make a closure at the
junction of  the teeth-ridge and hard palate, and is then slowly released, causing
friction  in a narrowing between tongue and teeth-ridge, while the tip of the
tongue  remains against the lower front teeth...

Plosive d´ replaces affricate d´ following §. When it occurs in utterance
final position it is unvoiced.

Examples--§d´u:ru: stiu/rughadh, ba§d´u: baisteadh, e:§d´@xd e/isteacht,
ma:§d´ir´ maighistir, k´e§d´ ceist.

In sandhi plosive d´ and t´ regularly replace the corresponding affricates
d´ and t´ respectively, preceding homorganic affricates, laterals, and nasals.
For example in @ bant´ d´il´i§g´ _ag baint duilisg_ the t´ of bant´ is an
unexploded plosive while the d´ of d´il´i§g´ is an affricate. Similarly in @
xid´ d´el´ign´i: _a chuid deilgni/_ the d´ of xid´ is an unexploded plosive and
the d´ in d´el´ign´i: is an affricate.>>

--Eamonn Mhac an Fhailigh, “The Irish of Erris, Co. Mayo”