Bh & Mh Sounds in Scottish Gaelic
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- Опубліковано 25 лют 2020
- If you're new to Gaelic, it's likely you've been puzzled by the Bh and Mh sounds. They're so different from English and other languages.
In this video, I'll walk you through some common ways you'll hear these pronounced. Your speaking, reading, and writing will be smoother for it.
Thank you for your support!
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Thanks for stopping by!
-Jason
#gaidhlig #learngaelic #scottishgaelic #scotland #gaelic
I'm so happy I've found these videos! Two of my grandparents spoke Gaelic but it didn't get passed down, I am determined to learn but have been finding it difficult. The way you teach here is exactly how I learn, thank you so much!
Fàilte ort! Welcome! It's great that you're here! 😀That's a common story, sadly, but powerful motivation to reconnect with the family language. I'll help you however I can!
My grandmother lived in Argyll & was very passionate about keeping Gaelic alive, but I was too young to learn from her when she was alive. It's wonderful to hear you speak about the dialect she probably would have taught me!!
A family language like that is a priceless treasure. I'm sorry you didn't get to learn it from her. I wish I had learned Italian from my grandmother and her mother too. Still, it does a lot of good to learn it later on and I'm happy to share bits of Argyll Gaelic with you. 🙂🙂
Great lesson! I speak Welsh and river is afan (f pronounced as a v): I love the similarities between languages! Tapadh leibh!
Well spotted, Debbie! There are some words that span the Celtic language family and show how they're all connected to a degree. It's great fun.
I’m going to go for it man. I’m going to be making a solid attempt starting with your videos at learning Scottish Gaelic. Thanks for putting these out!
I love the emphasis on pronunciation in some of your later videos as pronunciation is hard for every beginner. Thanks and keep up the good work.
Cheers! I've been noticed that certain sounds seem to be intimidating some new learners. I hope these type of videos make a bridge into smoother reading and speaking.
I’ve come across “abhainn” on Duolingo a few times and just couldn’t get the word to stick in my head, but it’s just hit me: abhainn = Avon, the name of just about every second river in the U.K! Tapadh leat!
That's so helpful! Tapadh leibh! 😊
You got it, Charlotte! It's an old Celtic word and you can still see it in both sides of the Celtic language family, ie: abhainn in Gàidhlig and 'afon' in Welsh. It's kinda funny to look deeper at the River Avon in this way: The River River. No chance to misunderstand that!
'S e do bheatha! I'm glad it was helpful!
The word abhain probably comes from Norse because in Norse / Icelandic the river = áin and it is pronounced auin in Icelandic! The modern Celtic languages sound a lot like Norse / Dutch / Icelandic etc and other Germanic languages, and I noticed Scottish Gaelic also includes extra H sounds in words like cupa (cuhpa) in pronunciation, just like Icelandic! I am learning Norse / Icelandic / Dutch / Norwegian / Gothic etc and Scottish Gaelic / Irish / Manx / Cornish / Breton / Welsh and all other Germanic languages, so I always find new cognates and more similarities in pronunciation and word endings and letter combinations between Celtic languages and Norse / Icelandic / Dutch and other Germanic languages!
As an Irish speaker, what’s fascinating to me about Scottish Gaelic is that consonant sounds (and the dialectal variations) are so similar to Irish but the vowel sounds are so different.
OMG - my husband just signed me up for a virtual whisky tasting where one of the whiskies is Bunnahabhain. I’d forgotten you’d mentioned the whisky. But when my husband asked me how to pronounce Bunnahabhain on the whisky menu, and I knew from the lesson. Thank you, Jason!
I really appreciate the time you spend to teach....thank you soooo much
Tapadh leat, Heather! I appreciate that very much. :) I hope your week is going well.
Thank you so much - really helpful! I am going with the “v” sound as my ancestors are from Argyll so it makes me want to speak that way. Very helpful indeed!
Ah. My family from South West Scotland would naturally say Dornal or Downal which I suppose following this rule, depending on the accent. A number of Irish speakers would say Dannal. I was thrilled to see on an Irish teaching channel the idea that saying fillum for film like my Gran did derives from traditional Irish speech...her grandad was from Ulster.
I'd keep a V for all cases and that would work nicely thank you 😅😅😅
Excelente video :) Es extremadamente generoso de tu parte subir este contenido. Gracias, Jason.
Denada y gracias, La Maga. 🙂
OMG - yesterday, my husband just signed me up for a virtual whisky tasting where one of the whiskies is Bunnahabhain. I’d forgotten you’d mentioned the whisky in the video, which I’d also watched yesterday. But when my husband asked me how to pronounce Bunnahabhain on the whisky menu, and I knew how from the lesson. Thank you, Jason!
How cool! I bet you knocked some socks off in that session. Well done, Maria! Glè mhath!
Thank you Jason. A really useful lesson. Gaelic is beginning to make sense to me, but who devised the spelling? Like many languages it was probably originally only spoken and reading or writing was the domain of the educated elite, often the clergy. I suppose an English speaker shouldn’t complain but the spelling of a large number of Gaelic words isn’t easy.
You're very welcome. I'm happy to hear it was useful to you. That's a good question about the spelling. I'm not sure how it evolved. I'm sure one of the linguists in the Gaelic Facebook groups could shed some light on that. You're right - the spelling is bizarre at first.
If I remember correctly I once read something that stated that gaels did have a writing system but it didn’t use The letters we know in English since their roots are Latin. So when scholars from other areas arrived and started to write Gaelic from Ireland and Scotland down in their own language I guess they made up a new spelling system.
The English letters roots are Latin^*. The way I wrote it out kinda of made it sound like I meant the Gaelic letters are Latin based, but they are not
@@ruthlessorb2586 Sin inntinneach! I'm not sure how the writing systems developed, although you do see variant spelling systems such as in The Book of the Dean of Lismore. Manx Gaelic has a unique form of writing as well and yet it sounds so close to northern Irish. It's all quite fascinating. :)
Finally it makes sense I was trying to figure out why BH and MH were always said differently and I was looking for placement in the word and preceding vowels etc. I have little experience with dialects so that would have been my next guess but nothing to base it on as no one speaks Gaelic in NJ!
Hehe, the vast Gaelic communities of NJ. It's quite similar up here in Maine. I think there used to be some speakers decades ago.
I'm glad the video clarified some things for you. BH and MH seem to be one of the trickiest combinations to acquire. Glad you've taken some steps to doing that!
Take care and enjoy your day.
This is so helpful! You teach perfectly. I am British, Scottish and Irish. Learning my native languages is so awesome. I feel like it comes easy to me sound wise but is very hard to learn. I aim to become fluent. Thank you for your help!
Tapadh leat, a Mhìcheil! I admire your desire to be fluent in Gaelic. You can get there, I'm sure of it. 🙂 What is difficult to learn at the moment?
It kinda makes sense, because both Irish and Scottish Gaelic are category 3 languages, so they are the hardest languages on my list of languages I want to learn and improve, so, they are quite hard, but very pretty! I highly recommend learning Irish and Scottish Gaelic 2gether with Norse / Icelandic / Dutch / Norwegian / Gothic and Welsh / Breton / Cornish / Manx, as they are all so pretty and elvish and magical! By the way, the word abhain probably comes from Norse because in Norse / Icelandic the river = áin and it is pronounced auin in Icelandic! The modern Celtic languages sound a lot like Norse / Dutch / Icelandic etc and other Germanic languages, and I noticed Scottish Gaelic also includes extra H sounds in words like cupa (cuhpa) in pronunciation, just like Icelandic! I am learning Norse / Icelandic / Dutch / Norwegian / Gothic etc and Scottish Gaelic / Irish / Manx / Cornish / Breton / Welsh and all other Germanic languages, so I always find new cognates and more similarities in pronunciation and word endings and letter combinations between Celtic languages and Norse / Icelandic / Dutch and other Germanic languages!
These videos are fantastic. Thank you so much. A new Gàidhlig speaker. Much to learn. Utah USA
Fàilte ort, a Sheumais! Welcome! I have friends in Utah, one of whom is very conversational. He said there is a Gaelic club over here? I had no idea until I met him.
These videos are so great! Your method makes so much sense to me. Mòran taing Jason!
I find it very interesting that these are mostly the same as Irish. These languages are extremely similar.
Agreed! I look forward to acquiring Gaelige one day if I ever have the time to really immerse myself in it. :) I remember there are Gàidhlig classes for Gaelige speakers at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig on the Isle of Skye. Folk seemed to pick up Gàidhlig quite quickly that way.
I'm not even a native english speaker and there are no scottish gaelic courses, books or dictionaries in my native language available, so you can imagin how confusing it was for me when in listening excercises in course (in english) one person was using "v" and another left the "bh" silent in the same word. Thanks to you it makes sense now!
Who is this Gaelic teaching legend I have just randomly stumbled upon! Great stuff old bean..I'm orf to push the 'sub' button!
The pace of this lesson is much better, I find- a little faster. Also can I say, super impressed at your journey to Gaelic. I hope i’ll Get there sooner than later!
Thanks much! You'll get there - just keep reading and listening to Gaelic that you understand. Let your mind do the heavy lifting. :)
Subbed as soon as we saw the Crafty Celts torc. Your channel and courses will be a huge help! Tapadh leibh!
Well spotted! I feel a bit naked without my bronze foxes, honestly. 'S e do bheatha - I'm glad you're here with all of us. Come back any time.
This is so interesting! And may I just add, your laugh is so pleasant! 😊
Thank you, Anna! 😊
Thanks so much for demystifying that for me. 👍🏻
My pleasure! Nice to see you today. Enjoy your day.
Tapadh leibh Jason! This makes reading gàidhlig much easier, I always have trouble pronouncing new words this helps a lot
Crazy!! Love it.
Super helpful video! Can you do a video on lenition as I know how it works in written gaìdhlig, but I really struggle with my pronunciation when leniting words. Watching your videos has greatly improved my pronunciation, so tapadh leibh!
You're welcome, Lucy. I'm happy to hear that. A single video about lention would be really long so I'm taking a more natural approach and presenting a sound or two at a time. This video will help with lenited consonants and the ones I make in the future will too. :)
Tapadh leat deusan, your videos are so helpful!
My pleasure, Jazzlynn! I'm glad they're helping you to grow your Gaelic. 🙂 Take care and enjoy the rest of your day.
I visited Loch Bhienn a Mheadhoin and I was confused how to pronounce it (It’s Like, Loch Ben a vey-an btw) so thanks for helping :) beautiful Loch by the way in Glen Affric I’d highly recommend. It’s also quite quiet in my experiences seriously if you come to Scotland dont just stop in Edinburgh, go up to the highlands it’s beautiful
Once again, very useful tools.. tapadh leat.
'S e do bheatha, a Choinnich. I'm glad it was useful to you. :) Enjoy your day.
This is so helpful to me as I learn that too. And each time to get to use to the words.
Great to hear, Cynthia!
I think that phonologically the V-sound would be very tough to use and maintain in "Domhnall" because of the following letter N
So helpful! Moran Taing!
You're welcome, Dream Mage! Nice to see you today.
Tapadh leibh a Dheusain! I'm curious how many dialects you're familiar with! Personally, I would love a video where you just discuss how specific dialects like to pronounce things. Knowing how a speaker from Argyll vs. Alba Nuadh vs. an Uist dialect would sound would be interesting :)
I really need to learn this
And you will, a charaid! 🙂
Nice presentation . I wonder as you proceed with this material , if there is a formal and informal way that is in a usual conversation between people of this language ? You do a great job at a level that is needed because of the modifying of sounds and words related to the dialect of areas of Alba ?
Are there any videos explaining your history and where toy learned Gaelic? I love your videos and I'd love to hear how you got to teaching level.
Hi Tomas! I'm glad you're here. Hmmm, I haven't made one yet but I could put one together. I'll see if I have some old pictures I could use in it. Thanks for the suggestion!
Thank you for these videos! They are very helpful in my Gàidhlig journey 😊. About dialects and accents, especially with the final "bh" sounds, which do you think would be more common in Nova Scotia, the "v" or "oo"? I feel like you have been here before and may know! 😊 Thank you!
You're very welcome, Sarah! I'm happy they're useful to you on your journey. If I remember correctly, I heard the 'ooo' ending all the time in NS. I believe there are 5 different dialects over there and hadn't heard the 'v' sound in person until I moved to Argyll in Scotland.
love it jason x lots of love j h
"First we have to understand what the heck they are* lmao I like your scottish humor, hahaha xx go on mate x I love your lessons Tapadh leibh!
'S e do bheatha, Jeklin. My teaching approach could be boiled down just to that one phrase. Maybe it would be good on a t shirt? 😀 Glad you got a wee chuckle out of it.
@@GaelicwithJason lmao, yes, you can make a shirt like "blah blah (in gaelic) that means = What the hell is this in gaelic... just like the sign, Fort William
@@jeklinmarvipongotak4381 Hah, that would be fun! I've been thinking about trying my hand at designing a few shirts....hmmm....
I feel like falbh is the proto version of English words such as fallow or follow or even fellow. All of them carrying the basic indication of leaving or roaming or being gone or without roots or anything growing and being tied to one spot. With the V and U sounds produced in words later translated as N sounds such as in the name Donald, I feel its because a lot of these vowels became consonants as people migrated and were I influenced by other languages such as Norwegian and German. You see a lot of W and M and U and V and N basically being interchangeable. They are all drawn in similar fashions and may have been difficult to use consistently between people who didn't heavily use a written language.
Interesting. Thanks for sharing that with us. :) I could see it.
Bunnahabhain is my favorite whisky.
That's a nice one for sure! 🙂
I wonder if it's the places that were more influenced by Dal Riada and Alba that pronounce it V, while the places that first spoke Brythonic that used the W sound.
My people are from Argyle area so I will use the v sound
Sounds good! There are several wee tweaks you can make to your Gaelic to add in that Argyll flavor. 🙂 Whereabouts are they from?
I feel granny smiling down on me saying gle^ mhah - I think I need before returning to Skye or Lewis though. Have you no done family and relatives yet?
Would it be possible to do a video on how to pronounce past and future tense verbs? I'm unsure how dh'fh- or -aidh and -idh are pronounced. Love the videos!
I've got videos planned for all of those sounds. :) They're coming your way soon.
Sgoinneil! Tapadh leibh!
Thanks Jason. What about when there are a combination...such as Maedhbh?
Oof, those old Irish names can be hard to figure out. They're not my specialty; perhaps an Irish speaker could help you out? 🙂
So glad I found this channel!
I found this video Bcs I was trying to figure out how William the Lion’s nickname was pronounced. Garbh “the Rough”
So would that be GAR-oo or GAR-v?
Hey there! Welcome! Yes, "gar-oo" would make sense, although I've heard it with the final V more often.
FMI, in Domhnall, does the "n" go away, too? I don't hear it at all. Thanks.
Would you say that if a dialect say "a' vuir", they replace all bh and mh with a v-sound? Or can one dialect say "a' vuir" but also say "a' falooo"?
Hmmm, that's an interesting question. A dialect would likely be quite consistent and in experience any -mh ending would be either 'oooo' or 'V'. From what I've seen, a big difference between dialects is 1) the words they use 2) certain vowel sounds and 3) that -mh ending.
Does that help?
Jason how would you pronounce trobhad?
Hi Rosemarie. I hope your day is going well so far. 🙂 I would say it like "trow-uht".
Why when you say Dòmhnall does it sound like "doll" what happened to the n and a?
How do you know when to use bh of mh in a word? Is there a rule for it or just rote learning.
Hmmm, that's an excellent question. Perhaps it's a dialectical difference? I'm thinking of the word 'terrible' and how it has two spellings: uaBHasach / uaMHasach.
I just wanna how to pronounce bhràthair. I can't figure out what to recorded voice is saying and when try googling it either gives audio or text with weird symbols I don't understand like one pronunciation I looked up (don't remember what it was) gave me a couple symbols that looked like the Japanese yen symbol. I don't think that's what it was but it sure as hell looked like this ¥¥. How is that supposed to tell me how it's pronounced? Anyway this audios I heard, I can't figure out of he's saying vraaheth or thraaheth or braaheth. What the hell is it? Also I really hope it doesn't force me vocally say the garlic translations like it does with Japanese, because I've tried and it doesn't work at all. The last one I tried saying was
"Tì agus cofaidh! Tapadh leat a charaid" for "Tea and coffee! Thank you friend" and it came out "T August coffee Taco lake to college"
Tapadh leibh a thidsear!
'S e do bheatha, a Rois!
For Donald, you don't pronounce the N? (Thank you for these videos!)
So for Seanmhair would be mh=v?
Yep! Just like that. Glè mhath. 🙂
but the word for 'hands' (plural) is lamhan so it's in the middle and sounds like a 'v', no? And if bh and mh both sound like V in the beginning of a word, by have both sounds? Why not just one or the other or is it just to confuse the hell out of a new learner?
I'm not sure, Mary Lou. That seems to be how the language evolved. You're right in hearing the MH sound like a V in làmhan. I find these quirks are best learned word-by-word since it can be a guessing game whether it's silent, a V, or a W.🙂 I admire your hard work.
A' mhuir is similar in Welsh "Y môr"
Ah, nice. I quite enjoy seeing those similarities pop up. There are clear connections in the color words too, if I remember correctly?
In the case of words like Dòmhnall, I've heard it cause the surrounding vowels to be nasalised, so somthing like [dõãl].
Certainly! Some dialects can be quite nasal and thus give it a real nasal sound. Clearing out one's sinuses is one of the many health benefits of speaking Gaelic.
the bigger question is...if you are not reading, but hearing only, how do you know if the "V"-sound is a "bh" or an "mh"?
furthermore--and you do not have a video on this one--how do you know the difference between all the "H"-sounds? the difference between "THa" and "FHathast" and "a SHine"...?
Ah, that could make for a useful video. I'll add it to my To Make list. Thanks for that. 🙂
In my experience, the connections between those V and H sounds and the different ways they're written comes with time and practice. You're right - when listening, they rarely sound different from one another.
Bunnahabhain = [Bun na ha wein]? like banana vein
PS. and it seems that you've got 2 same videos in the playlist(3rd and 4th)
Ah, thanks for that Ivan. I took the second one out. 🙂
Bunnahabhain can be said a few ways:
*"Bun-na-ha-vane" (roughly, it's hard to write these out 100% accurately using English sounds)
*"Bun-na-hi-nyuh"
In "Dòmhnall", are you pronouncing the N?
Hmmm, when I say it, it feels lumped in with the *òmh*. It doesn't stand out as an N, if that makes sense. 🙂
So, is Mhairi Mary or Varri? This matters because one poor graduate at an Ancient Scottish University was presented for her medical degree as "M'hairy". The idiot Dean making the presentation was English, new and ignorant; he almost caused an international incident.
I think Scottish Gaelic has enough money to buy a consonant or two. Make life easier for all of us
Hah! Try Welsh, they have Gaelic beat in terms of consonants. 🙂
Jonas, in the word "Dòmhnall" is a "n" but you don't pronounce it ? Why is there a "n" ?
Càite bheil a' mhuir? A bheil a' mhuir anns an taigh beag? Chan eil fios agam, ach tha mì a' falbh! (haha.)
A' mhuir anns an taigh bheag? Obh obh!
@@GaelicwithJason Hahahahahaha! I know it made no sense, but at least I'm utilizing what I learn and it appears you understood. I did Google "I don't know", though.
@@Seumas-MacDhaibhidh :D Play around with it - have fun!
Is toil leam uisge-beatha gu mòr !! My favourite is Oban ‘ little bay ‘ ( I’ve been living in Argyll for 5 year and just started learning Gaelic as love going to Lewis & Harris too ). Thank you for the brilliant tutorials ! Sooo helpful !
Taigh beag no taigh-beag, lol?? Obh obh! 😂
Samhain -- Sah-win (for all my witches and pagans out there)
Pronounce Mhamò and Mamò in Scottish Gaelic