How Fortis Consonants Affect Vowels

In this quick post I'll go over how each vowel combines with a fortis consonant to give a unique result. I'm not knowledgeable about this so I'd urge anybody to correct me if I'm wrong. 

In some parts of Ireland, there is a phonemic difference between fortis consonants (from Latin meaning 'strong') and lenis consonants (from Latin meaning 'soft'). This has historically applied to l, n and r although no such distinction is found in Munster these days and the distinction for r has fairly much died out as a meaningful distinction for most Irish speakers in Connacht and Ulster. 

This distinction presents itself in writing with fortis having double consonants and lenis having a single letter. The difference in speech is that fortis l and n have a dental quality being produced with the tongue on the teeth and r being strongly trilled whereas lenis l and n are alveolar with the tongue touching the ridge behind the teeth and r being softer. In Celticist transcription, the fortis consonants will take an upper-case letter and lenis have a lower-case one. For those that preserve it, the difference in sound can be found in the following examples

• ballach v. bealach
• gall v. geal
• gleann v. glan
• ceann v. cochan
• thar v. carr
• fear v. farraige

As I said, this distinction is not found in Munster dialects, a loose grouping which I would count Ossory Irish as being in. I reckon that the distinction had been lost in Kilkenny around 1750-1800 or possibly earlier. Going through manuscripts would reveal certain spellings which may tell when this happened. As a result of the loss of this distinction, a sound shift occurred so as to prevent words completely merging. So today for Munster dialects, a short vowel changes or breaks in stressed syllables when next to a fortis consonant.

As far as I understand, a historical fortis r does not cause any vowel change so I won't cover that. The historical fortis m, which is not currently represented in speech or writing, causes this change in vowel too. This change only applies to short vowels in stressed syllables. If there was already a diphthong or a long vowel, it does not change as far I am aware. I'll compare the spelling convention with the pronunciation.

<a> - Followed by a broad fortis consonant such as in the words anall, am, ceann, steall, et al. the vowel is /əu/. Breatnach phonemically had /əu/ but Wagner had both [əu] and [ɑu], showing that these were allophonic. Wagner's transcriptions were /əˈnɑul/, /ɑum/, /k´əun/ and /sd´ɑul/. An exception to this is ann which is pronounced /u:n/ as though it were spelled ún.

<ai> - As I wrote before, <ai> is pronounced /i:/ which is mostly before fortis consonants. Examples are caint (historically spelled cainnt in Irish), crainn and saill. These are /ki:n´t´/, /kri:ŋ´/ and /si:l´/. Wagner also sometimes has /ɑi/ here.

<o> - This is often pronounced /u:/. This is also to be heard in West Munster and 'Thomond' (present day Clare and Limerick). Examples are the words fionn, cionn, anonn and lionn which are /f´u:n/, /k´u:n/, /əˈnu:n/ and /l´u:n/.

<oi> - This becomes the diphthong /əi/. For example, coill and soillse which are /kəil´/ /səil´s´ə/. Wagner had both [əi] and [ɑi] which again are allophonic.

<i> - This short vowel becomes long /i:/. For example, tinn and linn which are /t´i:ŋ´/ and /l´i:ŋ´/.

Thanks for reading