Irish English

Grammar
Pronunciation
Vocabulary Differences
 Grammar
Irish is a member of the Goidelic (Gaelic) language branch of the Celtic
languages originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people.
Irish has been the predominant language of the Irish people for most of their
recorded history, and they brought it with them to other regions, notably
Scotland and the Isle of Man.It has the oldest vernacular literature in
Western Europe. It is also among the official languages of the European
Union.
 Here are just a few of the characteristics of Irish-English
grammar:

•Like Scottish English, Irish English has unmarked plurality in nouns

indicating time and measure--"two mile," for instance, and "five year."
•Irish English makes an explicit distinction between singular you/ye and
plural you/se (also found in other varieties): "So I said to our Jill and Mary:
'Youse wash the dishes.'"
•Another characteristic of Irish English is nominalization, giving a word or
phrase a noun-like status that it doesn't generally have, as in "If I had the
doing of it again, I'd do it different."
•A direct borrowing from the traditional Irish language (also known as Irish
Gaelic or Gaeilge) is the use of after in noun phrases such as "I'm only after
my dinner."
•Like Scottish English, Irish English often uses progressive forms of stative
verbs ("I was knowing your face").
•Another salient feature is the use of sentence tags initiated by so, as in
"It's raining, so it is."
 The syntax of Irish English

General features
There are many non-standard features in the syntax of Irish English. Some of these are island-wide,
i.e. they occur in more or less all varieties of English in both the north and south of Ireland. Others
are limited to a particular dialect region and ultimately derive from a specific settlement group in
Irish history. Furthermore, some categories exists in several vernacular varieties but their
realisations differ, see habitual aspect below. To begin with general features are listed here, in the
following section those features which are geographically confined are listed. There has been, and
still is, much discussion in Irish English studies about the sources of these non-standard features.
Because these discussions are linguistically significant, a special section of the current site is
devoted to these see branch on the left).
Aspectual distinctions
1) Perfective aspect with two sub-types: Immediate perfective with the structure after + V-ing (+
O). This structure is used to convey information supposedly unknown to the hearer, hence the label
‘hot news’ perfective which is sometime used.
She is after spilling the milk.
They're after leaving off more than 20 workers. Resultative perfective with the word Object +
Past Participle. This structure implies that an action was carried out intentionally. It can contrast
with the word order Past Participle + Object, as in the third and fourth sentences below.
She has the housework done.
2) Habitual aspect (present). This can be expressed in one of three ways: (i) by does + be (often
reduced on the east coast to [dq/bi]) or (ii) by bees (exclusively northern) or (iii) by inflectional -s,
above all in the first and third persons (common on the east coast).
-I gets awful anxious about the kids when they’re away.
3) Reduced number of verb forms. Seen and done as preterite, went as past participle, also found
with some other verbs like come and use.
I wonder why he done that.
She come up to see her aunt when she was dyin’.
4) Greater range of the present tense
I know him for more than six years now.
5) Be as auxiliary
They’re finished the work now.
They´re not even started yet, boy.

Nouns in Irish are either masculine or feminine. (There used to be a

neuter gender but that was jettisoned fairly early on. The majority of
nouns in Irish are masculine. It is not always easy to tell a masculine
noun from a feminine noun, but the following types of nouns are
usually feminine:
nouns ending in a slender consonant
nouns ending in -eog, -óg, -lann
multi-syllable nouns ending in -acht or –íocht
names of countries and languages
abstract nouns ending in -e or –i
-article + nounThe easiest way to remember a noun's gender is to practice using the
noun with the definite article. That's because the article can cause a change to the noun
depending on its gender. The table below summarises the changes that occur.
If a noun begins with a consonant (other than d, t, s)...
...and it's masculine, then there's no change to the noun after an.
...and it's feminine, then you lenite it after an.
If a noun begins with a vowel...
...and it's masculine, then you prefix "t-" to it after an.
...and it's feminine, there's no change to the noun after an.
Irish nouns form their plurals in a lot of different ways, depending on the specific
noun, but every plural form is either strong or weak. A strong plural form is any plural
word that is formed by adding a consonant-containing ending. Genitive Forms
Use the genitive when a noun follows another noun,a compound preposition ,a verbal
noun,a quantity word.
 VERBS
There are two conjugations and 11 irregular verbs.
• The inflected tense and mood forms are: present indicative,
present habitual indicative (differs from present only in the verb bí
"to be"), future, past indicative, past habitual indicative,
conditional, imperative, present subjunctive, and past subjunctive.
Verbs also have a verbal noun and past participle, and progressive
constructions similar to those using the English present participle
may be formed from the verbal noun and an appropriate tense of
bí.
• Examples of tense conjugations: (all third person forms without
subject pronoun).Irish verbs have no infinitive.When in German
one would use the infinitive, in Irish mostly stands the verbal
noun.The verbal noun is also rather irregular (many different
suffixes or even suffixsless). This is why one can not so easily find
verb stem just by crossing off a suffix.In the dictionary, one looks
up a verb then not with the verbal noun, but mostly with the verb
root.
• There are only 2 types of conjugation, the 1st and 2nd
conjugation.
The only real difference beween the two conjugations are the future tense-(and
conditional -) marker -f- (1st conj.) and -ó- (2nd conj.), e.g.:
1st conjugation: molfaidh sé = he will praise
2nd conjugation: beannóidh sé = he will bless
The other differences between the two are explainable using orthographic rules.
The principal difference to be made is between the synthetic and analytical forms are the
conjugation suffixes. Synthetic form "synthesis" of the verb and personal pronoun in
one word :
-verb and subject (pronouns) are combined into one word. There is no passive proper in
Irish . Verbs can be conjugated either synthetically (with the personal pronoun included
in the verb inflection) or analytically (with the verb inflected for tense only and a
separate subject). However, the official standard generally prescribes the analytic form
in most person-tense combinations, and the synthetic in only some cases, such as the
first person plural.
Only 5 of the irregular verbs differentiate between dependent forms and absolute forms
ins some tenses.In the regular verbs, there are no differences in the verb form, only the
verbal particle do appears only in the absolute forms (in the preterit, imperfect and
conditional ; and then mostly only preceding a vowel as d').
There are only 11 irregular verbs. The irregularity is due to the fact that they were once
combined verbs, in which there is an actual verb and affixed preposition and they were
polysyllabic.
Articles:
The Irish definite article has two forms: an and na. An may cause lenition, eclipsis,
or neither. Na may cause eclipsis, but the only instance of lenition with na is with
the genitive singular of the word céad meaning first. An is used in the common case
singular for all nouns, and lenites feminine nouns. In the genitive singular, an with
lenition is used with masculine nouns, na with feminine nouns. In the dative
singular, an may cause lenition or eclipsis depending on the preposition preceding it
and on regional norms (in Ulster usage, lenition is standard with all prepositions,
while in other regions eclipsis is used with many). Na is the only plural form of the
article; it causes eclipsis in the genitive for both genders, and no mutation in other
cases.
ADJECTIVES:
Irish adjectives always follow the noun. The adjective is influenced by the case,
number and gender of the noun preceding it.Adjectives in Irish have two
morphological degrees of comparison: the positive (Irish: bunchéim), e.g. Tá an
buachaill cairdiúil "the boy is friendly", and the comparative (Irish: breischéim), e.g.
Tá an cailín níos cairdiúla ná an buachaill "the girl is nicer than the boy". A
superlative (Irish: sárchéim) sense is rendered by the comparative in a relative
clause, e.g. Is é Seán an páiste is cairdiúla den triúr "Seán is the nicest child of the
three".
PRONOUNS:
Personal pronouns in Irish do not inflect for case, but there are three different
sets of pronouns used: conjunctive forms, disjunctive forms, and emphatic
forms (which may be used either conjunctively or disjunctively)
Conjunctive forms:
The normal word order in Irish is verb–subject–object (VSO). The forms of the
subject pronoun directly following the verb are called conjunctive:The form in
the 1st person plural is not used in the standard language, but is very common
in western and northern dialects. The standard and southern dialects have no
subject pronoun in the 1st person plural, using the synthetic verb ending -imíd
(alt -imid) instead.
Disjunctive forms
If a pronoun is not the subject or if a subject pronoun does not follow the verb
(as in a verbless clause, or as the subject of the copula, where the pronoun
stands at the end of the sentence).
Possessive determiners:
The possessive determiners cause different initial consonant mutations. The
object of a verbal noun is in the genitive case: Similarly, if the object of the
verbal noun is a pronoun, then it is a possessive pronoun:
Interrogative pronouns introduce a question, e.g. the words who, what, which.
The Irish equivalents are:
cé "who?, which?"
cad or céard "what?"
cá "which?"
PREPOSITIONS:As the object of a preposition, a pronoun is fused with the preposition;
one speaks here of "inflected" prepositions, or, as they are more commonly termed,
prepositional pronouns. Irish prepositions link nouns, pronouns and phrases to other
words in a sentence. The word or phrase that the preposition introduces is called the
object of the preposition. Here are some examples:
ENGLISH PREPOSITIONS: IRISH PREPOSITIONS:

Inside the house istigh sa teach

outside the car taobh amuigh den charr

with me liom

without him gan é

under the table faoin mbord

after tomorrow tar éis an lae amárach

before sunset roimh luí na gréine

 NUMBERS

There are three kinds of cardinal numbers in Irish: disjunctive numbers,

nonhuman conjunctive numbers, and human conjunctive numbers.
Disnjuctive numbers:
These numbers are used for example in arithmetic, in telling time, in
telephone numbers and after nouns in forms like bus a trí déag "bus 13"
or seomra a dó "room 2".

Nonhuman conjunctive numbers:

These numbers are used to count nouns that do not refer to human beings,
e.g. capall "horse"

Human conjunctive numbers.

These numbers are used to count nouns that refer to human beings,
e.g. páiste 'child'
Pronunciation: Irish English

The pronunciations given are those in use among educated urban speakers of
standard English in Ireland. While avoiding strongly regionally or socially
marked forms, they are intended to include the most common variants for each
word. The general Irish English variety is therefore a superregional Southern
Irish English (although entries indicated as specifically ‘Ulster’ may reflect more
Northern Irish features). The keywords given in this key are to be understood as
pronounced in such speech.
Words associated with Ireland are given British and American pronunciations
alongside the Irish pronunciation(s). Where a word is associated with an
additional part of the English-speaking world, further pronunciations in the
appropriate global variety of English are also given.
.
 Irish English Pronunciation!
Hiberno-English pronunciation retains many phonemic differentiations that have
merged in other English accents.

•Irish English makes a distinction between the vowels in prize and price. The vowel
in price occurs before the voiceless sounds /p/, /t/, /k/, /f/, /θ/, /s/, /ʃ/, /x/, and /h/, with
the vowel in prize occurring before ‘voiced’ consonants and word boundaries.

•The Irish English sounds known as ‘dental plosives’, which sound like /t/ and /d/ but
with the tongue touching the teeth, are treated here as variants of /θ/ and /ð/. The
spoken pronunciations may demonstrate these where appropriate.

•The consonants l, m, and n can take on the function of a vowel in some unstressed
syllables. It should generally be clear when this interpretation is intended, but in cases
of potential ambiguity, the consonant symbol may appear with a diacritic, as in the
British and U.S. pronunciations. The use of brackets around /ə/ indicates that some
speakers may not pronounce the /ə/; in some cases this means the following
consonant would take on the function of the vowel (e.g. U.S. saddle /ˈsæd(ə)l/).
After a vowel, Irish English is similar to U.S. English in that it can have /r/
regardless of the sound which follows, whereas British English retains the /r/
only when it is followed by a vowel. Irish English therefore has /r/ sounds
where British English does not, in words such as mar (Irish /mɑːr/, unlike
British /mɑː/).
•Another case is the pronunciation of U in Ireland
•Apart from English having very few concrete rules about pronunciation, you
have probably learnt that U should sound like /℧/ .
In Ireland and particularly in Dublin , people pronounce U in a particular way.
They will understand you better if you ask for the “bus/b℧s/stop” rather than
the “bus/bʌs/stop”.

•In Dublin you hear “bot” /but/ in the conversation and do not know what
it is … and they go to the “pub” / p℧b/ and not the “pab”/pʌb/, they have a
“cup” /c℧p/ not a / cʌp/ of tea, and they live in /D℧blin/ not / Dʌbli:n/.
•Also Irish English has /r/ sound where British English does not use in
words such as mar unlike British[ ma:].
 Vowels
Irish English As in…
iː fleece
i happy
ɪ kit
ɛ dress
æ Trap
aː bath, palm
ɑ Lot
ɒː cloth, hawk
ʌ Cup
ʊ Foot
əːr Nurse
iːr Here
eːr square
uːr cure
ɑːr start
ɒːr north , force
uː goose
ə alpha
eː face
ɑɪ prize
aɪ price
aʊ mound
oʊ goat
ɒɪ choice
ər letter
 Consonants
Irish English As in…
b big /bɪɡ/
d dig /dɪɡ/
dʒ jet /dʒɛt/
f fig /fɪɡ/
ɡ get /ɡet/
h hut /hʌt/
j yes /jɛs/
k kit /kɪt/
l lɛg /leɡ/
m mud /mʌd/
n net /nɛt/
ŋ thing /θɪŋ/
p pit /pɪt/
r red /rɛd/
s sit /sɪt/
ʃ ship /ʃɪp/
t tip /tɪp/
tʃ chip /tʃɪp/
θ thin /θɪn/
v vet /vɛt/
w win /wɪn/
z zip /zɪp/
ʒ vision /ˈvɪʒ(ə)n/
ð then /ðɛn/
x loch
 Irish English Vocabulary
Craic - a good time (fun) The girls are heading out for a craic .
The curk -a good time /fun .Spending time with him is usually the curk ,thought .
Noodle - your head .So I asked him , “what is going on in your noodle that you‘d
give me the boss eyes?”
Hatchet – absolutely brilliant .My night turned out totally hatchet in the end .
Plugged – pregnant
Pishmires – ants ,may refer to the flying type .”He ‘d cover you in marmalade and
pour pishmires on you ,just to watch your squirm “.
Zonk – one pound coin .I tossed Reg a zonk and kept walking .
Stink –something horrible .If you cross him ,he ‘ll cause a real stink .
Shebang – entirety ,the whole thing .I mean the habit ,the crucifix and the whole
shebang .
Racked – tired .I‘m too racked to think about it .
Foundered – the state of being extremerly cold .I‘m so foundered I‘ll need two
extra blankets in my bed.
Divvy – silly . It feels a little divvy to bury myself in covers like that .
In tatters – destroyed .If I don’t do though I will be in tatters come morning .
Scundered –embarrased It ‘s nothing to get scundered about ,just a guy out on the
lash until late .
Mot – girlfriend,wife or any other kind of romantic female partner .
Jammy – When you win the lottery in Ireland you will be known as a “jammy” person or
in other words ,very lucky .
Fair play – a phrase uttered to anyone who did a good job or achieved something
.Otherwise known as a” well done “
Gas – not shorthand for gasoline .In Ireland if a situation or a person is “gas “ it means
they ‘re very funny .
That‘s class – if something is “class’ ,it ‘s excellent or really really good .
Savage – another way of saying something is class ,deadly or generally amazing .
Yer Man or Woman – denotes to a person whose name is unknown .For example : Didn’t
I see yer man in town yesterday ?” That wasn’t him ,that was the other one .”
Arseways –to do something the wrong way ,or for something to go wrong on you .
Dear – expensive
Thick – It‘s unclear when “being thick with someone “ came to mean being annoyed with
them ,but it‘s common term .
Whooper – massive , and therefore great .Not to be confused with the burger .
The jacks – if you arrive in Ireland and ask someone for the restroom ,it is a social
suicide.
It‘s either called “the toilet “ ,or even more commonly “the jacks”.
Stook – an idiot or fool .Quit dancing on the table you stook !
Stuttles - from the Latin “stultitia “a foolish person .There may be days when I m stuttles
,but mostly I do fine .
 Phrases

Are you Okay – This is the universal greeting of the sales assistant .He or she is
absolutely not interested in your health or well-being .The phrase translate as “I am
ready to serve you ,what is your desire ? The correct answer is to place your order ,not
to detail your aliments .
Come here to me – if the person saying this is already next to you ,you might feel that
the concept of personal space is unknown in Ireland .Don‘worry ,the phrase simply
means “listen up”.
How are you?- Unless the person asking you is a doctor ,nurse or paramedic this
simply means “Hello!” .Do not start any long sentences .Just reply with the same
phrase or the common “And yourself”?
What‘s the craic ?- it is simply translated as “Any news ?” or simply “Hello!”
A whale of a time – hopefully ,this is what you ‘ll have when you come ever .It’s
simply an expression of how good time someone has had – usually used after a night
out .In use : “The bar didn’t close till half three and Micky got up and sang with the
band .Sure we had a whale of a time !”
Happy out – just means “happy “ but for some reasons ,we feel the need to add “out”
.It‘s usually used in the present ,so basically ,while you ‘re in the process of having a
whale of a time ,you are happy out .
Like hen’s teeth – derived from the original phrase “as rare as hen’s teeth “ ,but has
been shortened over the years .Pretty much means something is rare .Have you ever
seen teeth in a hen?
Take the piss – to make fun of ,tease or take advantage of.”I didn’t have the heart to
take the piss out of him.”
I could eat the twelve apostles – very hungry
On the lash – to go out drinking .In use :Maybe we’ll go out on the lash .
Wrapped more times than a bad Christmas present – damaged or broken .”He tries
selling his watch that was wrapped more times than a bad Christmas present.
Head like a bag of spuds-describes an ugly person.In use:It’s less persuasive when
the pitch man has a head like a bag of spuds
Doin’a number-causing upset,discomfort,or distress.In use:He gets a gas out of doin’a
number on people
Dirty tooth-an unclean person.In use Underneath the jacket and the boots he’s just a
dirty tooth.
Clean on-good looking.You have to be clean on,but dense to get called a himbo
Flying it-doing well.Otherwise I was flying it the rest of the night.
Kicked and booted-assaulted,In use:Before I was nearly kicked and booted by
Lionel,things were looking up.
Mad as a box of frogs-crazy.In use He counts on everyone knowing Lionel’s mad as a
box of frogs.
Cut to the onions/bone-fed up.In use:I,m cut to the onions with all the drama around here
Six o’one,half a dozen of the other-the same thing either way.In use:Should I go out on
the lash or have Bess over for a snog.It’s six o’one,half a dozen of the other
Make a bags of it-To make a bags of something is to mess it up entirely,do it completely
the wrong way,or fail miserably.
Donkey ‘s years – while nobody actually knows just how long a donkey’s year is ,it is
apparently believed to be very long time by the Irish !If you haven‘t seen someone in
‘donkey’s years ‘ ,you haven't seen them in several years ,even decades.
Give out – this is a phrase that confuses many ! When someone is “giving out ‘,it simply
means they are complaining about something ,or scolding someone for misbehaving.
Lashing –another one of Irish words for the different types of rain .If it’s lashing rain ,it’s
raining very heavily and you should really take an umbrella with you .
Up to ninety – if someone is “up to ninety’’ ,’going ninety’ or anything to do with ninety
,this usually means that they are extremerly busy or something is extremely busy or
something is extremely chaotic .
I will yeah – usually when someone Irish says this to you after you ask them to do
something ,it means they most definitely will not do it .
Sure you know yourself – this slang saying is quite popular and often used as a reply to
questions like ,”what were you thinking ?”or “how are you?’’