Like in any language, you'll find different words used for the same meaning depending on where you live e.g. "biscuits" in Ireland / U.K. are "cookies" in America. In Irish there are many examples of this, not only in word differences but also pronunciation / spelling and sometimes even sentence structure. It is said that there are three main dialects in Ireland:

ULSTER IN THE NORTH (the language of the game)
CONNACHT IN THE WEST (see Little Black Book over on the left)
MUNSTER IN THE SOUTH (see Little Black Book over on the left)

This doesn't mean that there are no Irish speakers in Leinster, in the east. See www.cso.ie/statistics/irishspeakerssince1861.htm for statistics on the number of Irish speakers in the various regions according to the Central Statistics Office of Ireland. For the Northern Ireland statistics, see www.nisra.gov.uk/census/Census2001Output/

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AN BÉAL BOCHT / THE POOR MOUTH - A NOTE ON PRONUNCIATION
The phrase meaning to complain persistently or to make "the poor mouth" comes from the Irish "an béal bocht". This may be the best description of what your mouth will have to endure whilst trying to pronounce certain words in Irish for which there are no sounds in English. An Béal Bocht is also the title of a famous satire and comic novel written in 1941 by Myles na gCopaleen (Flann O'Brien).

But back to contortions of the mouth. In English, we have 26 letters in the alphabet. Traditionally, in Irish we have a mere 18. We seem to have most of the sounds that English has but some extra. How can that happen if there are less letters - surely there must be less sounds? The "béal bocht" has got the job of creating new ones from these 18. For example "b" is said just like the English "b" but if you add a "h" after it to make "bh", it can be either a 'w' sound or a 'v' sound. So, how can you possibly know which sound it should be, 'w' or 'v'?

This is the easy part and if you can remember this simple rule, you have a golden pass to most potential difficulties learners, like Colin, encounter.

THE SIMPLE RULE :

The Smiley Group	The Shocked Group
I / E	A / O / U

The I/E group is what Colin calls The Smiley Group because his mouth has to widen out in a thin smile to say them, compared to the A/O/U group which sounds like audience reactions to a trapeze act: Ah! / Oh! / Oooh!

So back to the "b". If you see a "h" dunked after 'b', as in "an bhabóg" (= the doll), you should make the 'w' sound. This is the sound you need for The Shocked Group (a/o/u). But if you see a "h" before The Smiley Group (i/e), as in "bhí mé" (= I was), you should make the "v" sound. This is the sound you need for The Smiley Group (i/e). And now that you know how 'b' works, 'm' works in exactly the same way. Simple!

OTHER SOUNDS THAT HAVE BAFFLED COLIN...

"ch" It's everywhere in Irish and the closest you'll get to it is to really clear your throat when pronouncing the "ch" in the Scottish "loch" (lake). This can be good fun, depending on your point of view. This is the "ch" you will need for The Shocked Group (a/o/u), as in "máthair Chumberland" (= Cumberland's mother). But if you see "ch" beside The Smiley Group (i/e), try whispering the start of the English word "yes" - it must be a whisper though for you to hear what the 'ch' in the Irish word "mo cheann" (= my head) sounds like. It's easy once you get it!

"l" Imagine trying to say the "L" in the word "lovely" with a very exaggerated Russian accent, as in the Irish word "lá" (= a day). This is the "l" you will need for The Shocked Group (a/o/u). And for The Smiley Group (i/e), it's a very thin sound, as in the Irish "le" (= with). This sounds like the English "little".

"s" If one of the Shocked Group (a/o/u) comes before or after an "s", you say "ssssssss" but if The Smiley Group (i/e) appear anywhere near an "s", you make it a gentle "sh" sound. Try saying "seas suas" (= stand up) as a tongue twister for practice.

"dh" If the Shocked Group (a/o/u) come after 'dh' it sounds more like Cumberland clearing hair balls from the back of his throat. Remember the "ch" in "loch"? Well try including more voice in the "ch" as opposed to a whisper when you say it. Try it! Then say the Irish word "dhá" (= two - used in counting things). But if The Smiley Group (i/e) take over a "dh", it goes all thin and sounds more like a "y", as in the Irish word "ró-dhearg" (= too red). And if you see "gh", just apply the "dh" principle to it and you're flying!

"ph" just sounds like 'f'. So "dhá pheann" (= two pens)

FADA! / A LONG LINE OVER...
If you see an accent over any of these five letters above i.e. í / é / á / ó / ú, it's almost as if you voice the sound just a little longer than normal. There's a very good reason for this! By adding an accent, called a "fada", the word often gets an entirely different meaning!

The Smiley Group
I / E:"i" (= in a) sounds completely different to "í" (= she). "í" sounds more like the start of the English word "eel", whereas without a "fada", it's a short sound. The Irish for 'butter' is "im" and that 'i' is just like the one in the English word "in". é:"fear" (= a man) sounds completely different to "féar" (= grass). "féar" sounds more like the English 'fair'). Without a "fada", it sounds like an 'eh' / or in the case of "fear" (man), more of an 'a'.

The Shocked Group
A / O / U. You know this already! Try saying each one out loud as if you're shocked and it's most likely you've mastered them! And just to prove you have mastered them, here are more examples.

á :
"na ba" (= the cows) sounds completely different to "bá" (= bay). "bá" sounds more like the start of the English word 'baa', whereas "na ba" sounds more like the English sound "bah"... Didn't hear any difference? For the word with the "fada" on it, i.e. "bá" (= bay), try lengthening the sound of the "á".

ó :
"ocht" (= eight) sounds completely different to "ó" (= from). "ó" sounds more like the English 'oh!' but without the "fada", it just sounds like an "uh" (or "ou" like in 'bought') as you hear in "ocht" (eight).

ú :
"cupán" (= a cup) sounds completely different to "cúig" (= five). "ú" sounds more like the double 'o' in the English word 'cool'. But without a "fada", it's a much shorter sound, more like an "uh", like the first part of the Irish word "cupán" (and you already now know how to say the second part of the word!).

It's a Gender War!
Just like in French / Spanish and many other languages, words are said to be either "feminine" or "masculine". It's their identity, if you like. As you progress, you will realise that there is a reason for this, like in any language. It's the first thing you'll notice in a dictionary if you look up a noun (= person / place / thing). It's worth keeping a Little Black Book of your own with lists of all the new nouns you have learnt in Irish and see if you can notice any patterns emerging.

Here's a headstart:
All words ending in "-óg" will be "feminine"!
All words ending in "-ín" will be "masculine"!
Now time for you to do the rest!

Last thing before you start! The Little Black Book is always there for you to click on if you want hear something again while you play a game. You'll find extra tips all the way down the bottom of each page in the Little Black Book. After hearing the characters speak, repeat the phrases as they say them - out loud! Maybe you'll even beat Colin to it!