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  5. "Chan e nurs a th' annam."

"Chan e nurs a th' annam."

Translation:I am not a nurse.

March 15, 2020



Sounds like chañ e. Is this eclipsis/elision (?) of a terminal "n" followed by a vowel optional?


The final "n" is pronounced "ñ" (in IPA: /ɲ/) because it's in contact with a front vowel ("e" and "i" are the front vowels in the Gaelic language). /ɲ/ is the 'slender' pronunciation of "n" (triggered by "e" or "i") while /n/ is the 'broad' pronunciation.

Other examples of this are:

the first "n" in "nighean" (/ɲiː .an̪ˠ/)

"duine" (/t̪ɯɲə/).

The broad and slender pronunciations of Gaelic consonants are set out in this table on Wiktionary: Scottish_Gaelic_pronunciation#Consonants.
