Title
Could someone please tell me how to pronounce the word 'Seachd' and also explain if it means anything?
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The pheasant has no agenda
from this archived newsgroup discussion
http://groups.google.com/group/uk.rec.walking/browse_thread/thread/96832496390bee85?hl=en#
> So, all you Gaelic scholars out there is "shack" how I should be
> saying it?
Close. Try "shack" said a bit like "shock" then all a small "d" to the
end, sort of SHACK-d. Similar to "nochd" and "slochd". To be honest,
it's difficult to replicate many Gaelic sounds into 'phonetic English' -
you really have to listen to them or, if you're into linguistics, see
their phonetic transcriptions in the international phonetic alphabet. "
from this archived newsgroup discussion
http://groups.google.com/group/uk.rec.walking/browse_thread/thread/96832496390bee85?hl=en#
> So, all you Gaelic scholars out there is "shack" how I should be
> saying it?
Close. Try "shack" said a bit like "shock" then all a small "d" to the
end, sort of SHACK-d. Similar to "nochd" and "slochd". To be honest,
it's difficult to replicate many Gaelic sounds into 'phonetic English' -
you really have to listen to them or, if you're into linguistics, see
their phonetic transcriptions in the international phonetic alphabet. "
I'm guessing that reply was written by an Irish speaker. They tend to assume that what holds true for their version of Gaelic also holds true for the Scottish one.
To an Irish apeaker, the combination "chd" at the end of the word would most likely be pronounced as "kh-d". Nowadays, it's usually written as "cht" in Irish. But in Gàidhlig, the "ch" would become more like a breathy "h", and the final "d" would be pronounced like a "k", with the slightest hesitation between the two. And the way you say the vowel in the middle probably depends on where you're from, as to whether you favour the "e" or the "a" in the pronunciation.
So it would be most commonly "shahh-k", or for some people "shehh-k".
You might very well think that. I couldn't possibly comment.
share
as English: shakhk (variant shekhk)
the -se- is pronounced as Eng sh
-chd is pronounced as Eng khk (as in German composer Bach plus a -k sound at the end).
If I were a German speaker, I might spell this Schachk using German spelling system.
A big problem with trying to write Gaelic using English phonetics is that Gaelic retains purer diphthongs than those English. In most English dialects, we don't "glide" diphthong sounds together, but compromise on a singular vowel sound. Only in a few cases do we have pure diphthongs, like with the "oy" were we still glide from "o" to "i" (y), as in "boy." English has been very inconsistent in this, though. For example, the "ou" is "sound" remains a diphthong, but not the "ou" in "could" or "would."
Moreover, Gaelic uses diphthongs far more than English, so this proves a considerable challenge for pronunciation for an English speaker who likely never learned to speak or even hear diphthongs properly.
Regarding a word like "seachd," the diphthong would be a quick glide from an "eh" to an "ah." Because neither vowel has an accent, the two vowel sounds should be a pure diphthong, i.e. glided together so quickly that is sounds *almost* like a singular vowel sound, sounding neither like an "eh" or an "ah" but something in between. When saying the word, Your tongue should be close to your upper teeth for the initial "sheh" sound, then the tongue slides quickly back for the final "ahck" - but no break, as it's all one syllable - "shehahck."