1.22 GRAMMAR ALERT – An Séimhiú/ Lenition

An important and frequent feature in Irish grammar is the concept of lenition. Basically, when an initial consonant is lenited (or softened) it changes the way that consonant is sounded and how the beginning of the word is spelt.

You lenite or soften the sound of a consonant in Irish by normally placing a ‘h’ after it. This is especially the case with the first consonant in a word. You may notice the use of lenition in this and in future courses. There are many rules associated with lenition and these will be explained as the course progresses.

At this stage it is important to note that the séimhiú changes the spelling and the pronunciation of some Irish words in particular linguistic contexts. This may sound complicated but the following are some typical everyday examples of using the séimhiú.

When we use possessive pronouns to say, for example, ‘my coat’ in Irish, we must lenite the initial consonant of the word ‘coat’ after using the word ‘my’ or ‘mo’, which changes the word from cóta to chóta i.e.

Mo + cóta = mo chóta

Another example of lenition is when we use the article An in Irish before a feminine noun. For example if we wanted to say ‘The woman’ in Irish we have to lenite the word bean (woman) to bhean after the article an which leaves us with:

An + bean = an bhean

Lenition is also used when we address people directly by their first name in the vocative case e.g.

Bríd - A Bhríd

Cóilín – A Chóilín

Caitríona - A Chaitríona

Prionsias – A Phroinsias

You will see examples of the various uses of lenition as you make your way through the course. We will explore further the uses of the séimhiú in other courses.