<< d´ -- This symbol denotes several varieties of sound, the norm being a voiced palatalized alveolar plosive: in making it the soft palate is raised, the blade of the tongue and the teeth-ridge make contact to stop the air-stream, which is then suddenly released; meanwhile the tip of the tongue lies inactive behind the lower front teeth.
In the pronunciation of some speakers, the blade of the tongue is slightly grooved and retracted so that the tip also makes contact with the teeth-ridge. The subsequent release then takes the form of a voiced palatalized alveolar fricative glide, of varying prominence, giving the phoneme a more or less affricated effect...
t´ -- The first variety of this phoneme corresponds to [d´], but is voiceless, more strongly articulated, and has aspiration [i.e. a voiceless plosive...followed by a relatively prominent expiration / accompanied by a slight puff of breath]...
Some speakers make contact rather with the tip of the tongue while the blade is grooved, so that the release is heard as a voiceless palatalized alveo-palatal fricative. Therefore the phoneme appears as an affricated sound...
There is a tendency to overlapping with regard to t´ and k´, e.g. t´ar@/k´ar@ tearra, t´as/k´as teas, t´iL´/k´iL´ cill, k´e: he:/t´e: he: cia hé?>>
--Seán de Búrca, "The Irish of Tourmakeady, Co. Mayo"
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<< d´, t´ -- These Erris affricates are not very different from [those in] English...‘jig’ and...‘cheer’ respectively. There does seem however to be a difference, which is this: for t§ as in English ‘cheer’ the tip of the tongue is up, and there is also some protrusion of the lips. For t§ as in Erris Irish t§it§ tuit, t§ax teach [i.e. t´it´, t´ax], the tip of the tongue is down against the lower teeth and the lips are spread. For the Erris Irish affricates, then, it may be said that the primary articulation is palatal, the secondary alveolar. The front of the tongue is raised to make a closure at the junction of the teeth-ridge and hard palate, and is then slowly released, causing friction in a narrowing between tongue and teeth-ridge, while the tip of the tongue remains against the lower front teeth...
Plosive d´ replaces affricate d´ following §. When it occurs in utterance final position it is unvoiced.
Examples--§d´u:ru: stiúrughadh, ba§d´u: baisteadh, e:§d´@xd éisteacht, ma:§d´ir´ maighistir, k´e§d´ ceist.
In sandhi plosive d´ and t´ regularly replace the corresponding affricates d´ and t´ respectively, preceding homorganic affricates, laterals, and nasals. For example in @ bant´ d´il´i§g´ _ag baint duilisg_ the t´ of bant´ is an unexploded plosive while the d´ of d´il´i§g´ is an affricate. Similarly in @ xid´ d´el´ign´i: _a chuid deilgní_ the d´ of xid´ is an unexploded plosive and the d´ in d´el´ign´i: is an affricate.>>
--Éamonn Mhac an Fhailigh, “The Irish of Erris, Co. Mayo”
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