So, I've had a bit of an epiphany as regards the pronunciation of Gaeilge and Gaelinn.

If you think of how a Brooklyn native like Archie Bunker of "All in the Family" fame (here in the US anyway) would say "girl"... that's the first syllable of both those words:

G(oi)l-geh / G(oi)l-in

Is this about right or am I hearing things?

If you add an "ay" sound after the "oi" sound, you'll be fairly close.

quote:

If you add an "ay" sound after the "oi" sound, you'll be fairly close.

Wow, "oi" + "ay." That makes for quite an interesting diphthong!

Domhnall, I think the challenge, as I had found in pronouncing "Gaeilge," may be in getting the right sound for the broad "g" that's in the beginning of each word. In Learning Irish, Ó Siadhail describes the broad "g" sound as a "g" with a slight, short "u" following it. I think it's similar to the "g" sound we encounter in words like "single" or "mingle." That is, the broad "g" sound is formed farther in the back of the mouth than a slender "g"

The vowel sound in the first syllable of "Gaeigle" is a long "a" sound (IPA symbol e:) as pronounced in "day."

So, "Gaeigle" is single + day, where only the bolded sounds are pronounced.

So, "Gaeigle" is single + day, where only the bolded sounds are pronounced.

Nice approach, but I think the emboldened letters yield us the Irish word glao, not the first syllable of Gaeilge.

Ó Siadhail's comment makes absolute sense if you're also hearing what he's talking about (or have heard it), as does my description of it as a "hidden w" (if you see that demonstrated). But it's difficult to use any of these methods online.

I meant to say the "g" sound in "single," not including the "l."