Can someone please explain why the difference in pronunciation for "romhar" meaning "fat" (pronc'd rov-er?) vs "romhat" (pronc'd row-it?) as in "Tá fáilte romhat"? The "mh" has an "o" before and an "a" after in both circumstances.
According to my Focloir Poca, the first "mh" has the "v" sound, but the second has the "w" sound.

Also please clarify "bhfuil" as in "An bhfuil tú ag an damhsa"? Is it "a vill" or "a will"?...(and that "damhsa" is said to be "davsa" by the way)
Would prefer the Munster version if applicable.
Thanks

"Fat" is actually "ramhar".

Rather than discuss this piece-meal, I'd like to explain a few general principles that are good all across the language.

1) At one time "mh" differed from "bh" in that the first had a nasal component. This is still very true in Scotland, but generally not true in Ireland anymore. So, anything thing I say about "mh" is true for "bh" and vice versa.

2) If "mh" is slender it sounds like 'v'. If "mh" is broad it sounds like 'w' (sometimes 'vw' in Munster).

3) There is very little articulatory difference between the consonant 'w' and the vowel 'u'. Listen in English how "oo-en" slides seamlessly into "when". This is even more true in Irish. The "fat" word "ramhar" doesn't really sound much different if you say it as "ra-oo-uhr" or as "ra-wuhr" or "row-uhr ('ow' as in "cow").

"Romhat" can be said as "ro-wuht", which slides easily into "roht", a single syllable with one long "o", which is a common pronunciation.

4) When broad "mh" bumps up againt a consonsant, the "oo" sound comes to the fore: "damhsa" is said "da-oo-suh" or "dow-suh" ('ow' as in "cow"). Also "dabht", which means and is pronounced very much like "doubt".

NB: distinctions in pronunciation which may loom large when you are concentrating on them and saying them slowly often fade away into the background in normally rapid speech.

I initially doubted Dennis's statement that the Irish for fat is "ramhar". I thought I remembered something from Buntús Cainte..."Tá sé tanaí, Tá sé romhar". But, I checked my version of Foclóir Póca and it does, in fact, list "ramhar" as "fat". It lists "romhar" as "digging"...as in "Táim ag romhar poll".

The pronunciation given for "ramhar" agus "romhat" has the same "w" sound for both cases of "mh".

Thanks Dennis,

and I'll say yes, I very much understand the last... the NB about distinctions lost in rapid conversation..

But what I am missing here is ...since both words (and sorry for the wrong spelling of "fat")..what makes the "mh" slender, so pronc'd "v" or broad.... so pronc'd "w"? In both the example words I gave, there is an "a" or an "o" before and after the "mh".
I thought that indicated whether the "mh" was slender or broad..and in this case I would assume it to be broad..to agree with the "a" or the "o"
Sorry to prolong this , and what seems to be a simple concept but, Focloir Poca indicated a difference in the two word pron'n.
You are a very patient person if you can answer this (:<)

slender vowels: i, e
broad vowels: a, u, o

broad example: samhradh (summer) SOW-ruh

slender example: saibhir (rich) SEV-ir

quote:

Táim ag romhar poll".

That is actually a long 'ó' : ag rómhar ~ uh ROH-wuhr

To be absolutely grammatical, it would be "táim ag rómhar poill" with "poll" in the genitive, lit. "I am at digging of-a-hole. "Digging of a hole" is really all nouns. The only real verb in the sentence is "táim".