Hi,

I wonder if you could please let me know the correct pronounciation, phonetically, of the surname above.

Thank you.

In Ulster: o KRO-hoor'
(pronounced as if it were spelt "Ó Cnochúir")

Same for West Muskerry except with final stress. (Cás eisceachtúil is ea an réadú de /n/ mar [ɾ] san fhocal so agus ní hí an riail í mar i nGaelainn Uladh.)

listen as Máirtín Tom Sheáinín introduces this man -

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-92711772592235714&hl=en

Conamara pronunciation.

A Bhrídmhór, nuair a bhíos ag éisteacht le RnaG thart ar dhá sheachtain ó shin (SBB) bhíothas ag trácht ar shórt oilithreachta go hoileán amach ón gcósta i gCarna. Naomh patrún bádóirí a bhíodh ann fadó. Baisteadh leanbh ar an oileán an lá céanna.

Bhíos ar an seanfhód ag an am sin agus ar éigean gur léimeas isteach sa charr...

Is iontach an traidisiún é.

Cad is ainm don naomh úd?

Oileáin Mhic Dara

Tá an leathanach seo sean ach fós tá eolas ann.
http://www.connemara.net/news/index.php?id=128

Sé Mac Dara patrún na Ceathrún Rua freisin. Tá an séipéal agus an scoil náisiúnta ainmnithe ina dhiaidh. Ba lá mór a bhíodh ann ar an gCeathrú Rua fadó freisin.

GRMA.

Lughaidh wrote:

In Ulster: o KRO-hoor
(pronounced as if it were spelt "Ó Cnochúir")

The Ó Con part of "Ó Conchuir" is pronounced as if it had an R in it? What happened to the N sound?

/kn/ is a more difficult cluster to pronounce than /kr/, and there were already plenty of examples of /kr/ in Irish, so it assimilated. This happened in other words as well (e.g. cnoc, cnag, etc.).

English also lost initial /kn/, but for whatever reason it simply dropped the /k/ instead of altering the /n/.

"English also lost initial /kn/, but for whatever reason it simply dropped the /k/ instead of altering the /n/."

Latin did this as well in an initial position. E.g., "... quorum tibi fides cognita est, et nota devotio" -- "... whose faith is recognized by Thee, and devotion known." (From the traditional Latin Mass).

1. "cognita" has the -gn-
2. "nota" has only the n-

Both come from the same root meaning "know" (which itself is from the same root). I think there are multiple explanations why this occurred.

I am surprised actually that the Irish went to the r sound in some places. I wonder if any etymological books trace why certain regions do this. (I think it is not limited to this context, right?)

There's no real "why" in such matters. You can say, for instance, that Latin HOMINE(M) became Spanish hombre by dissimilation (i.e. *omne > omre > (h)ombre) but this doesn't explain why the Portuguese and Catalans, who live on the same peninsula, never felt the same need. (They say homem and home, respectively.)