What would be the correct pronunciation of the Gaelic name, "Comhraí Uí Toirdealbhaigh"?
What would be the correct pronunciation of the Gaelic name, "Comhraí Uí Toirdealbhaigh"?
I have done extensive research on the modern surnames of the Uí Toirdealbhaigh sept and have found several different variations. I was curious if anyone would also know the origins of surname, "Terry" as my research points to Uí Toirdealbhaigh and Dál gCais roots.
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The Munster Irish Gaelic pronunciation of the name in an English language transcription is "Kor-ee Ee Tor-jahl-uh-vee." There is also a variation of the name, Ó Thoirdealbhaigh which would be pronounced as "Oh hor-jahl-uh-vee."
(In Ulster Irish (Northern Ireland), the pronunciatin would be "Kor-ee Ee Tyor-dahl-uh-wee.")
Irish (and Scottish) Gaelic uses a logophonemic system of writing which means that the spelling often doesn't correspond to the actual pronunciation.
English has a logophonemic system of spelling too partly because it was Irish missionary scribes who first committed the English language to writing in the 7th century A.D.
If you ever have a chance to see the one surviving copy of "Beowulf" in Old English (Anglo-Saxon) from 1025 A.D. you will notice that it's written in an Irish script and orthography.