I've been asked to do a lesson on words that, to a learner, may sound very much alike (words in which the chief sound difference may be slender vs. broad consonants, for example, such as "cathair" and "ceathair," which can sound very much alike to a beginner). I'm also thinking of including words that are frequently confused by beginners, such as "súil" vs. "siúl").

The thing is, aside from "cathair/ceathair," I'm drawing a bit of a blank. Can any of the rest of you think of words that sound very similar in Irish, or that are easily confused by beginners?

Redwolf

There are also the dialects differences.
AFAIK "leabhar" and "labhair" sound identical in Donegal, but sound very different in Conamara.

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It is recommended that you always wait for three to agree on a translation.
I speak Connemara Irish, and my input will often reflect that.
I will do an mp3 file on request for short translations.
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Very true.

Eoin would be doing the recordings, and his dialect is Munster, leaning toward Kerry.

Redwolf

I've seen a list like that somewhere, I think it was compiled by mhwombat, in her grammar guide, perhaps?

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Táim ag foghlaim Gaelainn na Mumhan

Tá fáilte roim nach aon cheartú!
I am a learner. Any translations offered are practice and should not be used unless confirmed.

Found it. It's on www.nualeargais.ie

Can't provide a direct link from work, that site is blocked.

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Táim ag foghlaim Gaelainn na Mumhan

Tá fáilte roim nach aon cheartú!
I am a learner. Any translations offered are practice and should not be used unless confirmed.

Not quite, Brid . The first syllable in "leabhair" = 'lyoh' (big y-glide, 'oh' as in English 'more'), but no y-glide in "labhair" of course - like English 'lore'. Is é Lughaidh a chuirfeas miniú níos cruinne air.

I would add cathaoir with those two also? Domhain and domhan perhaps? I think it's worth looking back through Bríd's 'Focal an Lae' as I think she may have done precisely that a couple of times - put a couple of words that are similar together.

viewtopic.php?f=28&t=1095&start=70

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There's a whole heap of words that change from a broad to a slender ending when you put them in the plural and genitive. Leabhar/leabhair, bád/báid etc. Also the vocative case of some names: Rónán/a Rónáin.

Then there are words that really are pronounced the same, but have different meanings. "Is" can be a verb, or it can be short for agus.

Sorry if I'm making your lesson too complicated. Not sure what level your students are at.

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Táim ag foghlaim fós. Fáilte roimh gach aon cheartúchán.

níos cruinne? níl mé cinnte. Is maith a mhínigh tú féin é:

leabhair > lyoh-y (btw you wouldn't use that form because the genitive is "leabhaire" since it's feminine in Ulster, and the plural is normally leabharthaí)

labhair > loh-y

They sound a bit more similar when lenited, because the y-glide of "leabhair" then disappears, the l is still slender but it's not as evident as in the unlenited form. But you still hear the difference...
Actually the difference is the same in Connemara, the main difference between leabhair and labhair is the same as in Ulster (of course, in Connemara you have a diphthong for -abha-, and no y-sound at the end as we have in Gaoth Dobhair):

I guess "lyow-irh" and "low-irh" in Connemara then, same distinction with the first consonant

Concerning the other words:

súil /su:l'/
siúl /s'u:əl/
cathair /kahej/
ceathair /k'ehej/
(GD pronunciation, of course).

I noticed that in Northern Donegal, slender n's after back vowels tend to be double (ny-sound), maybe because the difference is clearer, from a single broad n. Sometimes it happens with L too.
I noticed that while listening to native speakers like Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh (she pronounces "a' cheoil" as if it were "a' cheoill", and words that end with -áin as if they were with -áinn). Maybe older speakers like John Ghráinne wouldn't do that (I have to check ).
Also, and this happens with all Ulster speakers (native ones, I mean) I think, slender single n between vowels is pronounced as if it were double (ny-sound, again):
báine is pronounced as if it were "báinne" ie. bweh-nyeh" (the bweh- is long, of course), while C and M have "baw-neh" (slender single n).

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Is fearr Gaeilg na Gaeltaċta ná Gaeilg ar biṫ eile
Agus is í Gaeilg Ġaoṫ Doḃair is binne

An tae- the tea (i.e the drink)

an t-ae- the liver

ár- our

ár- slaughter

ar- on

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Please wait for corrections/ more input from other forum members before acting on advice