The distinction in Conamara is clearer as the plural of book is "leabhra/leabhartha".

Bríd, is that used in the genitive, too?

Ag léamh leabhar - reading a book
Ag léamh leabhra/labhartha - reading books?

Personally speaking that is how I would say it. But as previously said in the genitive it is "Ag léamh leabhair".
I often ignore the genitive, I'm not sure if that is just me or is it a Conamara thing.

So, even with a different plural it still uses the normal genitive form? That's interesting. Though I'm completely down with ignoring the genitive if native speakers do

Regarding the context in which it was given, this occurred in a section featuring examples of Irish words to demonstrate pronunciation. It looks exactly like this:

leabhair /l'aur'/ (a book)

It is incorrect, then. Based on the pronunciation given, I'm thinking the Irish spelling is what's incorrect...it should be "leabhar."

Redwolf

"Based on the pronunciation given" (i.e., slender r), I think it would be the _translation_ that is wrong. It should say "books".

_________________
Múinteoir Gaeilge - Irish Teacher
My "specialty" is Connemara Irish, particularly Cois Fhairrge dialect, but I can also speak Ulster and Munster Irish with native-level pronunciation.
Is fearr Gaeilge ḃriste ná Béarla cliste, cinnte, aċ i ḃfad níos fearr aríst í Gaeilge ḃinn ḃeo na nGaeltaċtaí.
Gaeilge Chonnacht (GC), go háraid Gaeilge Chois Fhairrge (GCF), Gaeilic Uladh (GU), Gaelainn na Mumhan (GM), agus Gaeilge an Chaighdeáin Oifigiúil (CO).

That "r" looks broad to me, but I don't know IPA, so I could be wrong.

I wish people would post sound files!

Redwolf

I thought I had it on word of the day but apparently not.
I can't do it at the moment as my voice has been gone for weeks. (And I still haven't figured out the new way to upload that Breandán tries his best to teach me).


It is on Forvo -

Leabhar
http://forvo.com/word/leabhar/#ga

Leabhair
http://forvo.com/word/leabhair/#ga (sorry sounds too stretched, not used to saying it this way).


Between the genitives and the plural and the singular, it is a complicated word in the Caighdeánach -
http://www.tearma.ie/Search.aspx?term=l ... ng=3116659

I was thinking of the OP, actually...that it would be better to post the actual recording from Spoken World rather than IPA, which doesn't really tell all of us very much. But thanks for the recording...always helpful to hear!