CaoimhínSF wrote:
I can "third" what you've been given, and since no one has offered a pronunciation guide yet, here is a rough, American English-oriented guide (leaving out the names), but someone may be able to offer a sound file to help you:
MAH-huhr, muh laykh: ________
muh ghraw, muh van KHAY-luh: ______
muh khlown, muh hail [or: HAY-ull, with the second syllable being brief, almost swallowed]: ________
In multi-syllabic words (or word combinations), I've capitalized the syllable which gets the stress (usually the first syllable in Irish).
The "uh" sounds are brief, indistinct vowel sounds (like schwas) which happen in many unstressed syllables.
The "kh" is a guttural sound, like the "ch" in Bach or Loch Ness.
The "gh" is the same sound, but deeper in the throat (voiced, if you know what that means).
The "ay" sounds rhyme with the English word "say".
The word "van" is as in the English "moving van".
The word "khlown" rhymes with the English word "town".
This is fantastic! Not only do I get my third, clearing the way for my first and likely only tattoo, but I get a pronounciation guide so I can act like I know what I'm doing. Thanks so much!
I'll be sure to upload a pic when I get it done.
~Conan