Just saw this today - it seemed interesting.
According to the list:
4. Welsh
Vowels: 14
Consonants: 31
Total number of sounds: 45
like German and Belarusian.
English 36, Italian just 30!
Just saw this today - it seemed interesting.
According to the list:
Vowels: 14
Consonants: 31
Total number of sounds: 45
like German and Belarusian.
English 36, Italian just 30!
Interesting, pity the site does not explain the source for those numbers. Wikipedia has this for Welsh, using the international phonetic alphabet: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_phonology
It may be that this is the source, seeing the numbers correspond.
Btw, don’t really agree with the treatment of diphthongs…
I am constantly amazed by the things I learn about Welsh because of this forum.
I never noticed before that the m, n and ng of the nasal mutation are sometimes different (unvoiced) to those that occur as ‘themselves’.
And now I think about it, in a strictly phonic sense, the difference between a ‘consonant w’ and a pure vowel w are actually unvoiced and voiced as well. (and i the same)
BIG IMPORTANT NOTE: This is the musings of someone interested in the mechanics of the language, Worrying about whether you are making the exact correct version of the w or ng that you should be saying will not help your Welsh. In fact, I would guess that if you asked 99% (and more) of Welsh speakers about the difference between them, you would get a blank stare. And that includes me until 5 minutes ago… Knowing the difference (or even that there is one) will not make you a better Welsh speaker!
But diolch yn fawr Gisella for linking to this.
This looks like it might have been gleaned from the big Compendium that me and George Campbell wrote, but if so they’ve certainly miscounted in some instances, and definitely for Welsh. 23 consonant phonemes tops. Don’t know where they got the other 8!
Interesting all the same.