Learning a different accent can be helpful on many occasions. Master the Irish accent, bewilder your colleagues and friends with your emerald charm, and make Hollywood stars jealous. If you follow these tips to the letter, your accent should sound like your typical Dublin accent.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Pronounce Vowels and Consonants
Step 1. Soften the vowels
Many people, especially Americans, tend to harden them. For example, Americans pronounce the letter a as ei; those with an Irish accent would pronounce it ah or o. Try to be aware of this in every word, especially with the vowels that are in the center of the words.
- The standard greeting How are you? should it be pronounced Ha-war-ia?. The au (of how) and the uu (of you) of the generalized American accent are not differentiated from each other.
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The sound in the words night, like and I is pronounced similar to the oi sound of oil. For example, Ireland is pronounced more or less Oirland.
However, while very similar to the oi sound, it is not quite the same. Turn the o mostly into a schwa. The diphthong does not exist in American English and is similar to a compound sound uhh-ai
- The schwa sound (similar to the sound of a caveman grunt), as in strut, varies from dialect to dialect. In the Local accent, the vowel is more like the long u than foot and, in the New Dublin accent (popular with young people), it sounds more like the i in the word bit.
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The epsilon (as in end) is pronounced like the vowel in ash. Any becomes Annie.
There are many different Irish dialects, with numerous slight variations. Some rules may not apply to certain dialects
Step 2. Harden the consonants
As a general rule, Americans have become lazy when they speak. Ladder and latter are pronounced the same in the US, but an Irishman respects the difference. Give each consonant its proper weight (except for the next rule!).
- As an initial sound, the d often sounds like our g or the j sound in most variations of English. That is, two will sound like jew. As a deaf partner, the t becomes ch. Tube sounds like chub.
- There is a distinction between words like wine and whine. Words that contain the sound wh begin with an h; try to exhale a bit before saying the words, the result should result in something like hwain.
- Some Irish accents transform think and that into tink and dat, respectively. Try to pronounce less sporadically.
Step 3. Delete the trailing gs
English is full of words ending in - ing, but you will never hear this sound come out of an Irishman's mouth, at least not in a natural context. Whether you are pronouncing verbs or gerunds, cut it out.
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Morning becomes mornin, walking becomes walkin and so on. This is true in all contexts.
In Local Dublin, a poorer dialect, the final sounds are eliminated entirely; sound becomes saun for example
Step 4. Speak very rotaxed
For most American English speakers this is not a problem. But if your language, dialect, or English is not rotacized (e.g. you don't pronounce the r when it is at the end of a word or in an intervocalic position; for example, park sounds like pack), try to pronounce each r: at the beginning, in the center or at the end.
Speakers of American or British English will need to pronounce the r by placing the language further forward than they are used to. Experiment with placing your tongue further forward and higher in your mouth as you pronounce words with an r in the center or at the end
Part 2 of 3: Mastering Style, Grammar and Vocabulary
Step 1. Speak quickly, but clearly
An Irishman will never say coulda, woulda, shoulda. Any sound (unless it is eliminated through a phonemic process) should receive attention. Your tongue and lips will be put to the test.
If you take breaks, use em to fill them. Avoid uh or um; em should be your filler. If you can speak like this naturally and without thinking, your "Irishness" will get a big boost. This is always used, so when you think about how to pronounce a word, you know how to fill the silence
Step 2. Repeat the verb in the "yes / no" questions
Often, the "yes / no" questions are direct and straight to the point; consequently, we answer either "Yes" or "No". It is quite logical, isn't it? Well, no. This is not how it works in the land of saints and writers. When asked a question, repeat the noun and verb.
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For example, Are you going to Jane's party tonight? - I am.
Does Ireland have unicorns? - It doesn't.
Step 3. Use the after construction
The after perfect (AFP), which is one of the most distinctive traits of Irish English, has raised a certain amount of debate and a lot of confusion. It is used to denote a recent action in two situations:
- Between the two verbs of the past continuous (we repeat, it must denote a recent action): Why did you go to the shop? - I was after running-out of potatoes (do not confuse it with the English use of seeking and searching for. The facts happened in the following way: first you ran out of potatoes, then you went to the store).
- Between the two verbs of the present continuous (used as an exclamation): I'm after performing on the West End!.
Step 4. Use idioms and colloquialisms
The Irish language is full of words and phrases unfamiliar to other dialects of English. No one else could understand what you are talking about, but sacrifices have to be made to be authentic. Soon you will be a cod acting like a bucklepper (the meaning of this expression is that, while not a true Irishman, if you learn idioms and colloquialisms, you can have enough confidence in yourself to, perhaps, be mistaken for one).
- Cheers: Not only used when making a toast, but also in normal conversation, and quite often. It can be used to thank people and to say hello. Put it in your dialogue often, the Irish do.
- Lad: This term describes any member of the male sex, although it is usually reserved for those with whom you are most confident. For the record, lads can refer to a group made up of men and women.
- C'mere: literally, it's the contraction of come here. But, in Irish English, it's a way to get attention which means listen or just hey. To start any harmless sentence, start with C'mere.
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Right: this word serves as an alternative to c'mere. It is used for multiple purposes, but mainly to clarify, as in Right, we're meeting at 7 o'clock by the watch tower then?.
Most British colloquialisms are also acceptable. Avoid Top of the mornin 'to ya! and Blarney!, unless you want to be "that kind of person"
Step 5. Think lyrically
The Irish accent is generally considered to be more "musical" than the American one. It has a definite cadence that is not noticed in the other variants of the lingua franca. Practice pronouncing sentences as if you were "singing" them, not as you usually pronounce them in English.
A good place to start is to slightly raise your natural tone. Lower it a little in the center of the sentence and then go back to raising it slightly
Step 6. The Irish use some words that are not familiar to many Americans
Here are some examples:
- Runners: this term usually refers to tennis or jogging shoes;
- Jumper: This term is quite clear and simple - it refers to a sweater;
- Yoke: this term is not so clear. Used when you are trying to describe an object, but the exact word escapes you. In Italian we would say "that thing". However, it can also refer to the ecstasy pill;
- Boot: this term simply refers to the hood of a car - "Put the food in the boot";
- Footpath: a path;
- Laughs: a very attractive person or the sexual act;
- Gum Boil / Mouth Ulcer: canker sores, mouth ulcer.
Part 3 of 3: Doing Research
Step 1. Listen to Irish accents
Go to YouTube and watch movies and interviews for good examples of what you are trying to emulate. In any case, beware of imitators, there are many.
Brad Pitt, Richard Gere and Tom Cruise are not good examples. Stick to real natives, BBC Northern Ireland, UTV or RTÉ as a safe starting point
Step 2. Visit Ireland
Just as you will never be able to truly master a foreign language if you don't live in the country where it is spoken, you will never be able to master an accent if you don't live among the people who do.
If you go there on vacation, do your best to feel like a local. Go to small restaurants and listen to those around you. Chat with street vendors. Hire a native tour guide to take you around. Expose yourself to the accent as much as possible, 24/7
Step 3. Buy a book
Just as there are dictionaries for American and British English, there are also dictionaries for Irish. As if that weren't enough, resources for colloquialisms and accent idiosyncrasies abound. Invest your time and money on this venture only if you really want your accent to shine.
If buying a dictionary seems excessive and you think it will end up on a shelf accumulating dust, buy a phrasebook. Idioms and language figures will help you enter the emerald zone
Advice
- Hear interviews with lads Celtic Thunder and Niall Horan.
- Try to steer clear of Hollywood stars who mimic Irish accents. You want to pronounce like a true Irishman, don't imitate Leonardo DiCaprio.
- Nobody in Ireland says top of the mornin 'to ya.
- Get familiar with AFI. This will greatly facilitate the understanding of the books and websites on the subject. Combining symbols with sounds you are not used to will help you remember how to recognize them and when to use them.
