Canúint na Gaeilge i nDeisceart Laighean: an fhianaise ainmeolaíochta. [The dialect of Irish in South Leinster: the onomastic evidence]

This thesis examines evidence for dialectal variation in the lect of Irish historically spoken in South Leinster (Counties Kilkenny, Carlow, and Wexford). <br><br>The project addresses the development of the complex linguistic history and the fate of the Irish language in the region; including the influence of English conquests in the 12th and 17th centuries and the impact of the English language. Along with the influence of language shift, this provides essential context for the paucity and form of the surviving sources.<br><br>The research is principally concerned with an indepth analysis of dialect preserved in a corpus of anglicised/trasliterated forms of place-names in tandem with Irish language data recorded in an early 20th century collection: R.A. Breatnach’s study of the Irish language in County Kilkenny.

A mixed methodology was employed to compile the corpus.<br><br>A key objective of this project is a detailed examination of elements containing the suffixes -án, -ín, -óg, and -(e)ach(t) in the second or final syllable for features of stress-shift patterning. The analysis was completed by making paricular use of: (1) local pronunciations of place-names collected by An Brainse Logainmneacha (now attached to the Department of Rural and Community Development) and (2) a sample of pronunciations of place-names gather during contemporary fieldwork in the region.