User:Zff19930930/Interpretation of Yola pronunciation

Prolog
Little is known about Yola pronunciation, the only comments of Yola pronunciation are to be found on page 13 in Barnes (1867).

''In order for a person not acquainted with the pronunciation of the dialect to for many thing like an idea of it, it is first necessary to speak slowly, and remember that the letter a has invariably the same sound, like a in father. Double ee sounds as e in me, and in most words of two syllables the long accent is placed on the last. To follow the English pronunciation completely deprives the dialect of its peculiarities.''

And another piece on page 134 in Browne (1927).

''The dialect was spoken very slowly. In words of two or more syllables the long accent is on the last, and the sound of a is very broad, like aa.''

From above we can learn that the short  is /a/, the long  is /ɔː/ and the  is /iː/, but these are far from satisfactory. This article aims to unravel the mystery of Yola pronunciation.

Stress shift
Yola stresses the last syllable, some typical examples show the long accent: Some words with diacritic:

The stress shift even created an extra syllable:

Seems a secondary stress on first syllable:

Last short vowel can be stressed, as in early goouness /guːˈnɛs/, which eventually became goounees /guːˈniːz/.

Vowels in first syllable can be long or short:

Vowels in first and last syllables can be both long:

or both short:

Yola was spoken in southeast Ireland and has some loanwords from Southern Irish (Munster Irish):

Yola also borrowed its stress shift:

Yola stress is consistently on the last syllable:

Demonstration Method
Since there is no native speaker of Yola, the pronunciation reconstruction is mainly by comparison.

1.Variant spelling: Yola is mere a vernacular whose orthography was never established. Thus, some etymological spelling has valuble phonetic variant. For instance: Etymological: daaily (daily, spelling was based on English) Phonetic: die (day, IPA /diː/) Mixed: faaigh & fyth (faith, half etymological and half phonetic) 2.Middle English: Being a descendant of Middle English, Yola's prounciation is confined to its ancestral language.

3.Irish: Yola borrowed some vocabulary from Irish, as well as its pronunciation.

Rhyme Examination
The lines of these Yola poems rhyme at the end.

A YOLA ZONG.
Well, gosp, c'hull be zeid; mot thee fartoo, an fade; /ɔːd/

Ha deight ouse var gabble, tell ee zin go t'glade. [homophone glaude] /ɔːd/

Yith Muzleare had ba hole, t'was mee Tommeen, /iːn/

At by mizluck was ee-pit t'drive in. /iːn/

Zitch blakeen, an blayeen, fan ee ball was ee-drowe! /uː/

Chote well aar aim was t’yie ouz n’eer a blowe. /uː/

Yith w'had any lhuck, oor naame wode b' zung, /uːn/

Vrem ee Choure here aloghe up to Cargun. /uːn/

Zim dellen harnothès w'aar nize ee reed cley: /iː/

More trolleen, an yalpeen, an moulteen away. /iː/

Up caame ee ball, an a dap or a kewe, /uː/

Wode zar; mot, all arkagh var ee barnaugh-blowe, /uː/

THE WEDDEEN O BALLYMORE.
Aar was a gooude puddeen maate o bran; /ɔːn/

Aar was pizzeen, an beanès, an barich amang. /ɔːn/

Aar was Thieg, an' Joane, an lhaung Jauane, /ɔːn/

An a priesth o' parieshe on his lhaung-tyel garraane. /ɔːn/

Aar was Parick o Dearmoth, an dhen score besidh, /iːd/

Wee aar lhaung vlealès an pikkès, to waaite apan a breede. /iːd/

An a priesth o parieshe on his garrane baun, /ɔːn/

Hea marreet dear Phielim to his sweet Jauane. /ɔːn/

Aar was lhaung kaayle an nettles, ee-mixt wee prasaugh buee, /iː/

Maade a nicest coolecannan that e'er ye did zee. /iː/

Aar was a muskawn o buthther ee-laaide apan hoat shruaanès, /ɔːns/

An gooude usquebaugh ee-sarith uth in cooanès. /ɔːns/

Raree met in plathearès, ee-zet in a rooe, /uː/

An neeat wooden trenshoorès var whiter than snow. /uː/

Zoo wough aul vell a-danceen; earch bye gae a poage /ɔːg/

To his sweethearth, an smack lick a dab of a brough. /ɔːg/

Zoo wough kisth, an wough parthet; earch man took his laave; /iːv/

An a boor lithel breedegroom waithed wonderfullee griefte. /iːɸt/

Zoo wough aul returnth hime, contented an gaay, /iː/

To our pleoughès an mulk-pylès till a neeshte holy die. /iː/

VERSES IN ANSWER TO THE WEDDEEN O BALLYMORE.
[Wee] vaate apan vaate a met-borde was ee-halt. /aɫt/

Tibbès an crockès wee drink war ee-felt. /ɛɫt/

Amang wefty jhemes, 'cha jeist ee-rid apan. [vr. apaa] /ɔːn/

A laafe ing lemethes chote wel ta ba zang. /ɔːn/

Ayenst zim vartful ropeare at a rumcht ouse avar /ɔː/

Ingsaury neileare (pidh?) his niz outh o' harr. /ɔː/

Heal, griue, an kin, apaa thee, graacuse Forth, /ɸɔːt/

Mye thee friend ne’re waant welcome, nor straayart comfoort. /ɸɔːt/

Risheenearès! Leth aam gaame wee aar barish-amang, /ɔːn/

At ye mye ne'er be wooveless ta vill a lear jock an cooan. /ɔːn/

CASTEALE CUDDE'S LAMENTATION
Ye nyporès aul, come hark to mee, /iː/

Faade ee-happen'd mee lauthest GooudeVreedie, /iː/

As ich waant draugh Bloomere's Knough, /ɔːg/

Ich zide [a] vethers o' mee cuck, /ʊk/

Aar was nodhing ee-left mot a heade, /iːd/

Which maate mee hearth as coale as leed, /iːd/

'Cham afear'd ich mosth cress a Shanaan, /anɔːn/

An lea a pariesh o Kilmannan. /anɔːn/

Zimaan Haay is a wicked man, /an/

Hea pryet ich mought na ha chicke or hen, /ɛn/

Mizluck mye lhygt on Tam Busheare  /iː/

Hea zed mee cuck vlew in a aare  /iː/

ABOUT AN OLD SOW GOING TO BE KILLED.
Ich aam a vat hog it's drue. Aar is ken apan aam. /ɔːm/

Gooude var nat oan dhing, niether treesh ar thraame [vr. thraume] /ɔːm/

Na speen to be multh, nar flaase to be shaure. /ɔː/

Vear'd nodhing mot Portheare, Na skeine e'er ee-waare. /ɔː/

A plaauge apan Portheare! Hea'de luther me waal, /ɔːɫ/

Beteesh a kraaneberry-bushe an a ellena-ghou. /uː/

Song.
Aar was a clouk /ɔːk/

Eee-marreet a slouck. /uːk/

Shoo zent him o' die. /hiː.mɔː.diː/

To maake a kuingokee. /kwiː.nɔː.kiː/

A vursth stroke hea strooke. /uːk/

A bothom vele udh. /uːd/

Duggès an kauddès coome lick up a rhyme, /ɾiːm/

Hea took up a lounnick, an knockt udh aar bryne. /ɾiːn/

Shoo zent him anoor die a gozleen to keep. /iːp/

Hea shet his heade in a bushe, an vele aslepe. /iːp/

A scalte croowe coome an taak aam awye, /iː/

An hea zet up a pouingaan an a cry. /iː/

ZONG OF TWI MAARKEET MOANS.
Themost wi egges an heimost wi thick, /tɪk/ Fan a truckle ee zhoulthered  too nigh upa ditch. /dɪt͡ʃ/

Shu ztaared an shu ztudied hi near parshagh moan, /mɔːn/

Shu ztaared, clappu her baashes an up wi punaan, /nɔːn/

Zien, a blaak vall, a blaak vall, Ich meigh vella knew, /uː/

Van a vierd durst a bargher an a haar galshied too,  /uː/

In durk Ich red virst mee left-vooted shoe. /uː/

"Swingale," co the umost, "thou liest well a rent, /ɛnt/

A big daal a masled, slavaak an a kernt. /iːnt/

ZONG O DHREE YOLA MYTHENS.
Wu canna gow to Ilone vaar,  /iː/

Thaar's no own aal to taak uz thaar [vr. thoare]  /ɔː/

Or i a vaarin gees a shaar,  /ɔː/

YOLA ZONG O BARONY VORTH.
Billeen Scalaane an hys yola moan, /ɔːn/

Thaay heighed upa Buckeen twi hours avar dawn, /ɔːn/

"Faad thay goul ez upa thee, thou stouk" co Billeen, /iːn/

"If thou dinna gow on, chul daf thee yola skien." /iːn/

Co Sooney, "Billeen dowst thee zee faads lewer, /iː/

Aal haar, an wi eyen lik torches o tar? /ɔː/

PAUDEEN FOUGHLAAN'S WEDDEEN.
Yola Vather Deruse hay raree cam thoare, /ɔː/

Wi buke an wi candale hay tackled a paare. /iː/

"Gud bless thee mee gurles," hay zaid, "own an aal." /ɔːɫ/

An Paudeen hay ga her a mighty smugal. /ɔːɫ/

Thar was bacoon and gubbages, breed and kippeens, /iːnz/

An potteen galore in cans and noggens, /iːnz/

A vidler hay shudled wi hade to a vall /aɫ/

An smithered hays videl, bow, strings an al; /aɫ/