Irish English Apico-Alveolar Fricative

Many speakers of Irish English have an apico-alveolar fricative. This sound is not used in other varieties of English. It occurs word-finally and intervocalically, but not syllable-initially in stressed position. The sound can occur in Italy but not in Italian.

The apico-alveolar fricative is produced with the tongue tip, and the tongue is placed near the alveolar ridge. The /s/ is the same as in other varieties of English, a lamino-alveolar fricative. It is produced with the blade of the tongue.

The words tea, eat and thought have an alveolar plosive, apico-alveolar fricative and dental plosive in the English of many Irish speakers. The dental plosive is an interdental fricative in other varieties of English.

Speakers with the apico-alveolar fricative produce it in words such as but, kit and yet. They contrast with buss, kiss and yes, which have a lamino-alveolar fricative. In Irish English the orthographic t can have different manners of articulation. In words such as tea, time and two the t is always realized as a plosive.

The apico-alveolar fricative is associated with Irish English. It can occur syllable-initially, but only if the syllable is unstressed. The apico-alveolar fricative often occurs intervocalically and word-finally.