Taoiseach?

[sp1814]

How do you pronounce the Irish word 'taoiseach'?

[Sandy-Wroe]

Tee shuck is close enough

[pericat]

More like 'shock'

[heathfield]

Or listen to it here, (click on a blue arrow)...

http://forvo.com/word/taoiseach/

[mallam]

Heath, you do give us the goods. The FIRST blue arrow sounds completely authentic, but you do need to say the first, or the 'Suggested pronunciation: Irish' arrow, which is the same recording. The second blue arrow on the left sounds like someone with no idea of Irish OR phonetics trying to say it.

And that's the trouble. How is someone not trained in phonetics to imitate it? This site is still rubbish since its rejig and you can only post text, so I will try to give some instructions which might work:

Taoi:tsounds a bit like a stage Irishman saying 'thigh': say the t with your tongue pressed hard against your front teeth and try to pronounce w at the same time, then pronounce uh-ee. Stress this syllable.
Seach: say shuch with the ch as in LoCH RannoCH. Or if you pronounce that Lock Rannock, say shugh, with the as in ugh.
I do need to know where to get your sensor for refrozen mussels, heath:
http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Food-and-Drink/Question819026.html

[pericat]

Ok being Irish how I pronounce it is basically - tea shock - simples

[pericat]

You're nearly there LOL - tell ya what just call him brian !

[mallam]

Thats the English word taoiseach, peri. Im sure you pronounce it with a gorgeous Irish accent but!. sp is asking how you pronounce the Irish word 'taoiseach'!

[sp1814]

Thanks for all the responses (especially the link to forvo - very useful site)!

I can now say the word without sounding like a doofus.

[pericat]

???? The word is pronounced teashock whether in English or as gaeilge - sorry but getting slightly frustrated here

[heathfield]

Agreed, Mallam. The second pronunciation does sound a bit like a non-native speaker of Gaelic. Mind you, I also have this lingering suspicion that the first pronounciation sounds like there's a hint of a Belfast accent in there! Anway, Sp seems happy with the outcome. (Funny how so many English can't pronounce the CH as in the Scottish word 'loCH', yet can get it right when they say 'Johann Sebastian BaCH'. Curious.
By the way - I think specially trained mice may have been included as part of the project.

[flobadob]

pericat is right, teashock