Hexagraph
The topic of this article may not meet Wikipedia's general notability guideline. (October 2025) |
A hexagraph (from the Greek: ἕξ, héx, "six" and γράφω, gráphō, "write") is a sequence of six letters used to represent a single sound (phoneme), or a combination of sounds that do not correspond to the individual values of the letters. They occur in Irish orthography, and many of them can be analysed as a tetragraph followed by the vowels ⟨e⟩ or ⟨i⟩ on either side to indicate that the neighbouring consonants are palatalized ("slender"). However, not all Irish hexagraphs are analysable that way. The hexagraph ⟨oidhea⟩, for example, represents the same sound (approximately the vowel in English "write") as the trigraph adh, and with the same effect on neighboring consonants.
English does not have hexagraphs. The six-letter sequence ⟨schsch⟩ appears in German; for example, in the name Eschscholtz (and thus is the scientific name Eschscholzia of the California poppy). However, this is a doubling of the trigraph ⟨sch⟩ to indicate that the preceding vowel is short rather than itself being a hexagraph.
List of hexagraphs
Irish hexagraphs
⟨eabhai⟩ is used to write /əu̯/ (/oː/ in Ulster), e.g. breabhaid "sortie", deabhaidh "haste, skirmish", feabhais "improvement" (gen), leabhair "books", meabhair "minds".
⟨eadhai⟩ is used to write /əi̯/ (/eː/ in Ulster), e.g. feadhain "troop", Gairmleadhaigh "Gormley" (surname), ghleadhair "struck".
⟨eamhai⟩ is used to write /əu̯/, e.g. creamhaigh "garlic" (gen), sceamhaim "I bark", seamhain "semiology", sleamhain "slippery", teamhair "tor, hill".
⟨eidhea⟩ and ⟨eighea⟩ are both used to write /əi̯/ (/eː/ in Ulster), e.g. eidheann "ivy", feidheartha "penniless", leigheas "healing", deideigheanna "soft toys", deighealfaidh "will divide".
⟨oidhea⟩ and ⟨oighea⟩ are both used to write /əi̯/, e.g. oidheanna "fates", sroigheall "scourge", broigheall "cormorant", oigheann "oven", oighear "ice", poigheachán "(snail)shell".
⟨eomhai⟩ is used to write /oː/, e.g. cheomhair "foggy" (gen.).
⟨iumhai⟩ is used to write /uː/, e.g. ciumhais "edge".
See also
Content Disclaimer
Informasi ini disarikan dari Wikipedia dan disajikan kembali untuk tujuan edukasi. Konten tersedia di bawah lisensi CC BY-SA 3.0. Kami tidak bertanggung jawab atas ketidakakuratan data yang bersumber dari kontribusi publik tersebut.
- The information displayed on this website is sourced in part or in whole from Wikipedia and has been adapted for the purpose of restating it. We strive to provide accurate and relevant information, however:
- There is no guarantee of absolute accuracy. Wikipedia is an open, collaborative project that can be edited by anyone, so information is subject to change.
- It is not intended to constitute professional advice. The content displayed is for informational and educational purposes only. For important decisions (e.g., medical, legal, or financial), please consult a professional.
- Content copyright. Wikipedia is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License (CC BY-SA). This means that content may be reused with appropriate attribution and shared under a similar license.
- Responsible use. Any risk arising from the use of information from this website is entirely the responsibility of the user.