ceilidh

Ah, thank heavens for sionnach! I had a feeling those missing accents had something to do with all of this. :-)

In Ireland, it's pronounced 'kay-lee', with roughly equal stress on both syllables. 'key-lee' just seems wrong.

There are two variations in the Gaelic spelling: in Munster (where I grew up), it's written as 'céilí'. 'Céilidh' is the preferred spelling in Northern Ireland (and, I'm guessing, in Scots Gaelic).

I don't think there is any particular confusion about how the word is accented - the presence of two accent marks in the first spelling makes it clear that both syllables should be stressed equally. The second accent is omitted in 'Céilidh' because the effect of adding the 'dh' is to lengthen the vowel, so the accent becomes superfluous.

Inclusion of 'storytelling' in the definition is a delusion of Weirdnet.

You say ceilidh,
I say ceilidh,
Let's call the whole thing off!

Random House has "key-lee", but the rest have "kay-lee". Bartleby has an audio sample attached, and there is a more noticeable pause in between the two syllables than in daily.

Oh dear. Can't a nation of 300-million mainly English-speakers* agree on how to stress the syllables of a Gaelic word?

(edit): * Erm -- and their lovely and decidedly independent neighbors to the north, of course... Sorry! Excusez-moi!

In western NC, where I first heard it, it's often pronounced with equal stress on both syllables: KAY-LEE.

That's how I heard it pronounced in Nova Scotia, too: KAY-lee.

Thanks!

When I first learnt this word many years ago I imagined it was spelt cailey. /'keɪlɪ/, rhymes with daily.

Pronounced "hoo-ha," I hope. Because then I have a chance of saying it right.