When people ask how I'm learning Irish, I need to tell them "Buntús Cainte" but I'm not exactly sure how to pronounce it and I really don't want to be wrong. I could only find caint on Forvo. I hear the ai as "eye" in English.

BOONtus KEYE ntuh ?
BOONtus KEYE nteh ?

(That's two wild guesses from an amateur. Sorry if I've horribly butchered it.)

Thanks!

_________________
I'm very much a beginner learner. Don't hesitate to correct me, as long as you explain why. This is how I learn best!

I've heard the second word pronounced almost - coyntche (but I'm not sure if that's correct or not)
dála an scéil - I find it much easier to transfer the CD onto a cassette recording, so that you can stop it where you want to - for example, you listen to a dialogue and then you're immediately into the next lesson, so you haven't had time to take it in properly, which is quite frustrating - and as a beginner I still feel that they do speak quite quickly.

Don't worry it's not your ears. Even in Connemara the pronunciation of caint varies from KAAN-t or KAAN-ch /ka:N´t´/ to KINE-t or KINE-ch /kaiN´t´/.

As Franc says, the "igh" in KINE can sound almost like "oy" even.

Here some soundfiles for explanantion:

http://www.awyr.com/ILF/saewndfaylz/caint.mp3

KAAN-t or KINE-t
/ka:N´t´/ or /kaiN´t´/

The t is somewhere between t and ch.


http://www.awyr.com/ILF/saewndfaylz/Bun ... Cainte.mp3

Buntús Cainte
BON-tooss KINE-tih
/buNtu:s kaiN´t´ə/

The u in bun is short, NOT long like swoon but it is hard to represent that in English spelling.

tús rhymes with "loose", not "puss".

The broads t in buntús is somewhere between t and th.

The slender t in cainte is somewhere between t and ch.

The indistinct vowel at the end is somewhere between eh and ih.

_________________
Múinteoir Gaeilge - Irish Teacher
My "specialty" is Connemara Irish, particularly Cois Fhairrge dialect, but I can also speak Ulster and Munster Irish with native-level pronunciation.
Is fearr Gaeilge ḃriste ná Béarla cliste, cinnte, aċ i ḃfad níos fearr aríst í Gaeilge ḃinn ḃeo na nGaeltaċtaí.
Gaeilge Chonnacht (GC), go háraid Gaeilge Chois Fhairrge (GCF), Gaeilic Uladh (GU), Gaelainn na Mumhan (GM), agus Gaeilge an Chaighdeáin Oifigiúil (CO).

And if you feel like adding a little Munster blás to Breandán's version, the stress falls on the long vowel:

bon-TOOSS instead of BON-tooss

_________________
Táim ag foghlaim fós. Fáilte roimh gach aon cheartúchán.

So helpful and fascinating, as usual. Thanks all!!

_________________
I'm very much a beginner learner. Don't hesitate to correct me, as long as you explain why. This is how I learn best!

In Ulster we'd say

"BONN-toos KAHN-tcheh" (roughly)

/buNtu:s kaN't'ə/

_________________
Is fearr Gaeilg na Gaeltaċta ná Gaeilg ar biṫ eile
Agus is í Gaeilg Ġaoṫ Doḃair is binne