:Slender consonant:

In Irish most of the consonants in the inventory have two forms: slender (the Irish word is caol kiːɫ) and broad (leathan ˈlahən in Irish). The difference between these is usually described in terms of palatalisation for the former and lack of it for the latter. The situation is considerably more complex than that, however. For non-derived labial consonants, palatalised vs non-palatalised is phonetically accurate. However, for linɡual consonants the differences are greater than presence vs absence of palatalisation. For example broad s = s, whereas slender s = ʃ. The situation is even more complex with consonants derived from a mutation process. The lenited form of d, for example, is j when slender, but ɣ when broad. Even for labial articulations, the simple story breaks down when it comes to derived forms in some Irish accents. The lenited from of b, for instance, is when slender, but w when broad.