Words that change their first letter in Manx

Words that change their first letter

We've covered this before, but in Manx, the first letter of a word sometimes shifts depending on context. This is called initial mutation. It might look random at first, but it actually follows clear rules and is part of the natural flow of the language.

• moddey (“dog”) → my voddey (“my dog”)
• ben (“woman”) → y ven (“the woman”)

At first, it can feel strange to see words “change shape,” but with practice you’ll start to notice the patterns. There is a full list of mutations Mutations are a hallmark of Celtic languages and a key feature for sounding natural in Manx.