Scottish Gaelic orthography
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Scottish Gaelic
orthography
has evolved over many centuries. Scottish Gaelic spelling is mainly based on etymological considerations.
Due to the etymological nature of the writing system, the same written form may result in a multitude of pronunciations depending on the spoken variant. For example the word coimhead "watching" may result in kʰõ.ət̪, kʰɔ̃jət̪, kʰʷi.ət̪, or kʰɛ̃.ət̪.
, whether written in Roman type
or Gaelic type:
Modern loanwords also make use of j k q v w x y z.
From a language internal perspective, the following digraph
s are considered single letters:
Older manuscripts made use of the acute accent
over vowels, but these are no longer used in standard orthography.
Only certain vowel graphs exist in unstressed syllables; a, ai, e, ea, ei and i and very infrequently o, oi, u and ui.
for an explanation of the symbols used. Consonants are "broad" (velarised
) when the nearest vowel letter is one of a, o, u and "slender" (palatalised
) when the nearest vowel letter is one of e, i. A "back vowel" is one of the following; o(ː), ɔ(ː), ɤ(ː), u(ː), ɯ(ː), a(ː), au; a "front vowel" is any other kind of vowel.
The vowels/consonants in rules relying on the above abbreviations include epenthetic vowels that are not visible in a first glance at the word; see their section below.
If this process would lead to the sound sequence /ɛɾɛ/, the epenthetic vowel is an /a/ in many dialects. Example; dearg /tʲɛɾak/.
Certain spellings have also been regularised where they violate pronunciation rules. "Tigh" in particular can still be encountered in housenames and certain placenames, notably Tighnabruaich
and Eilean Tigh
.
Scottish Gaelic language
Scottish Gaelic is a Celtic language native to Scotland. A member of the Goidelic branch of the Celtic languages, Scottish Gaelic, like Modern Irish and Manx, developed out of Middle Irish, and thus descends ultimately from Primitive Irish....
orthography
Orthography
The orthography of a language specifies a standardized way of using a specific writing system to write the language. Where more than one writing system is used for a language, for example Kurdish, Uyghur, Serbian or Inuktitut, there can be more than one orthography...
has evolved over many centuries. Scottish Gaelic spelling is mainly based on etymological considerations.
Due to the etymological nature of the writing system, the same written form may result in a multitude of pronunciations depending on the spoken variant. For example the word coimhead "watching" may result in kʰõ.ət̪, kʰɔ̃jət̪, kʰʷi.ət̪, or kʰɛ̃.ət̪.
Alphabet
The alphabet now used for writing the Scottish Gaelic language consists of the following letters of the Latin alphabetLatin alphabet
The Latin alphabet, also called the Roman alphabet, is the most recognized alphabet used in the world today. It evolved from a western variety of the Greek alphabet called the Cumaean alphabet, which was adopted and modified by the Etruscans who ruled early Rome...
, whether written in Roman type
Roman type
In typography, roman is one of the three main kinds of historical type, alongside blackletter and italic. Roman type was modelled from a European scribal manuscript style of the 1400s, based on the pairing of inscriptional capitals used in ancient Rome with Carolingian minuscules developed in the...
or Gaelic type:
- a à b c d e è f g h i ì l m n o ò p r s t u ù;
Modern loanwords also make use of j k q v w x y z.
From a language internal perspective, the following digraph
Digraph
Digraph may refer to:* Digraph , a pair of characters used together to represent a single sound, such as "sh" in English* Typographical ligature, the joining of two letters as a single glyph, such as "æ"...
s are considered single letters:
- bh ch dh fh gh ll mh ng nn ph rr sh th
Older manuscripts made use of the acute accent
Acute accent
The acute accent is a diacritic used in many modern written languages with alphabets based on the Latin, Cyrillic, and Greek scripts.-Apex:An early precursor of the acute accent was the apex, used in Latin inscriptions to mark long vowels.-Greek:...
over vowels, but these are no longer used in standard orthography.
Stress
Stress always falls on the first syllable of the word, unless there is mid-word capitalisation or a hyphen in play. Many of the rules in the Vowels section below only apply therefore in the first syllables of words, since the vowels in question take simpler values in unstressed syllables.Only certain vowel graphs exist in unstressed syllables; a, ai, e, ea, ei and i and very infrequently o, oi, u and ui.
Consonants
The consonant letters generally correspond to the consonant phonemes as shown in this table. See Scottish Gaelic phonologyScottish Gaelic phonology
This article is about the phonology of the Scottish Gaelic language. There is no standard variety of Scottish Gaelic; although statements below are about all or most dialects, the north-western dialects are discussed more than others as they represent the majority of speakers.Gaelic phonology is...
for an explanation of the symbols used. Consonants are "broad" (velarised
Velarization
Velarization is a secondary articulation of consonants by which the back of the tongue is raised toward the velum during the articulation of the consonant.In the International Phonetic Alphabet, velarization is transcribed by one of three diacritics:...
) when the nearest vowel letter is one of a, o, u and "slender" (palatalised
Palatalization
In linguistics, palatalization , also palatization, may refer to two different processes by which a sound, usually a consonant, comes to be produced with the tongue in a position in the mouth near the palate....
) when the nearest vowel letter is one of e, i. A "back vowel" is one of the following; o(ː), ɔ(ː), ɤ(ː), u(ː), ɯ(ː), a(ː), au; a "front vowel" is any other kind of vowel.
| Letter(s) | Phoneme(s) | Examples | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| b | broad | /p/ | bàta /paːʰt̪ə/, borb /pɔrɔp/ | |
| slender | before front vowel, or finally | /p/ | bean /pɛn/, caibe /kʰapə/, guib /kɤp/ | |
| before back vowel | /pj/ | beò /pjɔː/, bealltainn /pjauɫ̪t̪ɪɲ/, bealach /pjaɫ̪əx/ | ||
| bh | between vowels, sometimes | /./ | siubhal /ʃu.əɫ̪/, iubhar /ju.əɾ/ | |
| finally, sometimes | none | dubh /t̪u/, ubh /u/ | ||
| usually | broad | /v/ | cabhag /kʰavak/, sàbh /s̪aːv/ | |
| slender, before front vowel | /v/ | dhuibh /ɣɯiv/, dibhe /tʲivə/ | ||
| slender, before back vowel | /vj/ | ro bheò /rɔ vjɔː/, dà bhealltainn /t̪aː vjauɫ̪t̪ɪɲ/ | ||
| see below for abh, oibh when they come before consonants | ||||
| c | broad | initially, or non-finally after consonant | /kʰ/ | cas /kʰas̪/, cam /kʰaum/ |
| between vowels | /ʰkʰ/ | bacadh /paʰkəɣ/, mucan /muʰkən/ | ||
| finally after vowel | /ʰk/ | mac /maʰk/ | ||
| finally after consonant | /k/ | |||
| slender | initially or after consonant | /kʰʲ/ | ceòl /kʰʲɔːɫ̪/, ceum /kʰʲeːm/ | |
| between vowels | /ʰkʰʲ/ | lice /ʎiʰkʰʲə/, brice /prʲiʰkʰʲə/ | ||
| finally after vowel | /ʰkʲ/ | mic /miʰkʲ/ | ||
| finally after consonant | /kʲ/ | |||
| ch | broad | /x/ | loch /ɫ̪ɔx/, dòchas /t̪ɔːxəs̪/ | |
| slender | /ç/ | deich /tʲeç/, dìcheall /tʲiːçəɫ̪/ | ||
| chd | /xk/ | lionntachd /ʎuːn̴̪t̪ʰəxk/, doimhneachd /t̪ɔiɲəxk/ | ||
| cn | /kr/ | cneap /krɛʰp/, cneasta /krʲes̪t̪ə/ | ||
| d | broad | /t̪/ | cadal /kʰat̪aɫ̪/, fada /fat̪ə/ | |
| slender | /tʲ/ | diùid /tʲuːtʲ/, dearg /tʲɛrak/ | ||
| dh | in final -aidh, -éidh | none | pòsaidh /pʰɔːs̪ɪ/, méidh /meː/ | |
| broad | between vowels | /./ /ɣ/ |
odhar /o.ər/, cladhadh /kʰɫ̪ɤ.əɣ/ modhail /mɔɣal/ |
|
| elsewhere | /ɣ/ | dhà /ɣaː/, modh /mɔɣ/, tumadh /t̪ʰuməɣ/ | ||
| slender | between vowels | /./ | Gàidheal /kɛː.əɫ̪/ | |
| elsewhere | /ʝ/ | dhìth /ʝiː/, dhìol /ʝiəɫ̪/ | ||
| see below for adh, aidh, iodh when they come before consonants | ||||
| f | broad | /f/ | fathan /fahan/, gafann /kafənˠ̪/ | |
| slender | before front vowel | /f/ | fios /fis̪/, féill /feːʎ/ | |
| before back vowel | /fj/ | fiùran /fjuːran/, feòl /fjɔːɫ̪/ | ||
| fh | none | fhios /is̪/, a fharadh /arəɣ/ | ||
| g | broad | /k/ | gad /kat̪/, ugan /ukən/ | |
| slender | /kʲ/ | gille /kʲiʎə/, leig /ʎekʲ/ | ||
| gh | finally, sometimes | none* | an-diugh /əɲˈtʲu/, nigh /ɲiː/ | |
| between vowels | /./* /ɣ/ |
aghaidh /ɤː.ɪ/, fiughar /fju.əɾ/, nigheann /ɲiː.an̪ˠ/ laghail /ɫ̪ɤɣal/ |
||
| elsewhere | broad | /ɣ/ | mo ghoc /mə ɣɔʰk/, lagh /ɫ̪ɤɣ/ | |
| slender | /ʝ/ | mo ghille /mə ʝiʎə/, do thaigh /t̪ə hɤj/ | ||
| see below for agh, aigh, eagh, iogh, ogh, oigh when they come before consonants *the preceding vowel is often lengthened |
||||
| gn | /kr/ | gnè /krɛː/ | ||
| h | /h/ | a h-athair /ə hahɪɾʲ/, Hearach /hɛɾəx/ | ||
| l | broad | /ɫ̪/ | lachan /ɫ̪axan/, a laoidh /ə ɫ̪ɯj/, balach /paɫ̪əx/ | |
| slender | initially, unlenited | /ʎ/ | leabaidh /ʎepɪ/, leum /ʎeːm/ | |
| initially, lenited | /l/ | dà leabaidh /t̪aː lepɪ/, bho leac /vɔ lɛʰk/ | ||
| elsewhere | /l/ | cuilean /kʰulan/, sùil /s̪uːl/ | ||
| ll | broad | /ɫ̪/ | balla /paɫ̪ə/, ciall /kʰʲiaɫ̪/ | |
| slender | /ʎ/ | cailleach /kʰaʎəx/, mill /miːʎ/ | ||
| m | broad | /m/ | maol /mɯːɫ̪/, màla /maːɫ̪ə/ | |
| slender | before front vowel | /m/ | milis /milɪʃ/, tìm /tʰʲiːm/ | |
| before back vowel | /mj/ | meall /mjauɫ̪/, meòg /mjɔːk/ | ||
| mh | between vowels, sometimes | /./ | comhairle /kʰo.əɾlɪ/ | |
| broad | /v/ | àmhainn /aːvɪɲ/, caomh /kʰɯːv/ | ||
| slender | before front vowel | /v/ | caoimhin /kʰɯːvɪɲ/, làimh /ɫ̪aiv/ | |
| before back vowel | /vj/ | do mhealladh /t̪ɔ vjaɫ̪əɣ/, dà mheall /t̪aː vjauɫ̪/ | ||
| see below for amh, eamh, oimh, uimh when they come before consonants | ||||
| n | broad | initially, unlenited | /n̴̪/ | nàbaidh /n̴̪aːpi/, norrag /n̴̪ɔr̴ak/ |
| initially, lenited | /n/ | mo nàire /mɔ naːɾʲɪ/, bho nàbaidh /vɔ naːpɪ/ | ||
| elsewhere | /n/ | dona /t̪ɔnə/, sean /ʃɛn/ | ||
| slender | initially, unlenited | /ɲ/ | neul /ɲiaɫ̪/, neart /ɲɛɾʃt̪/ | |
| initially, lenited | /n/ | mo nighean /mɔ ni.an/, dà nead /t̪aː nɛt̪/ | ||
| elsewhere, after back vowel | /ɲ/ | duine /t̪ɯɲɪ/, càineadh /kʰaːɲəɣ/ | ||
| elsewhere, after front vowel | /n/ | cana /kʰanə/, teine /tʰʲenɪ/ | ||
| ng | broad | /ŋɡ/ | teanga /tʰʲɛŋɡə/, fulang /fuɫ̪əŋɡ/ | |
| slender | /ŋʲɡʲ/ | aingeal /aiŋʲɡʲəɫ̪/, farsaing /faɾs̪ɪŋʲɡʲ/ | ||
| nn | broad | /n̴̪/ | ceannaich /kʰʲan̴̪ɪç/, ann /aun̴̪/ | |
| slender | /ɲ/ | bainne /paɲɪ/, tinn /tʰʲiːɲ/ | ||
| p | broad slender not before back vowel |
initially or after consonant | /pʰ/ | post /pʰɔs̪t̪/, campa /kʰaumpʰə/, peasair /pʰes̪ɪɾʲ/, |
| between vowels | /ʰpʰ/ | cupa /kʰuʰpʰə/, cipean /kʰʲiʰpʰan/ | ||
| finally after vowel | /ʰp/ | cuip /kʰuiʰp/ | ||
| finally after consonant | /p/ | ailp /alp/ | ||
| slender before back vowel | after consonant, or initially | /pj/ | piuthar /pju.əɾ/, peall /pjauɫ̪/ | |
| between vowels | /ʰpj/ | |||
| ph | broad | /f/ | sa phost /s̪ə fɔs̪t̪/, bho phàiste /vɔ faːʃtʰʲɪ/ | |
| slender | before front vowel | /f/ | dà pheasair /t̪aː fes̪ɪɾʲ/, mo pheata /mɔ fɛʰt̪ʰə/ | |
| before back vowel | /fj/ | mo phiuthar /mɔ fju.əɾ/, sa pheann /s̪ə fjaun̴̪/ | ||
| r | initially, unlenited | /r̴/ | ràmh /r̴aːv/, rionnag /r̴un̴̪ak/ | |
| initially, lenited | /ɾ/ | do rùn /tɔ ɾuːn/, bho réic /vɔ ɾeːʰkʰʲ/ | ||
| elsewhere | broad | /ɾ/ | caran /kʰaɾan/, mura /muɾə/ | |
| slender | /ɾʲ/ | cìr /kʰʲiːɾʲ/, cuireadh /kʰuɾʲəɣ/ | ||
| rr | /r̴/ | cearr /kʰʲaːr̴/, barra /par̴ə/ | ||
| -rt, -rd | /ɾʃt̪/ | neart /ɲɛɾʃt̪/, bord /pɔːɾʃt̪/ | ||
| s | broad | /s̪/ | sàr /s̪aːɾ/, casan /kʰas̪ən/ | |
| slender | /ʃ/ | siùcair /ʃuːʰkʰɪɾʲ/, càise /kʰaːʃɪ/ | ||
| sh | broad | /h/ | ro shalach /ɾɔ haɫ̪əx/, glé shoilleir /kleː hɤʎɪɾʲ/ | |
| slender | before front vowel | /h/ | dà shìl /t̪aː hiːʎ/, glé shean /kleː hɛn/ | |
| before back vowel | /hj/ | de shiùcair /tʲe hjuːʰkʰɪɾʲ/, a sheòladh /ə hjɔːɫ̪əɣ/ | ||
| sr, str | /s̪t̪ɾ/ | sràc /s̪t̪ɾaːʰk/, strì /s̪t̪ɾː/ | ||
| t | broad | initially, or non-finally after consonant | /t̪ʰ/ | tasdan /t̪ʰas̪t̪an/, molta /mɔɫ̪t̪ʰə/ |
| between vowels | /ʰt̪ʰ/ | bàta /paːʰt̪ʰə/ | ||
| finally, after vowel | /ʰt̪/ | put /pʰuʰt̪/ | ||
| finally, after consonant | /t/ | |||
| slender | initially, or non-finally after consonant | /tʰʲ/ | tiugh /tʰʲu/, caillte /kʰaiʎtʰʲɪ/ | |
| between vowels | /ʰtʰʲ/ | litir /ʎiʰtʰʲɪɾʲ/ | ||
| finally, after vowel | /ʰtʲ/ | cait /kʰɛʰtʲ/ | ||
| finally, after consonant | /tʲ/ | ailt /altʲ/ | ||
| th | finally | none | teth /tʰʲe/, leth /ʎe/, srath /s̪t̪ɾa/ | |
| between vowels | /./ /h/ |
leotha /lɔ.ə/, piuthar /pju.əɾ/, cnòthan /kɾɔː.ən/ beatha /pɛhə/, fathan /fahan/, a mhàthair /ə vaːhɪɾʲ/ |
||
| initially | broad | /h/ | mo thòn /mɔ hɔːn/, do thaigh /t̪ɔ hɤʝ/ | |
| slender, before front vowel | /h/ | thig /hikʲ/, ro thinn /r̴ɔ hiːɲ/ | ||
| slender, before back vowel | /hj/ | do theaghlach /t̪ɔ hjɔːɫ̪əx/, glé thiugh /kleː hju/ | ||
Vowels
Abbreviations used in this table;- AV = another vowel
- AVON = another vowel or no letter
- ACON = a consonant or no letter
The vowels/consonants in rules relying on the above abbreviations include epenthetic vowels that are not visible in a first glance at the word; see their section below.
| Letter(s) | Phoneme(s) | Examples | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| a | unstressed | in -ag in -an (when not plural) |
/a/ | cnèatag /kʰriaʰt̪ʰak/, luchag /ɫ̪uxak/ lochan /ɫ̪ɔxan/, beagan /pekan/ |
| elsewhere | /ə/ | balach /paɫ̪əx/, balla /paɫ̪ə/ | ||
| stressed | before dh/gh then AVON | /ɤ/ | dragh /t̪ɾɤɣ/, laghail /ɫ̪ɤɣal/ | |
| before ll/m/nn then ACON | /au/ | bann /paun̴̪/, calltainn /kʰauɫ̪t̪ʰɪɲ/, campa /kʰaumpʰə/ | ||
| before rr then ACON before rn, rd |
/aː/ | barr /paːr̴/, carnadh /kʰaːɾnəɣ/ | ||
| elsewhere | /a/ | acras /aʰkʰɾəs̪/, gealladh /kʲaɫ̪əɣ/, barra /par̴ə/ | ||
| See below for abh, adh, agh, amh when they come before consonants | ||||
| ai | unstressed | in -ail | /a/ | modhail /mɔɣal/, eudail /eːt̪al/ |
| elsewhere | /ɪ/ /e/ /ə/ |
caraich /kʰaɾɪç/, mholainn /vɔɫ̪ɪɲ/ air an fhéill /eɾʲəˈɲeːʎ/ comhairle /kʰo.əɾlɪ/ |
||
| stressed | before ll/m/nn then ACON before bh/mh then consonant |
/ai/ | caill /kʰaiʎ/, cainnt /kʰaiɲtʰʲ/ aibhne /aivɲɪ/, aimhreid /aivɾʲɪtʲ/ |
|
| before rr then ACON before rn, rd |
/aː/ | aird /aːɾʃt̪/ | ||
| elsewhere | /a/ | baile /palɪ/, lainnir /ɫ̪aɲɪɾʲ/ | ||
| See below for aidh, aigh when they come before consonants | ||||
| à | /aː/ | àlainn /aːɫ̪ɪɲ/, bràmar /praːməɾ/ | ||
| ài | /aː/ /ɛː/ |
àite /aːʰtʰʲɪ/, càil /kʰaːl/ Gàidheal /kɛː.əɫ̪/, pàipear /pʰɛːʰpʰəɾ/ |
||
| ao | /ɯː/ | maol /mɯːɫ̪/, caomh /kʰɯːv/ | ||
| aoi | before mh/bh then ACON | /ɯi/ | aoibhneas /ɯivɲəs̪/, caoimhneas /kʰɯivɲəs̪/ | |
| elsewhere | /ɯː/ | faoileag /fɯːlak/, caoimhin /kʰɯːvɪɲ/ | ||
| e | unstressed | /ə/ | maise /maʃə/, cuine /kʰuɲə/ | |
| stressed | /e/ | teth /tʰʲe/, le /le/ | ||
| ea | unstressed | in -eag | /a/ | faoileag /fɯːlak/, uiseag /ɯʃak/ |
| elsewhere | /ə/ | rinnear /ɾiɲəɾ/, mìltean /miːltʰʲən/ | ||
| stressed | before dh/gh finally | /ɤ/ | feadh /fjɤɣ/, seagh /ʃɤɣ/ | |
| before d/g/s | /e/ | eadar /et̪əɾ/, creagan /kʰɾekən/ | ||
| before ll/nn then ACON | /au/ | peann /pʰjaun̴̪/, teannta /t̪ʰʲaun̴̪t̪ʰə/ | ||
| before rr then ACON before rn |
/aː/ | fearna /fjaːɾnə/, dearrsadh /t̪ʲaːr̴s̪əɣ/ | ||
| before ll/nn/rr then AV, initially | /ja/ | eallach /jaɫ̪əx/, earrach /jar̴əx/ | ||
| before ll/nn/rr then AV, elsewhere | /a/ | ceannard /kʰʲan̴̪aɾʃt̪/, gealladh /kʲaɫ̪əɣ/ | ||
| elsewhere | /ɛ/ | fear /fɛɾ/, earrann /ɛr̴ən̴̪/ | ||
| See below for eagh, eamh when they come before consonants | ||||
| èa | /ia/ | dèan /tʲian/, cnèatag /kʰɾiaʰt̪ʰak/ | ||
| ei | unstressed | /ɪ/ | aimhreid /aivɾʲɪtʲ/, bigein /pikʲɪɲ/ | |
| stressed | before ll/m/nn then ACON | /ei/ | greim /kɾeim/, peinnsean /pʰeiɲʃan/ | |
| elsewhere | /e/ | ceist /kʰʲeʃtʲ/, seinneadair /ʃeɲət̪ɪɾʲ/ | ||
| è, èi | /ɛː/ /eː/ |
crè /kʰrɛː/, sèimh /ʃɛːv/ dè /tʲeː/, cèile /kʰʲeːlə/ |
||
| eo | /ɔ/ | deoch /tʲɔx/, leotha /lɔ.ə/ | ||
| eò, eòi | initially | /jɔː/ | eòlas /jɔːɫ̪əs̪/, eòin /jɔːɲ/ | |
| elsewhere | /ɔː/ | seòl /ʃɔːɫ̪/, meòir /mjɔːɾʲ/ | ||
| eu | before m | /eː/ | Seumas /ʃeːməs̪/, leum /ʎeːm/ | |
| elsewhere | /ia/ | ceud /kʰʲiat̪/, feur /fiaɾ/ | ||
| i | unstressed | /ɪ/ | litir /ʎiʰtʰʲɪɾʲ/, fuirich /fuɾʲɪç/ | |
| stressed | before ll/m/nn then ACON | /iː/ | till /tʰʲiːʎ/, sinnsear /ʃiːɲʃəɾ/ | |
| elsewhere | /i/ | thig /hikʲ/, tinneas /tʰʲiɲəs̪/ | ||
| ì | /iː/ | cìr /kʰʲiːɾʲ/, rìbhinn /r̴iːvɪɲ/ | ||
| ia | /iə/ /ia/ |
liath /ʎiə/, iarraidh /iər̴ɪ/ sgian /s̪kʲian/, dia /tʲia/ |
||
| io | before ll/nn then ACON | initially | /ju/ | ionnsaich /juːn̴̪sɪç/ |
| elsewhere | /uː/ | lionn /ʎuːn̴̪/, fionntach /fjuːn̴̪t̪ʰəx/ | ||
| before ll/nn then AV | /u/ | fionnar /fjun̴̪əɾ/, sionnach /ʃun̴̪əx/ | ||
| elsewhere | /i/ | fios /fis̪/, lios /ʎis̪/ | ||
| See below for iodh, iogh when they come before consonants | ||||
| ìo | /iə/ | mìos /miəs̪/, cìoch /kʰʲiəx/ | ||
| iu | initially | /ju/ | iubhar /ju.əɾ/ | |
| before rr, rs | /uː/ | ciurr /kʰʲuːr̴/, siursach /ʃuːɾs̪əx/ | ||
| elsewhere | /u/ | fliuch /flux/, siubhal /ʃu.əɫ̪/ | ||
| iù, iùi | /uː/ | diù /tʲuː/, ciùil /kʰʲuːl/ | ||
| o | before b/bh/g/gh/m/mh | /o/ | gob /kop/, bogha /po.ə/ | |
| before ll/m/nn then ACON | /ɔu/ | tom /t̪ʰɔum/, tolltach /t̪ʰɔuɫ̪t̪ʰəx/ | ||
| before rr then ACON before rn, rd |
/ɔː/ | torr /t̪ʰɔːr̴/, dornan /t̪ɔːɾnan/ | ||
| elsewhere | /ɔ/ | loch /ɫ̪ɔx/, follais /fɔɫ̪ɪʃ/, dorra /t̪ɔr̴ə/ | ||
| See below for ogh when it comes before consonants | ||||
| oi | before b/bh/g/gh/m/mh | /o/ | ||
| before ll/m/nn then ACON | /əi/ | broinn /pɾəiɲ/, oillt /əiʎʲtʰʲ/ | ||
| elsewhere | /ɤ/ /ɔ/ |
goid /kɤtʲ/, doirbh /t̪ɤɾʲɤv/, coileach /kʰɤləx/ toil /t̪ʰɔl/, coire /kʰɔɾʲə/ |
||
| See below for oibh, oigh, oimh when they come before consonants | ||||
| ò, òi | /oː/ /ɔː/ |
bò /poː/, còig /kʰoːkʲ/ òir /ɔːɾʲ/, bòid /pɔːtʲ/ |
||
| u | before ll/m/nn then ACON before rr/rn |
/uː/ | cum /kʰuːm/, sunndach /s̪uːn̴̪t̪əx/, murn /muːɾn/ | |
| elsewhere | /u/ | dubh /t̪u/, cumail /kʰumal/ | ||
| ua, uai | before m/n/ng | /ua/ | cuan /kʰuan/, uaine /uaɲə/ | |
| elsewhere | /uə/ | tuagh /t̪ʰuəɣ/, duais /t̪uəʃ/ | ||
| ui | before m/n/ng/s | /ɯ/ | uisge /ɯʃkʲə/, duine /t̪ɯɲə/ | |
| before dh | /ɯi/ | buidhe /pɯi.ə/, suidhe /s̪ɯi.ə/ | ||
| before ll/m/nn then ACON | /ɯi/ | druim /t̪ɾɯim/, muinntir /mɯiɲtʰʲɪɾʲ/ | ||
| before ll/m/nn then AV | /ɯ/ | cluinneadh /kɫ̪ɯɲəɣ/, tuilleadh /t̪ʰɯʎəɣ/ | ||
| elsewhere | /u/ | cuir /kʰuɾʲ/, tuit /t̪ʰuʰtʰʲ/ | ||
| See below for uimh when it comes before consonants | ||||
| ù, ùi | /uː/ | sùil /s̪uːl/, cùis /kʰuːʃ/ | ||
Vowel-consonant combinations
The mutated consonants bh, dh, gh, mh are wont to combine with the vowels that precede them to produce new and different sounds; however, these changes only occur when another consonant succeeds the bh/dh/gh/mh. Of course, the new sound produced depends on the quality of the preceding vowel.| Letters | Phoneme(s) | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| abh, amh | /au/ | cabhlach /kʰauɫ̪əx/, samhradh /s̪auɾəɣ/ |
| adh, agh | /ɤː/ | adhbran /ɤːpɾan/, ladhran /ɫ̪ɤːɾan/ |
| aidh | /ai/ | snaidhm /s̪naim/ |
| aigh | /ɤi/ | saighdear /s̪ɤitʲəɾ/, maighdean /mɤitʲən/ |
| eagh | /ɔː/ | do theaghlach /t̪ə hjɤːɫ̪əx/ |
| eamh | /ɛu/ | geamhradh /kʲɛuɾəɣ/, leamhrag /ʎɛuɾak/ |
| iodh, iogh | /iə/ | tiodhlaic /tʰʲiəɫ̪ɪʰkʰʲ/, ioghnadh /iənəɣ/ |
| ogh | /oː/ | foghnaidh /foːnɪ/, roghnaich /r̴oːnɪç/ |
| oibh | /ɤi/ | goibhle /kɤilə/, goibhnean /kɤinən/ |
| oigh | /ɤi/ | oighre /ɤiɾʲə/, sloighre /s̪ɫ̪ɤiɾʲə/ |
| oimh | /ɔi/ | doimhne /t̪ɔiɲə/, doimhneachd /t̪ɔiɲəxk/ |
| uimh | /ui/ | cuimhne /kʰuiɲə/, cuimhneachadh /kʰuiɲəxəɣ/ |
Epenthetic vowels
Where an l, n or r is followed (or in the case of m, preceded) by a b, bh, ch, g, gh, m or mh, an epenthetic vowel is inserted between the two. This is usually a copy of the vowel that preceded the l/n/r. Examples; Alba /aɫ̪apə/, marbh /maɾav/, tilg /tʰʲilikʲ/, arm /aɾam/, iomradh /imiɾəɣ/.If this process would lead to the sound sequence /ɛɾɛ/, the epenthetic vowel is an /a/ in many dialects. Example; dearg /tʲɛɾak/.
Defunct combinations
The acute accent is no longer used in standard Scottish Gaelic orthography, although it may be encountered in late twentieth century writings, and occasionally in contemporary writings, especially in Canadian Gaelic.| Letter(s) | Phoneme(s) | Examples | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| á | /aː/ | ás | ||
| é | déan | |||
| ó, ói | /oː/ | bó /poː/, cóig /kʰoːkʲ/ mór |
||
Certain spellings have also been regularised where they violate pronunciation rules. "Tigh" in particular can still be encountered in housenames and certain placenames, notably Tighnabruaich
Tighnabruaich
Tighnabruaich is a village on the Kyles of Bute in Argyll and Bute, Scotland.Tighnabruaich is part of Argyll's Secret Coast, just an hour and a half west of Glasgow, and is nestled along the east coast of Loch Fyne and stretching into the beautiful Kyles of Bute.Tighnabruaich is popular for...
and Eilean Tigh
Eilean Tigh
Eilean Tigh is a tidal island in the Sound of Raasay of Scotland, that lies between Rona and Raasay.Approximately in extent, the island was once settled and the ruins of various structures are still visible at the south end. "Eilean Tigh" is a Gaelic name that means "house island" or "home...
.
- So -> Seo
- Sud -> Siud
- Tigh -> Taigh
Source
- Bauer, Michael Blas na Gàidhlig - The Practical Guide to Gaelic Pronunciation (2011) Akerbeltz ISBN 978-1-907165-00-9