Scottish Gaelic orthography
Scottish Gaelic orthography has evolved over many centuries and is heavily etymologizing in its modern form. This means the orthography tends to preserve historical components rather than operating on the principles of a phonemic orthography where the graphemes correspond directly to phonemes. This allows the same written form in Scottish Gaelic to result in a multitude of pronunciations, depending on the spoken variant of Scottish Gaelic. For example, the word coimhead ('watching') may result in [ˈkʰõ.ət̪], [ˈkʰɔ̃jət̪], [ˈkʰɤi.ət̪], or [ˈkʰɛ̃.ət̪]. Conversely, it allows the sometimes highly divergent phonetic forms to be covered by a single written form, rather than requiring multiple written forms.
Alphabet
[edit]
The alphabet (Scottish Gaelic: aibidil, formerly Beith Luis Nuin from the first three letters of the Ogham alphabet) now used for writing Scottish Gaelic consists of the following Latin script letters, whether written in Roman type or Gaelic type:
- ⟨a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, l, m, n, o, p, r, s, t, u⟩[1]
Vowels may be accented with a grave accent but accented letters are not considered distinct letters.[1] Prior the 1981 Gaelic Orthographic Convention (GOC), Scottish Gaelic traditionally used acute accents on ⟨a, e, o⟩ to denote close-mid long vowels, clearly graphemically distinguishing ⟨è⟩ /ɛː/ and ⟨é⟩ /eː/, and ⟨ò⟩ /ɔː/ and ⟨ó⟩ /oː/. However, since the 1981 GOC and its 2005 and 2009 revisions, standard orthography only uses the grave accent.[2][a] Since the 1980s, the acute accent has not been used in Scottish high school examination papers, and many publishers have adopted the Scottish Qualifications Authority's orthographic conventions for their books.[3] Despite this, traditional spelling is still used by some writers and publishers, although not always intentionally.[4] In Nova Scotia, the 2009 Gaelic language curriculum guidelines follow the 2005 GOC orthography, but do not change the traditional spelling of words and phrases common to Nova Scotia or in pre–spelling-reform literature.[5]
Letter names
[edit]The early Medieval treatise Auraicept na n-Éces ('The Scholars' Primer') describes the origin of alphabets from the Tower of Babel. It assigns plant names and meanings to the Ogham alphabet, to a lesser extent to Norse Younger Futhark runes, and by extension to Latin letters when used to write Gaelic. Robert Graves' book The White Goddess has been a major influence on assigning divinatory meanings to the tree symbolism. (See also Bríatharogam.) Some of the names differ from their modern equivalents (e.g. dair > darach, suil > seileach).
| Letter | Name(s) (meaning) |
|---|---|
| Aa | Ailm (elm) |
| Bb | Beith (silver birch) |
| Cc | Coll (hazel) |
| Dd | Dair (oak) |
| Ee | Eadha (aspen) |
| Ff | Feàrn (alder) |
| Gg | Gort (ivy) |
| Hh | Uath (hawthorn) |
| Ii | Iogh (yew) |
| Ll | Luis (rowan) |
| Mm | Muin (vine) |
| Nn | Nuin (ash) |
| Oo | Onn (furze) |
| Oir (spindle) | |
| Pp | Peith (downy birch) |
| Rr | Ruis (elder) |
| Ss | Suil (willow) |
| Tt | Teine (furze) |
| Uu | Ura (heather) |
Consonants
[edit]The consonant letters generally correspond to the consonant phonemes as shown in this table. See Scottish Gaelic phonology 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.
| 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 /pjaul̪ˠt̪ɪɲ/, bealach /pjal̪ˠəx/ | ||
| bh | between vowels, sometimes | /./ | siubhal /ʃu.əl̪ˠ/, 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 vjaul̪ˠt̪ɪɲ/ | ||
| see below for ⟨abh, oibh⟩ when they precede consonants | ||||
| c | broad | initially, or non-finally after consonant | /kʰ/ | cas /kʰas̪/, cam /kʰaum/ |
| between vowels | /ʰk/ | bacadh /paʰkəɣ/, mucan /muʰkən/ | ||
| finally after vowel | /ʰk/ | mac /maʰk/ | ||
| finally after consonant | /k/ | corc /kʰɔrʰkʲ/ | ||
| slender | initially or after consonant | /kʰʲ/ | ceòl /kʰʲɔːl̪ˠ/, ceum /kʰʲeːm/ | |
| between vowels | /ʰkʲ/ | lice /ʎiʰkʲə/, brice /prʲiʰkʲə/ | ||
| finally after vowel | /ʰkʲ/ | mic /miʰkʲ/ | ||
| finally after consonant | /kʲ/ | cuilc /kʰulʰkʲ/ | ||
| ch | broad | /x/ | loch /l̪ˠɔx/, dòchas /t̪ɔːxəs̪/ | |
| slender | /ç/ | deich /tʲeç/, dìcheall /tʲiːçəl̪ˠ/ | ||
| chd | /xk/ | lionntachd /ʎuːn̪ˠt̪əxk/, doimhneachd /t̪ɔiɲəxk/ | ||
| cn | /kr/ | cneap /krɛʰp/, cneasta /krʲes̪t̪ə/ | ||
| d | broad | /t̪/ | cadal /kʰat̪al̪ˠ/, fada /fat̪ə/ | |
| slender | /tʲ/ | diùid /tʲuːtʲ/, dearg /tʲɛrak/ | ||
| dh | in final -⟨aidh⟩ | none | pòsaidh /pʰɔːs̪ɪ/ | |
| broad | between vowels | /./ /ɣ/ | odhar /o.ər/, cladhadh /kʰl̪ˠɤ.əɣ/ modhail /mɔɣal/ | |
| elsewhere | /ɣ/ | dhà /ɣaː/, modh /mɔɣ/, tumadh /t̪ʰuməɣ/ | ||
| slender | between vowels | /./ | Gàidheal /kɛː.əl̪ˠ/ | |
| elsewhere | /ʝ/ | dhìth /ʝiː/, dhìol /ʝiəl̪ˠ/ | ||
| see below for ⟨adh, aidh, iodh⟩ when they precede consonants | ||||
| f | broad | /f/ | fathan /fahan/, gafann /kafən̪ˠ/ | |
| slender | before front vowel | /f/ | fios /fis̪/, féill /feːʎ/ | |
| before back vowel | /fj/ | fiùran /fjuːran/, feòl /fjɔːl̪ˠ/ | ||
| fh | usual | none | fhios /is̪/, a fharadh /arəɣ/ | |
| exceptionally | /h/ | fhathast /ha.əs̪t̪/, fhèin /heːn/, fhuair /huəɾʲ/ | ||
| 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 /l̪ˠɤɣal/ | ||
| elsewhere | broad | /ɣ/ | mo ghoc /mə ɣɔʰk/, lagh /l̪ˠɤɣ/ | |
| slender | /ʝ/ | mo ghille /mə ʝiʎə/, do thaigh /t̪ə hɤj/ | ||
| see below for lengthened ⟨agh, aigh, eagh, iogh, ogh, oigh⟩ when preceding another consonant | ||||
| gn | /kr/ | gnè /krɛː/ | ||
| h | /h/ | a h-athair /ə hahɪɾʲ/, Hearach /hɛɾəx/ | ||
| l | broad | /l̪ˠ/ | lachan /l̪ˠaxan/, a laoidh /ə l̪ˠɯj/, balach /pal̪ˠəx/ | |
| 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 | /l̪ˠ/ | balla /pal̪ˠə/, ciall /kʰʲial̪ˠ/ | |
| slender | /ʎ/ | cailleach /kʰaʎəx/, mill /miːʎ/ | ||
| m | broad | /m/ | maol /mɯːl̪ˠ/, màla /maːl̪ˠə/ | |
| slender | before front vowel | /m/ | milis /milɪʃ/, tìm /tʰʲiːm/ | |
| before back vowel | /mj/ | meall /mjaul̪ˠ/, meòg /mjɔːk/ | ||
| mh | between vowels, sometimes | /./ | comhairle /kʰo.əɾlə/ | |
| broad | /v/ | àmhainn /aːvɪɲ/, caomh /kʰɯːv/ | ||
| slender | before front vowel | /v/ | caoimhin /kʰɯːvɪɲ/, làimh /l̪ˠaiv/ | |
| before back vowel | /vj/ | do mhealladh /t̪ɔ vjal̪ˠəɣ/, dà mheall /t̪aː vjaul̪ˠ/ | ||
| see below for ⟨amh, eadh, oimh, uimh⟩ when they precede consonants | ||||
| n | broad | initially, unlenited | /n̪ˠ/ | nàbaidh /n̪ˠaːpi/, norrag /n̪ˠɔrˠak/ |
| initially, lenited | /n/ | mo nàire /mɔ naːɾʲɪ/, bho nàbaidh /vɔ naːpɪ/ | ||
| elsewhere | /n/ | dona /t̪ɔnə/, sean /ʃɛn/ | ||
| slender | initially, unlenited | /ɲ/ | neul /ɲial̪ˠ/, 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 /ful̪ˠəŋɡ/ | |
| slender | /ŋʲɡʲ/ | aingeal /aiŋʲɡʲəl̪ˠ/, farsaing /faɾs̪ɪŋʲɡʲ/ | ||
| nn | broad | /n̪ˠ/ | ceannaich /kʰʲan̪ˠɪç/, ann /aun̪ˠ/ | |
| slender | /ɲ/ | bainne /paɲɪ/, tinn /tʰʲiːɲ/ | ||
| p | broad slender not before back vowel | initially or after consonant | /pʰ/ | post /pʰɔs̪t̪/, campa /kʰaumpə/, peasair /pʰes̪ɪɾʲ/, |
| between vowels | /ʰp/ | cupa /kʰuʰpə/, cipean /kʰʲiʰpan/ | ||
| 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 /pjaul̪ˠ/ | |
| ph | broad | /f/ | sa phost /s̪ə fɔs̪t̪/, bho phàiste /vɔ faːʃtʲə/ | |
| slender | before front vowel | /f/ | dà pheasair /t̪aː fes̪ɪɾʲ/, mo pheata /mɔ fɛʰt̪ə/ | |
| before back vowel | /fj/ | mo phiuthar /mɔ fju.əɾ/, sa pheann /s̪ə fjaun̪ˠ/ | ||
| r | initially, unlenited | /rˠ/ | ràmh /rˠaːv/, rionnag /rˠun̪ˠak/ | |
| initially, lenited | /ɾ/ | do rùn /tɔ ɾuːn/, bho réic /vɔ ɾeːʰkʲ/ | ||
| elsewhere | broad | /ɾ/ | caran /kʰaɾan/, mura /muɾə/ | |
| slender | /ɾʲ/ | cìr /kʰʲiːɾʲ/, cuireadh /kʰuɾʲəɣ/ | ||
| rr | /rˠ/ | cearr /kʰʲaːrˠ/, barra /parˠə/ | ||
| -rt, -rd | /ɾʃt̪/ | neart /ɲɛɾʃt̪/, bord /pɔːɾʃt̪/ | ||
| s | broad | /s̪/ | sàr /s̪aːɾ/, casan /kʰas̪ən/ | |
| slender | /ʃ/ | siùcair /ʃuːʰkɪɾʲ/, càise /kʰaːʃɪ/ | ||
| sh | broad | /h/ | ro shalach /ɾɔ hal̪ˠəx/, glé shoilleir /kleː hɤʎɪɾʲ/ | |
| slender | before front vowel | /h/ | dà shìl /t̪aː hiːʎ/, glé shean /kleː hɛn/ | |
| before back vowel | /hj/ | de shiùcair /tʲe hjuːʰkɪɾʲ/, a sheòladh /ə hjɔːl̪ˠəɣ/ | ||
| sr, str | /s̪t̪ɾ/ | sràc /s̪t̪ɾaːʰk/, strì /s̪t̪ɾiː/ | ||
| t | broad | initially, or non-finally after consonant | /t̪ʰ/ | tasdan /t̪ʰas̪t̪an/, molta /mɔl̪ˠt̪ə/ |
| between vowels | /ʰt̪/ | bàta /paːʰt̪ə/ | ||
| finally, after vowel | /ʰt̪/ | put /pʰuʰt̪/ | ||
| finally, after consonant | /t/ | |||
| slender | initially, or non-finally after consonant | /tʰʲ/ | tiugh /tʰʲu/, caillte /kʰaiʎtʲə/ | |
| between vowels | /ʰtʲ/ | litir /ʎiʰtʲɪɾʲ/ | ||
| finally, after vowel | /ʰtʲ/ | cait /kʰɛʰtʲ/ | ||
| finally, after consonant | /tʲ/ | ailt /altʲ/ | ||
| th | finally | none | teth /tʰʲe/, leth /ʎe/, strath /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 /rˠɔ hiːɲ/ | ||
| slender, before back vowel | /hj/ | do theaghlach /t̪ɔ hjɔːl̪ˠəx/, glé thiugh /kleː hju/ | ||
Vowels
[edit]Many of the rules in this section only apply in stressed syllables. In unstressed syllables, the range of vowels is highly restricted, with mainly /ə/, /ɪ/ or /a/ appearing and on occasion /ɔ/. Only certain vowel graphs appear in unstressed syllables: ⟨a, ai, e, ea, ei, i⟩ and very infrequently ⟨o, oi, u, ui⟩.
| Letter(s) | Phoneme(s) | Examples | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| a | unstressed | in -⟨ag⟩ in -⟨an⟩ (when not plural) | /a/ | cnèatag /kʰriaʰt̪ʰak/, luchag /l̪ˠuxak/ lochan /l̪ˠɔxan/, beagan /pekan/ |
| elsewhere | /ə/ | balach /pal̪ˠəx/, balla /pal̪ˠə/ | ||
| stressed | before ⟨dh, gh⟩ + vowel or word finally | /ɤ/ | dragh /t̪ɾɤɣ/, laghail /l̪ˠɤɣal/ | |
| before ⟨ll, m, nn⟩ + consonant or word finally | /au/ | bann /paun̪ˠ/, calltainn /kʰaul̪ˠt̪ɪɲ/, campa /kʰaumpə/ | ||
| before ⟨rr⟩ + consonant or word finally before ⟨rn, rd⟩ | /aː/ | barr /paːrˠ/, carnadh /kʰaːɾnəɣ/ | ||
| elsewhere | /a/ | acras /aʰkɾəs̪/, gealladh /kʲal̪ˠəɣ/, barra /parˠə/ | ||
| See below for ⟨abh, adh, agh, amh⟩ when they precede consonants | ||||
| ai | unstressed | in -⟨ail⟩ | /a/ | modhail /mɔɣal/, eudail /eːt̪al/ |
| elsewhere | /ɪ/ /e/ /ə/ | caraich /kʰaɾɪç/, mholainn /vɔl̪ˠɪɲ/ air an fhéill /eɾʲəˈɲeːʎ/ comhairle /kʰo.əɾlɪ/ | ||
| stressed | before ⟨ll, m, nn⟩ + consonant or word finally before ⟨bh, mh⟩ + consonant | /ai/ | caill /kʰaiʎ/, cainnt /kʰaiɲtʲ/ aibhne /aivɲə/, aimhreid /aivɾʲɪtʲ/ | |
| before ⟨rr⟩ + consonant or word finally before ⟨rn, rd⟩ | /aː/ | aird /aːɾʃt̪/ | ||
| elsewhere | /a/ | baile /palɪ/, lainnir /l̪ˠaɲɪɾʲ/ | ||
| See below for ⟨aidh⟩, ⟨aigh⟩ when they precede consonants | ||||
| à | /aː/ | àlainn /aːl̪ˠɪɲ/, bràmar /praːməɾ/ | ||
| ài | /aː/ /ɛː/ | àite /aːʰtʲɪ/, càil /kʰaːl/ Gàidheal /kɛː.əl̪ˠ/, pàipear /pʰɛːʰpəɾ/ | ||
| ao | /ɯː/ | maol /mɯːl̪ˠ/, caomh /kʰɯːv/ | ||
| aoi | before ⟨mh, bh⟩ + consonant or word finally | /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 /miːltʲən/ | ||
| stressed | before ⟨dh, gh⟩ finally | /ɤ/ | feadh /fjɤɣ/, seagh /ʃɤɣ/ | |
| before ⟨d, g, s⟩ | /e/ | eadar /et̪əɾ/, creagan /kʰɾekən/ | ||
| before ⟨ll, nn⟩ + consonant or word finally | /au/ | peann /pʰjaun̪ˠ/, teannta /t̪ʰʲaun̪ˠt̪ə/ | ||
| before ⟨rr⟩ + consonant or word finally before ⟨rn⟩ | /aː/ | fearna /fjaːɾnə/, dearrsadh /t̪ʲaːrˠs̪əɣ/ | ||
| before ⟨ll, nn, rr⟩ + vowel, initially | /ja/ | eallach /jal̪ˠəx/, earrach /jarˠəx/ | ||
| before ⟨ll, nn, rr⟩ + vowel, elsewhere | /a/ | ceannard /kʰʲan̪ˠaɾʃt̪/, gealladh /kʲal̪ˠəɣ/ | ||
| elsewhere | /ɛ/ | fear /fɛɾ/, earrann /ɛrˠən̪ˠ/ | ||
| See below for ⟨eagh, eamh⟩ when they precede consonants | ||||
| èa | /ia/ | dèan /tʲian/, cnèatag /kʰɾiaʰt̪ak/ | ||
| ei | unstressed | /ɪ/ | aimhreid /aivɾʲɪtʲ/, bigein /pikʲɪɲ/ | |
| stressed | before ⟨ll, m, nn⟩ + consonant or word finally | /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 /jɔːl̪ˠəs̪/, eòin /jɔːɲ/ | |
| elsewhere | /ɔː/ | seòl /ʃɔːl̪ˠ/, 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⟩ + consonant or word finally | /iː/ | till /tʰʲiːʎ/, sinnsear /ʃiːɲʃəɾ/ | |
| elsewhere | /i/ | thig /hikʲ/, tinneas /tʰʲiɲəs̪/ | ||
| ì | /iː/ | cìr /kʰʲiːɾʲ/, rìbhinn /rˠiːvɪɲ/ | ||
| ia | /iə/ /ia/ | liath /ʎiə/, iarraidh /iərˠɪ/ sgian /s̪kʲian/, dia /tʲia/ | ||
| io | before ⟨ll, nn⟩ + consonant or word finally | initially | /ju/ | ionnsaich /juːn̪ˠsɪç/ |
| elsewhere | /uː/ | lionn /ʎuːn̪ˠ/, fionntach /fjuːn̪ˠt̪əx/ | ||
| before ⟨ll, nn⟩ + vowel | /u/ | fionnar /fjun̪ˠəɾ/, sionnach /ʃun̪ˠəx/ | ||
| elsewhere | /i/ | fios /fis̪/, lios /ʎis̪/ | ||
| See below for ⟨iodh, iogh⟩ when they precedes consonants | ||||
| ìo | /iə/ | mìos /miəs̪/, cìoch /kʰʲiəx/ | ||
| iu | initially | /ju/ | iubhar /ju.əɾ/ | |
| before ⟨rr, rs⟩ | /uː/ | ciurr /kʰʲuːrˠ/, siursach /ʃuːɾs̪əx/ | ||
| elsewhere | /u/ | fliuch /flux/, siubhal /ʃu.əl̪ˠ/ | ||
| 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⟩ + consonant or word finally | /ɔu/ | tom /t̪ʰɔum/, tolltach /t̪ʰɔul̪ˠt̪əx/ | ||
| before ⟨rr⟩ + consonant or word finally before ⟨rn, rd⟩ | /ɔː/ | torr /t̪ʰɔːrˠ/, dornan /t̪ɔːɾnan/ | ||
| elsewhere | /ɔ/ | loch /l̪ˠɔx/, follais /fɔl̪ˠɪʃ/, dorra /t̪ɔrˠə/ | ||
| See below for ⟨ogh⟩ when it comes before consonants | ||||
| oi | before ⟨b, bh, g, gh, m, mh⟩ | /o/ | ||
| before ⟨ll, m, nn⟩ + consonant or word finally | /əi/ | broinn /pɾəiɲ/, oillt /əiʎʲtʲ/ | ||
| elsewhere | /ɤ/ /ɔ/ | goid /kɤtʲ/, doirbh /t̪ɤɾʲɤv/, coileach /kʰɤləx/ toil /t̪ʰɔl/, coire /kʰɔɾʲə/ | ||
| See below for ⟨oibh, oigh, oimh⟩ when they precede consonants | ||||
| ò, òi | /oː/ /ɔː/ | bò /poː/, còig /kʰoːkʲ/ òir /ɔːɾʲ/, bòid /pɔːtʲ/ | ||
| u | before ⟨ll, m, nn⟩ + consonant or word finally before ⟨rr, rn⟩ | /uː/ | cum /kʰuːm/, sunndach /s̪uːn̪ˠt̪əx/, 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⟩ + consonant or word finally | /ɯi/ | druim /t̪ɾɯim/, muinntir /mɯiɲtʲɪɾʲ/ | ||
| before ⟨ll, m, nn⟩ + vowel | /ɯ/ | cluinneadh /kl̪ˠɯɲəɣ/, tuilleadh /t̪ʰɯʎəɣ/ | ||
| elsewhere | /u/ | cuir /kʰuɾʲ/, tuit /t̪ʰuʰtʲ/ | ||
| See below for ⟨uimh⟩ when it precedes consonants | ||||
| ù, ùi | /uː/ | sùil /s̪uːl/, cùis /kʰuːʃ/ | ||
Vowel-consonant combinations
[edit]⟨bh, dh, gh, mh⟩ are commonly pronounced as vowels or are deleted if they are followed by a consonant. For example, in cabhag the ⟨bh⟩ is usually /v/ but in cabhlach the ⟨bh⟩ has turned into an /u/ vowel, yielding /au/ rather than /av/ in the first syllable.
| Letters | Phoneme(s) | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| abh, amh | /au/ | cabhlach /kʰaul̪ˠəx/, samhradh /s̪auɾəɣ/ |
| adh, agh | /ɤː/ | adhbran /ɤːpɾan/, ladhran /l̪ˠɤːɾan/ |
| aidh | /ai/ | snaidhm /s̪n̪ˠaim/ |
| aigh | /ɤi/ | saighdear /s̪ɤitʲəɾ/, maighdean /mɤitʲən/ |
| eagh | /ɤː/ | do theaghlach /t̪ə hjɤːl̪ˠəx/ |
| eamh | /ɛu/ | geamhradh /kʲɛuɾəɣ/, leamhrag /ʎɛuɾak/ |
| iodh, iogh | /iə/ | tìodhlaic /tʰʲiəl̪ˠɪʰkʰʲ/, ioghnadh /iənəɣ/ |
| ogh | /oː/ | foghnaidh /foːnɪ/, roghnaich /rˠoːnɪç/ |
| oibh | /ɤi/ | goibhle /kɤilə/, goibhnean /kɤinən/ |
| oigh | /ɤi/ | oighre /ɤiɾʲə/, sloighre /s̪l̪ˠɤiɾʲə/ |
| oimh | /ɔi/ | doimhne /t̪ɔiɲə/, doimhneachd /t̪ɔiɲəxk/ |
| uimh | /ui/ | cuimhne /kʰuiɲə/, cuimhneachadh /kʰuiɲəxəɣ/ |
Epenthetic vowels
[edit]Where an ⟨l, n, r⟩ is followed (or in the case of ⟨m⟩, preceded) by a ⟨b, bh, ch, g, gh, m, 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 /al̪ˠapə/, 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, e.g dearg /tʲɛɾak/.
Defunct combinations
[edit]The acute accent is no longer used in standard Scottish Gaelic orthography, although it may be encountered in late 20th century writings, and occasionally in contemporary writings, especially in Canadian Gaelic.
| Letter(s) | Phoneme(s) | Examples | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| á | /a/ | ás /as/ | ||
| é, éi | /eː/ | Dùn Éideann /dun ˈeːtʲən̪ˠ/, éirigh /eːɾʲɪ/ | ||
| ó, ói | /oː/ | bó /poː/, cóig /kʰoːkʲ/, mór /moːɾ/ | ||
Certain spellings have also been regularised where they violate pronunciation rules. "Tigh" in particular can still be encountered in house names and certain place names, notably Tighnabruaich and Eilean Tigh.
- So → Seo
- Sud → Siud
- Tigh → Taigh
Notes
[edit]- ^ Windows PCs and Chromebooks supplied in the British Isles have an English-Irish keyboard mapping by default, which includes support for accute accents as standard (using AltGr+a to produce á, for example). To produce grave accents (as in à for example, produced using `a) the user must install a "UK extended" mapping, available free from Microsoft and Google.
References
[edit]- ^ Jump up to: a b "Scottish Gaelic Alphabet". GaelicMatters.com. Retrieved 2022-05-21.
- ^ Ross, Susan (2016). The Standardisation of Scottish Gaelic Orthography 1750–2007: A Corpus Approach (PhD thesis). University of Glasgow. pp. 171–183. In her review, Ross finds five traditional approaches to the use of diacritics (accent marks) in Scottish Gaelic prior to standardization.
- ^ "Gaelic Orthographic Conventions 2009" (PDF). Scottish Qualifications Authority, publication code BB4616. Retrieved 2022-05-17. First published by the Scottish Certificate of Education Examination Board (SCEEB) in 1981 and revised by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) in 2005 and again in 2009.
- ^ Bauer, Michael; Ó Maolalaigh, Roibeard; Wherrett, Rob (2009). Survey of Gaelic Corpus Technology (PDF) (Technical report). University of Glasgow. p. 148.
In the survey (n=103), 48.1% of respondents said they used GOC; 4.7% used "a traditional system"; 16% used a mixture of GOC and traditional orthography in the same text; and 9.4% used a mixture, depending upon context. 18.9% of respondents said they were unsure what orthography they used. Among translators responding, 94.7% used GOC; excluding translators, only 44% consistently used GOC and 23% were unsure what spelling system they used. - ^ Gàidhlig 3–9/Gaelic 3–9 Guide (PDF) (Technical report). Halifax, Nova Scotia: Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. 2009. p. 7.
Sources
[edit]- Bauer, Michael (2011). Blas Na Gàidhlig: The Practical Guide to Scottish Gaelic Pronunciation. Akerbeltz. ISBN 978-1-907165-00-9.
External links
[edit]- Gaelic Orthographic Conventions (2009), Scottish Qualifications Authority
- A comprehensive critique of the "New" Gaelic Orthographic Conventions by a fluent speaker, originally published in the Stornoway Gazette
