Scottish Gaelic orthography

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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.

Contents

Alphabet

A' maidin neochiontas na h-oige
(Uilleam MacDhunleibhe, 19th century) Uilleam-MacDhunShleibhe-Eirinn a Gul.jpg
A' maidin neochiontas na h-óige (Uilleam MacDhunléibhe, 19th century)

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

Page from the Book of the Dean of Lismore (early 16th century); it is written in Gaelic using secretary hand, the style of handwriting conventionally used at the time Book of Dean of Lismore page.jpg
Page from the Book of the Dean of Lismore (early 16th century); it is written in Gaelic using secretary hand, the style of handwriting conventionally used at the time

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).

LetterName(s) (meaning)
AaAilm (elm)
BbBeith (silver birch)
CcColl (hazel)
DdDair (oak)
EeEadha (aspen)
FfFeàrn (alder)
GgGort (ivy)
HhUath (hawthorn)
IiIogh (yew)
LlLuis (rowan)
MmMuin (vine)
NnNuin (ash)
OoOnn (furze)
Oir (spindle)
PpPeith (downy birch)
RrRuis (elder)
SsSuil (willow)
TtTeine (furze)
UuUra (heather)

Consonants

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
bbroad/p/bàta/ˈpaːʰt̪ə/, borb/ˈpɔɾɔp/
slenderbefore front vowel, or finally/p/bean/pɛn/, caibe/ˈkʰapə/, guib/kɤp/
before back vowel/pj/beò/pjɔː/, bealltainn/ˈpjaul̪ˠt̪ɪɲ/, bealach/ˈpjal̪ˠəx/
bhbetween vowels, sometimes/./siubhal/ˈʃu.əl̪ˠ/, iubhar/ˈju.əɾ/
finally, sometimesnonedubh/t̪u/, ubh/u/
usuallybroad/v/cabhag/ˈkʰavak/, sàbh/s̪aːv/
slender, before front vowel/v/dhuibh/ˈɣɯiv/, dibhe/ˈtʲivə/
slender, before back vowel/vj/ro bheò/ɾɔvjɔː/, dà bhealltainn/t̪aːˈvjaul̪ˠt̪ɪɲ/
see below for abh, oibh when they precede consonants
cbroadinitially, or non-finally after consonant/kʰ/cas/kʰas̪/, cam/kʰaum/
between vowels/ʰk/bacadh/ˈpaʰkəɣ/, mucan/ˈmuʰkən/
finally after vowel/ʰk/mac/maʰk/
finally after consonant/k/corc/kʰɔɾʰk/
slenderinitially or after consonant/kʰʲ/ceòl/kʰʲɔːl̪ˠ/, ceum/kʰʲeːm/
between vowels/ʰkʲ/lice/ˈʎiʰkʲə/, brice/ˈpɾʲiʰkʲə/
finally after vowel/ʰkʲ/mic/miʰkʲ/
finally after consonant/kʲ/cuilc/kʰulʰkʲ/
chbroad/x/loch/l̪ˠɔx/, dòchas/ˈt̪ɔːxəs̪/
slender/ç/deich/tʲeç/, dìcheall/ˈtʲiːçəl̪ˠ/
chd/xk/lionntachd/ˈʎuːn̪ˠt̪əxk/, doimhneachd/ˈt̪ɔiɲəxk/
cn/kʰɾ/cneap/kʰɾʲɛʰp/, cneasta/ˈkʰɾʲes̪t̪ə/
dbroad/t̪/cadal/ˈkʰat̪əl̪ˠ/, fada/ˈfat̪ə/
slender/tʲ/diùid/tʲuːtʲ/, dearg/ˈtʲɛɾak/
dhin final -aidhnonepòsaidh/ˈpʰɔːs̪ɪ/
broadbetween vowels/./
/ɣ/
odhar/ˈo.ər/, cladhadh/ˈkʰl̪ˠɤ.əɣ/
modhail/ˈmɔɣal/
elsewhere/ɣ/dhà/ɣaː/, modh/mɔɣ/, tumadh/ˈt̪ʰuməɣ/
slenderbetween vowels/./Gàidheal/ˈkɛː.əl̪ˠ/
elsewhere/ʝ/dhìth/ʝiː/, dhìol/ʝiəl̪ˠ/
see below for adh, aidh, iodh when they precede consonants
fbroad/f/fathan/ˈfahan/, gafann/ˈkafən̪ˠ/
slenderbefore front vowel/f/fios/fis̪/, fèill/feːʎ/
before back vowel/fj/fiùran/ˈfjuːɾan/, feòl/fjɔːl̪ˠ/
fhusualnonefhios/is̪/, a fharadh/ˈaɾəɣ/
exceptionally/h/fhathast/ha.əs̪t̪/, fhèin/heːn/, fhuair/huəɾʲ/
gbroad/k/gad/kat̪/, ugan/ˈukan/
slender/kʲ/gille/ˈkʲiʎə/, leig/ʎekʲ/
ghfinally, sometimesnone*an-diugh/əɲˈtʲu/, nigh/ɲiː/
between vowels/./*
/ɣ/
aghaidh/ˈɤː.ɪ/, fiughar/ˈfju.əɾ/, nigheann/ˈɲiː.an̪ˠ/
laghail/ˈl̪ˠɤɣal/
elsewherebroad/ɣ/mo ghoc/məɣɔʰk/, lagh/l̪ˠɤɣ/
slender/ʝ/mo ghille/məʝiʎə/, do thaigh/t̪əhɤj/
see below for lengthened agh, aigh, eagh, iogh, ogh, oigh when preceding another consonant
gn/kr/gnè/kɾʲɛː/
h/h/a h-athairhahɪɾʲ/, Hearach/ˈhɛɾəx/
lbroad/l̪ˠ/lachan/ˈl̪ˠaxən/, a laoidhl̪ˠɯj/, balach/ˈpal̪ˠəx/
slenderinitially, unlenited/ʎ/leabaidh/ˈʎepɪ/, leum/ʎeːm/
initially, lenited/l/dà leabaidh/t̪aːlepɪ/, bho leac/vɔlɛʰk/
elsewhere/l/cuilean/ˈkʰulan/, sùil/s̪uːl/
llbroad/l̪ˠ/balla/ˈpal̪ˠə/, ciall/kʰʲiəl̪ˠ/
slender/ʎ/cailleach/ˈkʰaʎəx/, mill/miːʎ/
mbroad/m/maol/mɯːl̪ˠ/, màla/ˈmaːl̪ˠə/
slenderbefore front vowel/m/milis/ˈmilɪʃ/, tìm/tʰʲiːm/
before back vowel/mj/meall/mjaul̪ˠ/, meòg/mjɔːk/
mhbetween vowels, sometimes/./comhairle/ˈkʰo.əɾlə/
broad/v/àmhainn/ˈaːvɪɲ/, caomh/kʰɯːv/
slenderbefore front vowel/v/caoimhin/ˈkʰɯːvɪɲ/, làimh/ˈl̪ˠaiv/
before back vowel/vj/do mhealladh/t̪ɔˈvjal̪ˠəɣ/, dà mheall/t̪aːvjaul̪ˠ/
see below for amh, eadh, oimh, uimh when they precede consonants
nbroadinitially, unlenited/n̪ˠ/nàbaidh/ˈn̪ˠaːpi/, norrag/ˈn̪ˠɔrˠak/
initially, lenited/n/mo nàire/mɔˈnaːɾʲɪ/, bho nàbaidh/vɔˈnaːpɪ/
elsewhere/n/dona/ˈt̪ɔnə/, sean/ʃɛn/
slenderinitially, unlenited/ɲ/neul/ɲial̪ˠ/, neart/ɲɛɾʃt̪/
initially, lenited/n/mo nighean/mɔˈni.an/, dà nead/t̪aːnɛt̪/
elsewhere, after back vowel/ɲ/duine/ˈt̪ɯɲə/, càineadh/ˈkʰaːɲəɣ/
elsewhere, after front vowel/n/cana/ˈkʰanə/, teine/ˈtʰʲenə/
ngbroad/ŋɡ/teanga/ˈtʰʲɛŋɡə/, fulang/ˈful̪ˠəŋɡ/
slender/ŋʲɡʲ/aingeal/ˈaiŋʲɡʲəl̪ˠ/, farsaing/ˈfaɾs̪ɪŋʲɡʲ/
nnbroad/n̪ˠ/ceannaich/ˈkʰʲan̪ˠɪç/, ann/aun̪ˠ/
slender/ɲ/bainne/ˈpaɲə/, tinn/tʰʲiːɲ/
pbroad
slender not before back vowel
initially or after consonant/pʰ/post/pʰɔs̪t̪/, campa/ˈkʰaumpə/, peasair/ˈpʰes̪ɪɾʲ/,
between vowels/ʰp/cupa/ˈkʰuʰpə/, cipean/ˈkʰʲiʰpan/
finally after vowel/ʰp/cuip/ˈkʰuiʰp/
finally after consonant/p/ailp/alp/
slender before back vowelafter consonant, or initially/pʰj/piuthar/ˈpʰju.əɾ/, peall/pʰjaul̪ˠ/
phbroad/f/sa phost/s̪əfɔs̪t̪/, bho phàiste/vɔˈfaːʃtʲə/
slenderbefore front vowel/f/dà pheasair/t̪aːˈfes̪ɪɾʲ/, mo pheata/mɔˈfɛʰt̪ə/
before back vowel/fj/mo phiuthar/mɔˈfju.əɾ/, sa pheann/s̪əfjaun̪ˠ/
rinitially, unlenited/rˠ/ràmh/rˠaːv/, rionnag/ˈrˠun̪ˠak/
initially, lenited/ɾ/do rùn/tɔɾuːn/, bho rèic/vɔɾeːʰkʲ/
elsewherebroad/ɾ/caran/ˈkʰaɾan/, mura/ˈmuɾə/
slender/ɾʲ/cìr/kʰʲiːɾʲ/, cuireadh/ˈkʰuɾʲəɣ/
rr/rˠ/cearr/kʰʲaːrˠ/, barra/ˈparˠə/
-rt, -rd/ɾʃt̪/neart/ɲɛɾʃt̪/, bord/pɔːɾʃt̪/
sbroad/s̪/sàr/s̪aːɾ/, casan/ˈkʰas̪an/
slender/ʃ/siùcair/ˈʃuːʰkɪɾʲ/, càise/ˈkʰaːʃə/
shbroad/h/ro shalach/ɾɔˈhal̪ˠəx/, glè shoilleir/kleːˈhɤʎɪɾʲ/
slenderbefore front vowel/h/dà shìl/t̪aːhiːʎ/, glè shean/kleːhɛn/
before back vowel/hj/de shiùcair/tʲeˈhjuːʰkɪɾʲ/, a sheòladhˈhjɔːl̪ˠəɣ/
sr, str/s̪t̪ɾ/sràc/s̪t̪ɾaːʰk/, strì/s̪t̪ɾʲiː/
tbroadinitially, or non-finally after consonant/t̪ʰ/tasdan/ˈt̪ʰas̪t̪an/, molta/ˈmɔl̪ˠt̪ə/
between vowels/ʰt̪/bàta/ˈpaːʰt̪ə/
finally, after vowel/ʰt̪/put/pʰuʰt̪/
finally, after consonant/t/
slenderinitially, or non-finally after consonant/tʰʲ/tiugh/tʰʲu/, caillte/ˈkʰaiʎtʲə/
between vowels/ʰtʲ/litir/ˈʎiʰtʲɪɾʲ/
finally, after vowel/ʰtʲ/cait/kʰɛʰtʲ/
finally, after consonant/tʲ/ailt/altʲ/
thfinallynoneteth/tʰʲe/, leth/ʎe/, strath/s̪t̪ɾa/
between vowels/./
/h/
leotha/ˈlɔ.ə/, piuthar/ˈpʰju.əɾ/, cnòthan/ˈkɾɔː.ən/
beatha/ˈpɛhə/, fathan/ˈfahan/, a mhàthairˈvaːhɪɾʲ/
initiallybroad/h/mo thòn/mɔhɔːn/, do thaigh/t̪ɔhɤʝ/
slender, before front vowel/h/thig/hikʲ/, ro thinn/rˠɔhiːɲ/
slender, before back vowel/hj/do theaghlach/t̪ɔˈhjɔːl̪ˠəx/, glè thiugh/kleːhju/

Vowels

Many of the rules in this section only apply in stressed syllables. In unstressed syllables, the range of vowels is highly restricted, mainly /ə,ɪ,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
aunstressedin -ag
in -an (when not plural)
/a/cnèatag/ˈkʰɾʲiaʰt̪ak/, luchag/ˈl̪ˠuxak/
lochan/ˈl̪ˠɔxan/, beagan/ˈpekan/
elsewhere/ə/balach/ˈpal̪ˠəx/, balla/ˈpal̪ˠə/
stressedbefore dh, gh + vowel or word finally/ɤ/dragh/t̪ɾɤɣ/, laghail/ˈl̪ˠɤɣal/
before ll, m, nn + consonant or word finally/au/bann/paun̪ˠ/, calltainn/ˈkʰaul̪ˠt̪ɪɲ/, campa/ˈkʰaumpə/
before rr + consonant or word finally
before rn, rd
/aː/barr/paːrˠ/, carnadh/ˈkʰaːɾnəɣ/
elsewhere/a/acras/ˈaʰkɾəs̪/, gealladh/ˈkʲal̪ˠəɣ/, barra/ˈparˠə/
See below for abh, adh, agh, amh when they precede consonants
aiunstressedin -ail/a/modhail/ˈmɔɣal/, eudail/ˈeːt̪al/
elsewhere/ɪ/
/e/
/ə/
caraich/ˈkʰaɾɪç/, mholainn/ˈvɔl̪ˠɪɲ/
air an fhèill/eɾʲəˈɲeːʎ/
comhairle/ˈkʰo.əɾlə/
stressedbefore ll, m, nn + consonant or word finally
before bh, mh + consonant
/ai/caill/ˈkʰaiʎ/, cainnt/ˈkʰaiɲtʲ/
aibhne/ˈaivɲə/, aimhreid/ˈaivɾʲɪtʲ/
before rr + consonant or word finally
before rn, rd
/aː/aird/aːɾʃt̪/
elsewhere/a/baile/ˈpalə/, lainnir/ˈl̪ˠaɲɪɾʲ/
See below for aidh, aigh when they precede consonants
à/aː/àlainn/ˈaːl̪ˠɪɲ/, bràmar/ˈpɾaːməɾ/
ài/aː/
/ɛː/
àite/ˈaːʰtʲə/, càil/kʰaːl/
Gàidheal/ˈkɛː.əl̪ˠ/, pàipear/ˈpʰɛːʰpəɾ/
ao/ɯː/maol/mɯːl̪ˠ/, caomh/kʰɯːv/
aoibefore mh, bh + consonant or word finally/ɯi/aoibhneas/ˈɯivɲəs̪/, caoimhneas/ˈkʰɯivɲəs̪/
elsewhere/ɯː/faoileag/ˈfɯːlak/, caoimhin/ˈkʰɯːvɪɲ/
eunstressed/ə/maise/ˈmaʃə/, cuine/ˈkʰuɲə/
stressed/e/teth/tʰʲe/, le/le/
eaunstressedin -eag/a/faoileag/ˈfɯːlak/, uiseag/ˈɯʃak/
elsewhere/ə/rinnear/ˈrˠiɲəɾ/, mìltean/ˈmiːltʲən/
stressedbefore dh, gh finally/ɤ/feadh/fjɤɣ/, seagh/ʃɤɣ/
before d, g, s/e/eadar/ˈet̪əɾ/, creagan/ˈkʰɾʲekən/
before ll, nn + consonant or word finally/au/peann/pʰjaun̪ˠ/, teannta/ˈtʰʲaun̪ˠt̪ə/
before rr + consonant or word finally
before rn
/aː/fearna/ˈfjaːɾnə/, dearrsadh/ˈtʲaːrˠs̪əɣ/
before ll, nn, rr + vowel, initially/ja/eallach/ˈjal̪ˠəx/, earrach/ˈjarˠəx/
before ll, nn, rr + vowel, elsewhere/a/ceannard/ˈkʰʲan̪ˠəɾʃt̪/, gealladh/ˈkʲal̪ˠəɣ/
elsewhere/ɛ/fear/fɛɾ/, earrann/ˈjarˠən̪ˠ/
See below for eagh, eamh when they precede consonants
èa/ia/dèan/ˈtʲian/, cnèatag/ˈkʰɾʲiaʰt̪ak/
eiunstressed/ɪ/aimhreid/ˈaivɾʲɪtʲ/, bigein/ˈpikʲəɲ/
stressedbefore ll, m, nn + consonant or word finally/ei/greim/ˈkɾʲeim/, peinnsean/ˈpʰeiɲʃan/
elsewhere/e/ceist/kʰʲeʃtʲ/, seinneadair/ˈʃeɲət̪ɪɾʲ/
è, èi/ɛː/
/eː/
crè/kʰɾʲɛː/, sèimh/ʃɛːv/
/tʲeː/, cèile/ˈkʰʲeːlə/
eo/ɔ/deoch/tʲɔx/, leotha/ˈlɔ.ə/
, eòiinitially/jɔː/eòlas/ˈjɔːl̪ˠəs̪/, eòin/jɔːɲ/
elsewhere/ɔː/seòl/ʃɔːl̪ˠ/, meòir/mjɔːɾʲ/
eubefore m or in literary words/eː/Seumas/ˈʃeːməs̪/, leum/ʎeːm/, treun/t̪ʰɾʲeːn/
elsewhere/ia/ceud/kʰʲiat̪/, feur/fiaɾ/
iunstressed/ɪ/litir/ˈʎiʰtʲɪɾʲ/, fuirich/ˈfuɾʲɪç/
stressedbefore ll, m, nn + consonant or word finally/iː/till/tʰʲiːʎ/, sinnsear/ˈʃiːɲʃəɾ/
elsewhere/i/thig/hikʲ/, tinneas/ˈtʰʲiɲəs̪/
ì/iː/cìr/kʰʲiːɾʲ/, rìbhinn/ˈrˠiːvɪɲ/
ia/iə/
/ia/
liath/ʎiə/, iarraidh/ˈiərˠɪ/
sgian/s̪kʲian/, dia/tʲia/
iobefore ll, nn + consonant or word finallyinitially/ju/ionnsaich/ˈjuːn̪ˠs̪ɪç/
elsewhere/uː/lionn/ʎuːn̪ˠ/, fionntach/ˈfjuːn̪ˠt̪əx/
before ll, nn + vowel/u/fionnar/ˈfjun̪ˠəɾ/, sionnach/ˈʃun̪ˠəx/
elsewhere/i/fios/fis̪/, lios/ʎis̪/
See below for iodh, iogh when they precedes consonants
ìo/iə/mìos/miəs̪/, cìoch/kʰʲiəx/
iuinitially/ju/iubhar/ˈju.əɾ/
before rr, rs/uː/ciurr/kʰʲuːrˠ/, siursach/ˈʃuːɾs̪əx/
elsewhere/u/fliuch/flux/, siubhal/ˈʃu.əl̪ˠ/
, iùi/uː/diù/tʲuː/, ciùil/kʰʲuːl/
obefore b, bh, g, gh, mh or m + vowel/o/gob/kop/, bogha/ˈpo.ə/
before ll, m, nn + consonant or word finally/ɔu/tom/ˈt̪ʰɔum/, tolltach/ˈt̪ʰɔul̪ˠt̪əx/
before rr + consonant or word finally
before rn, rd
/ɔː/torr/t̪ʰɔːrˠ/, dornan/ˈt̪ɔːɾnan/
elsewhere/ɔ/loch/l̪ˠɔx/, follais/ˈfɔl̪ˠɪʃ/, dorra/ˈt̪ɔrˠə/
See below for ogh when it comes before consonants
oibefore b, bh, g, gh, mh or m + vowel/o/
before ll, m, nn + consonant or word finally/əi/broinn/pɾəiɲ/, oillt/əiʎtʲ/
elsewhere/ɤ/
/ɔ/
goid/kɤtʲ/, doirbh/ˈt̪ɤɾʲɤv/, coileach/ˈkʰɤləx/
toil/t̪ʰɔl/, coire/ˈkʰɔɾʲə/
See below for oibh, oigh, oimh when they precede consonants
ò, òi/oː/
/ɔː/
/poː/, còig/kʰoːkʲ/
òir/ɔːɾʲ/, bòid/pɔːtʲ/
ubefore ll, m, nn + consonant or word finally
before rr, rn
/uː/cum/kʰuːm/, sunndach/ˈs̪uːn̪ˠt̪əx/, murn/muːɾn/
elsewhere/u/dubh/t̪u/, cumail/ˈkʰumal/
ua, uaibefore m, n, ng/ua/cuan/ˈkʰuan/, uaine/ˈuaɲə/
elsewhere/uə/tuagh/t̪ʰuəɣ/, duais/t̪uəʃ/
uibefore m, n, ng, s/ɯ/uisge/ˈɯʃkʲə/, duine/ˈt̪ɯɲə/
before dh/ɯi/buidhe/ˈpɯi.ə/, suidhe/ˈs̪ɯi.ə/
before ll, m, nn + consonant or word finally/ɯi/druim/ˈt̪ɾɯim/, muinntir/ˈmɯiɲtʲɪɾʲ/
before ll, m, nn + vowel/ɯ/cluinneadh/ˈkl̪ˠɯɲəɣ/, tuilleadh/ˈt̪ʰɯʎəɣ/
elsewhere/u/cuir/kʰuɾʲ/, tuit/t̪ʰuʰtʲ/
See below for uimh when it precedes consonants
ù, ùi/uː/sùil/s̪uːl/, cùis/kʰuːʃ/

Vowel-consonant combinations

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.

LettersPhoneme(s)Examples
abh, amh/au/cabhlach/ˈkʰaul̪ˠəx/, samhradh/ˈs̪auɾəɣ/
adh, agh/ɤː/adhbran/ˈɤːpɾan/, ladhran/ˈl̪ˠɤːɾan/
aidh/ai/snaidhm/ˈs̪n̪ˠaim/
aigh/ɤi/saighdear/ˈs̪ɤitʲəɾ/, maighdean/ˈmɤitʲən/
eagh/ɤː/do theaghlach/t̪əˈhjɤːl̪ˠəx/
eamh/ɛu/geamhradh/ˈkʲɛuɾəɣ/, leamhrag/ˈʎɛuɾak/
iodh, iogh/iə/tìodhlaic/ˈtʰʲiəl̪ˠɪʰkʲ/, ioghnadh/ˈiənəɣ/
ogh/oː/foghnaidh/ˈfoːnɪ/, roghnaich/ˈrˠoːnɪç/
oibh/ɤi/goibhle/ˈkɤilə/, goibhnean/ˈkɤinən/
oigh/ɤi/oighre/ˈɤiɾʲə/, sloighre/ˈs̪l̪ˠɤiɾʲə/
oimh/ɔi/doimhne/ˈt̪ɔiɲə/, doimhneachd/ˈt̪ɔiɲəxk/
uimh/ui/cuimhne/ˈkʰuiɲə/, cuimhneachadh/ˈkʰuiɲəxəɣ/

Epenthetic vowels

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/ˈal̪ˠapə/, marbh/ˈmaɾav/, tilg/ˈtʰʲilikʲ/, arm/ˈaɾam/, iomradh/ˈimiɾəɣ/.

If this process would lead to the sound sequence /ɛɾɛ/, the epenthetic vowel is an /a/ in many dialects, e.g dearg/ˈtʲɛɾak/.

Defunct combinations

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/dunˈeːtʲən̪ˠ/, éirigh/eːɾʲɪ/
ó, ói/oː//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.

Notes

  1. Windows PCs and Chromebooks supplied in the British Isles have an English-Irish keyboard mapping by default, which includes support for acute 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

  1. 1 2 "Scottish Gaelic Alphabet". GaelicMatters.com. Retrieved 2022-05-21.
  2. 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.
  3. "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.
  4. 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.
  5. Gàidhlig 3–9/Gaelic 3–9 Guide (PDF) (Technical report). Halifax, Nova Scotia: Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. 2009. p. 7.

Sources