Scots Orthography
Scots Spelling
The spellings used here are based on
frequently used non-regional traditional Scots.
They are based on an analysis of 18th and 19th century
spelling conventions, historical practice and etymology
(see Aw
Ae Wey (1.43 MB)).
They can to the most part, be read and pronounced in any
Scots dialect. On the whole the spellings used can be
found in the Concise Scots Dictionary published by the
SNDA. The following explains the spelling conventions
used when choosing among and adapting the spelling variants
in the Concise Scots Dictionary. Conventions used generally
follow the spellings in the Scots School Dictionary (SSD)
in so far as they are consistent or cross-dialect. The
SSD is also published by the SNDA.
Some spellings of course don't always
adhere to the 'rules' explained here. Those are considered
'established spellings' because dictionaries usually have
only one entry for the word in question.
Words
in Scots are often divided into three groups:
- Shared vocabulary consists of words which are both
common to Standard English and Scots (and other languages
as well), often spelled the same in both languages.
Many people mistakenly refer to these words as 'English
Words' - this is the result of an anglocentric view
of the world. The German language uses all, Arm,
Dame, Finger, Hand and Land
these words are common to both Standard English and
German.
- Close cognates are words which are common to Standard
English and Scots (and other languages as well), but
which are pronounced (and spelled) differently in Scots
i.e. aw, airm, and haund etc.
- Words particular to Scots. Many people refer to these
as 'Scots words', an by implication assume the words
in the previous groups are somehow not 'Scots words'.
This is based on the false assumption that anything
that occurs in Standard English can't be Scots. The
fact is that all the words in these groups are Scots
words whether they occur in other languages or not.
Some words which only have a slightly
different pronunciation in Scots than in Scottish Standard
English, usually the vowel sound, generally have same
the spelling. Do not assume that because a word is spelled
the same as in Standard English it is pronounced as such.
Base forms of words are usually spelled phonemically - not in a one-letter
to one-sound manner but in a more graphemically economic manner. In this
system position, environment and overt markers enable the same letter
or cluster of letters to perform several distinct functions. Several letters
or letter clusters may also represent the same sound.
Compounds and derivatives tend to be spelled morphemically, the established
grapheme bases are usually retained regardless of the phonemic alterations
involved. The assumption being that the reader knows the phonemic alterations
that accompany the formation of derivatives and inflections. This may
be a hindrance to learning Scots pronunciation from the spellings, but
Scots spelling is geared for the convenience of native speakers, not for
the learner.
Some words are spelled the same as in
Standard English but have a different pronunciation in
Scots e.g. /a/ in
aunt(ie), swap, want and wash
etc., /ʌ/ in
bull, full v. and pull etc., /ɪ/
in bind, find and wind v. etc. (Note
in those words the final <d> is often silent.)
Words that sound the same in Scots as
in Scottish Standard English usually retain the same spelling
e.g. come, door, for, hear,
some, the, tongue and young
etc., except where a Scots spelling has become established
or the words have a different 'stressed' form, e.g. A
(I), an (and), ma (my), thare and
thaim etc.
In some words the spellings may differ
slightly in order to accommodate the Scots pronunciation,
e.g. lenth and strenth etc.
Short vowels are usually written with:
A final consonant or consonants i.e. buff, bak,
ban, lib, licht, seck,
tint, wat and wid etc.
Two consonants followed by <e> i.e. birse,
carse, dulse, ense, girse,
grilse, mense, merse and winze
etc.
The spelling <a> for the
vowel /a/ in words
like aff, at, back, bak, bap,
lat, rax, tak, tap, wad,
wash and watch etc.
The spelling <e> for the
vowel /ɛ/ in
words like ken, gled, ferm and yett
etc.
A final lexical <e> is used
to prevent verb homographs of plural nouns like brouse
- brous, please - pleas and tease
- teas etc.
The spelling <i> for the
vowel /ɪ/ in
words like bird, brig, find, kist,
shilpit, whisper, will, wir,
wird, wirm, wirthy and wittins
etc.The pronunciation /æ/
also occurs in Ulster before voiceless sounds or clusters
containing them. The pronunciation /ʌ/
may also occur, especially after <w> and
<wh>. Some writers spell that <u>.
The spelling <u> for the
vowel /ʌ/ in
words like dubs, bull, drumly, hunder
and pull etc.
Schwa /ə/
may be represented by <a, e, i,
o> or <u> in unstressed positions
i.e. aboot, the, oxter,
loanin, bannock and smeddum.
Long vowels are usually written with:
The absence of a following consonant i.e. <e>
in be and we /wi(:)/,
also /we(:)/, <i>
in wi /wi(:)/
also /wɪ/ and
/wə/. The <y>
in by is often pronounced /bɪ/,
/bi/ and /be/
(especially in the West and Ulster) also occurs. <o>
in jo and no is usually pronounced /o(:)/.
A single consonant followed by <e> i.e. bane,
fere, bode and hure etc.
Two letters <au, aw, ae, ai,
ay, ea, ee, ei, ie,
oa, oo, ou> i.e. faw, glaur,
snaw, brae, bairn, day, fear,
weet, dreich, bield, gloam,
hoose and broun etc., and very rarely <aa>
in, for example, haar.
The spelling <au> for the
vowel, variously /ɑ:/,
/ɔ:/ and /a(:)/,
is usually used initially and medially, giving: auld,
cauld, caunle, draucht, haund,
laund, saund and wauken etc.
The cluster <auld> is often pronounced
/ʌul(d)/
in Ulster.
Note laund has an unstressed vowel in compounds
and is spelled land e.g. hieland and Scotland
etc.
The spelling <aw> is usually used finally
for that vowel, giving: braw, draw, gnaw,
law, maw, saw, and claw etc.
A few exceptions exist e.g. bawbie and bawsant.
The spelling <aw> is usually
used for that vowel where Standard English cognates have
<all>, giving: aw, awbody,
baw, caw and haw etc.
Some writers use <aa> instead of <au>
and <aw>, particularly when writing Northern
and Insular Scots.
The spelling <a> is usually
used finally for that vowel in words like awa,
twa and wha etc. In the south east that
vowel may be pronounced /e/
in those words.
The spelling <a(consonant)e>
usually used initially and medially for the vowel /e/
in words like ane, ance, bane, face,
gate, hale, hame, lame, nane,
Pace and stane etc.
The spelling <ae> is usually
used finally for that vowel, rarely medially, giving:
ae, brae, frae, sae
and strae, and faem and claes etc.
The spelling <ai> is also
used initially and medially for the vowel
/e(:)/ , often /ɛ/,
especially before /r/,
giving: aiple, airm, bairn, braith,
cairt, dairn, daith, hain,
jaiket, pairt, sair, shairp,
stairt and wairm etc.
The spelling <ay> is also
used finally for that vowel, giving: day, gray,
lay, pray and say etc.
The spelling <ea> is used
initially and medially in common with many Standard English
cognates. Though in Standard English the spelling represents
two pronunciations /i(:)/
as in "meat" and /ɛ/
as in "head". In Scots the <ea> is usually
pronounced either /i(:)/
or /e(:)/ depending
on the lexeme or dialect,
in words like beard, beast, creash,
ease, east, eat, fear, gear,
heap, lead v., meal, meat
and read etc. The pronunciation /ɛ/
may occur before /r/
in words like early, earn, hearth,
learn and pearl etc.
Scots
also uses the traditional digraph <ei> to
represent those pronunciations, especially where Standard
English cognates are spelled using <ea> as
in Standard English "head", giving: eild, eith,
beir, breid, breinge, deid,
deif, dreid, eleiven, heid,
leid n., meidae, peir, pleisur,
seicont, seiven, sweir, teir
v. and weir etc.
Some writers may use the spelling <ei>
in all of the above.
The spelling <ea> is retained in words pronounced
/ɛ/ in Scots
and Scottish Standard English e.g. read (past tense).
Some writers use <e> for that sound in all
words.
The
spelling <e(Consonant)e> is usually
always pronounced /i(:)/
e.g. here and fere etc.
The spelling <ee> is pronounced
/i(:)/ in all Scots
dialects,
except in Southern Scots where root final it is /əi/,
in words like een, freend, freet,
neebour, neer, permeesion, see,
wee, weel and weet etc.The digraph
<ea> occasionally occurs in words like lea,
plea, sea and tea.
The spelling <ee> is retained
in words pronounced the same in Scots and Scottish Standard
English. e.g. creep, feel and seek
etc.
The spelling <ie> may also
be used for that vowel, usually medially before <v>,
<l> and in words shared with Standard English,
giving: bield, chief, chield,
lief, nieve, scrieve, shield
and shielin etc.
The spelling <ie>, always
/i(:)/, is also
used at the end some other words e.g. gie and hie
etc.
Before <ch> (/x/)
the spelling is often <ei> for that vowel,
giving: dreich, heich, skeich and wheich
etc.
The spelling <ei> may occasionaly
be used in other words for that vowel, giving: deil,
neist and speir etc.
For the above some writers variously use
<ee>, <ei> or <ie>.
The
spelling <ie> is traditionally used for diminutives
giving: grannie, laddie, lassie,
shappie and wifie etc.
The spellings <ie> and <y>
are used for forming adjectives,adverbs and some nouns.
<ie> tends to be used in particularly Scots
words and <y> in words the same or similar
to Standard English. <y> is usually used
for adverbial endings giving: reekie, pernicketie,
sairy, stany, stourie, brawly,
bonnily, cannie, cannily, feckly,
fully, geyly, likely, specially,
sairly, shuirly and uncoly etc.
The pronunciation is usually /e/
in Central Scots dialects,
but /i/ and /ɪ/
also occur. In Northern dialects,
and East Perthshire a variation of /i/
and /ɪ/ occurs,
where /i/ occurs
when the preceding vowel is /i/
or /əi/, or
the preceding consonant is /b,
d, ð, g, v, ʒ/
or /z/. Otherwise
/ɪ/.
The internal inconsistency caused
by unpredictably using <ie> or<y>
will be found on this site. Some writers simply use one
or the other.
When forming the participle from verbs
ending in <ie> the <ie> changes
to <y> giving cairyin and couryin
etc.
For the sake of orthographic consistency
many writes use either <ie> or <y>
in all those words.
The spelling <oa> for the vowel
/o:/ and <o>
for the vowel /ɔ/.
In many dialects
/ɔ/ has merged
with /o/ but some
dialects
retain the distinction between /o:/
and /ɔ/. The
distinction is usually retained in spelling, giving: boat,
coal, foal, hoast, rose, and
thole etc., and boss, box, cod,
common, dochter, on, loch,
nocht, rock and thocht etc. In Mid
Northern Scots, after /k/,
/wəi/ may occur
e.g. coal and coat etc.
The spellings <ou> or <oo>
are used for the vowel /u(:)/.
In Southern Scots, when final, it is pronounced /ʌu/.
<oo> is used in words like hoose,
aboot and soond in order to avoid confusing
<ou> with the Standard English pronunciation.
The
traditional Scots spelling <ou> is used in
all other words where confusion with the Standard English
pronunciation is unlikely, giving: allou, brou,
broun, bouk, cou, coum, cour,
dou, doun, dout, fou, hou,
nou, poupit, sou, thoum and
you etc.
Some writers use either <ou>
or <oo> for that vowel in all those words.
The spelling <u(consonant)e>
may occasionally be used for that vowel in words where
the spelling is established e.g. dule and hure
etc.
The spelling <ui> for the
vowel, variously /ø(:)/,
/ɪ/ or /e(:)/,
and /i(:)/,
in words like guid, ruif, tuim, spuin,
puir, juist and truith etc.
The
spelling <eu> for the vowel, variously /ø(:)/,
/(j)u/
or /(j)ʌ/,
in words like beuk, deuk, eneuch,
teuch, leuk, teug, teuk, neuk
and heuch etc.
The spelling <ew> for the
vowel /ju/ in words
like dew, ewest , few, new,
pewter, spew and tew etc. In Mid
Northern Scots the pronunciation may be /jʌu/.
Other spellings may also occur in a few words like beauty,
duty, feu, fuel and peuther
etc.
Diphthongs are usually written with two
letters <ey, eu, oi, oy,
ow(e)> and <y(e)>
etc.
The spelling <i(consonant)e>
for the diphthongs /əi/
and /aɪ/ in
words pronounced similarly in Scots and Scottish Standard
English e.g. wife, knife, thrice
and lice etc. Particularly Scots words are often
spelled with the traditional Scots <y(consonant)e>
e.g. dyke, fyle, syne and tyne
etc.
The traditional spelling <y> is used in words
like wynd and also in mynd (mind) and kynd
(kind) in order to indicate the Scots pronunciation difference
from words like find and bind etc. - rhyme
with 'pinn(ed)'.
Some writers use <y(consonant)e>
in all words with this diphthong. 
The spellings <y>, <ye>, <ey>
are used for the word final for those diphthongs in words
like aye (always), ay (yes), cley,
gey, kye and wey etc.
The spelling <ey> occasionally represents
/əi/ initially
in words like eydent and eyster etc.
The
spellings <ow> for the diphthong /ʌu/,
<owe> finally, in words like growe,
growthe, thowe, howf, dowy,
fowk, lowp and cowp etc.
Before <k>, that diphthong may be vocalised
to /o/ e.g. bowk,
fowk and yowk etc.
As in Standard English, in disyllabic
words where the first syllable is stressed, the consonant
following the single vowel in the first syllable is doubled
giving blatter, watter, verra, fremmit,
biggit, dizzen, donnert and butter
etc.
The following letters are not doubled. <h, j, q, v, w, x,>
and <y>.
Many verbs that end with a single consonant letter double
it in the present and past participles, and past tense,
as do some adjectives for the comparative and superlative
i.e. drap - drappin - drappit, het
- hetter - hettest.
<f, l, s> and
<z> are usually doubled after short vowels
i.e. baff, nyaff, dwall, mell,
bass, bress and bizz etc.
Double consonants are avoided where simple
differences to Standard English spelling exist.
| aiple |
apple |
mairy |
marry |
| cairy |
carry |
mainer |
manner |
| haimer |
hammer |
maiter |
matter |
| jaiket |
jacket |
|
|
Consonants are not usually doubled after
long vowels and diphthongs i.e. ail, kail,
gean, neep, heid, loan, heuk,
stale and tyne etc.
The internal consonant in the past tense
and past perfect of some verbs like sell, tell,
spell and coff become single giving selt,
telt, spelt and coft etc.
The
spelling <ch> for /x/
in words like loch, dreich, brocht
and nicht, except initially where it usually represents
/ʧ/ in words
like chield, cheetie and chowk or
where it follows <r> in words like airch.
Otherwise <tch> is usually used e.g. catch
and pootch etc.
The cluster <nch> is always pronounced /nʃ/
giving: brainch, clinch, dunch, hainch,
inch, French, painch etc.
The spelling <c> for /s/
is usually used before the letters <e> and
<i>. Such words are generally of Romance
origin, giving: censor, ceevil, cedent,
ceil and mediciner etc.
Initial <c> for /k/
is usually used:
Before vowels, spelled <a>,
<ai>, <au>, <aw>,
<o>, <oa>, <oo>,
<ou> and <u>,
before the vowel (a few exceptions) spelled <ui>,
before the diphthong spelled <ow> or <owe>,
before <l> and <r>,
giving caw, caw, caddie, carle,
caird, cairt, cleid, creash,
cou, cloot, croun, coff, corrupt,
cosie, coar, cruldge, cushat,
cowp, cowt, cley, cryne, cuist
and cuit etc.
Initial
<k> is usually used:
Before
the vowels spelled <e> and <ei>,
<ee> and <ea>.
A few exceptions with the vowels spelled <ai>
and <ae>, and <ui> exist,
before the diphthong spelled <i(consonant)e>
and <y(consonant)e>,
before <n>,
giving keek, keeng, kebbock, Keith,
kelter, ken, kye, kyte, kythe,
kail, kaim and knife etc.
Initial <sc> for /sk/
is usually used:
Before the vowels, spelled <a>,
<au>, <aw>, <oo>,
<ou>, <o>, <oa>,
<u> and <ui>,
before the diphthong spelled <ow> and <owe>,
before <l> and <r>,
giving scantlins, sclaff, sclate,
scaud, scaur, scaw, sclent,
scone, scoor, scowe, scowth,
scunner, scrieve and scuip etc.
Initial
<sk> is usually used:
Before vowels spelled <ai>, <ae>
and <a(consonant)e>,
before the diphthong spelled <i(consonant)e>
and <y(consonant)e>,
giving skail, skaith, skelf, skelp,
skeel, skirl, skive, skyme
and skite etc.
The terminal <ck> is used
at the end of words like beck, feck, and
puddock etc.
The terminal <le> is used
in words like muckle, traivel, soople
and trauchle. That is changed to <elt>
in the past tense and past participle to give soopelt
and trauchelt etc.
In Many dialects
the terminal <d> of <nd> and
<ld> is usually silent but is often pronounced
in the derived forms (especially past tenses) of many
words. In order to achieve orthographic consistency such
words are spelled with the <nd>, e.g. haund
and soond, and haundit and soondit.
Entries in dictionaries often include the terminal <d>
in brackets, e.g. haun(d), soon(d),
sen(d).
In many words the final <d> of a medial <nd>
is also silent. Many words no longer have the <d>
pronounced at all. Such words are now spelled using a
medial <nn> or <n>.
Here spellings like bind, blind, find
and wind are considered adequate for representing
the vowel /ɪ/.
Some writers use spellings like finn(d)
in order to show the Scots pronunciation.
The initial <th> in thanks, thing,
awthing and think is often pronounced /h/.
The final <g> in thing
is often silent. It is used in writing because the final
<ing> is not the suffix for the gerund
or present participle. This word is cognate with German
Ding and Scandinavian ting.
Final
<the> to indicate the voiced consonant /ð/
in bathe, kythe, laithe and skaithe
etc.
The pronunciation /s/
or /z/ for final
<s> or contracted and genitive forms with
<'s> or <s'>.
The pronunciation /s/
usually occurs after /f/,
/k/, /p/,
/s/, /t/,
/θ/ and /x/
and before an inflexion.
e.g. laifs, wifes, wife's, hooses,
lochs and threaps etc.
The pronunciation /z/
usually occurs in plurals ending with <es>
and after a vowel sound or /b/,
/d/, /g/,
/l/, /m/,
/n/, /r/,
/v/, /ð/
and /ŋ/.
e.g. dous, haunds, ludges, steams,
gie's, his, hers and thairs
etc.
Final
<ss> is usually pronounced /s/
e.g. miss, bliss, bress, uiss
and wiss etc.
Final
<se> is more complicated and it may be worthwhile
consulting a pronunciation dictionary.
Final <se> is usually pronounced /s/
after short vowels /l/,
/n/, /p/
and (long vowels before) /r/.
e.g. coorse, grilse, hoose,
manse, mense and traipse. etc.
Final <se> is usually pronounced /z/
after long vowels and diphthongs.
e.g. jalouse, lowse, phrase,
please and uise etc.
<z> for /z/
is seldom used in Scots, though it does occur in some
words as a substitute for the older <ʒ>
(yogh) representing the pronunciations /ŋ/,
/ŋj/ and /nj/.
<lʒ> became
/lj/. This has led to a number of variants using the spellings
<z>, <y>, <n>
and <ng>.
e.g. brulzie - brulyie, gaberlunzie
- gaberlunyie, senzie - senyie,
Cockenzie - Cockennie, Mackenzie
- Mackennie and Menzies -
Mingis etc.
Glottal stops
/ʔ/ are not indicated
in writing. Many speakers substitute a glottal stop for /t/
and sometimes /k/ and /p/,
between two vowels.
Standard English and Scots Cognates
Many Scots and Standard English words
are derived by direct descent from the same source. Some
insights into the spelling of Scots may be gained by comparing
the spelling of Scots words to the spellings of their
Standard English cognates. There are of course exceptions
to the 'rules' explained here.
These comparisons in no way imply that Standard English
is a 'corrupted' form of Scots!
Different Consonants
- Scots has no 'b' in the accented or any following
syllable, where Standard English has it after <m>.
| St. English |
Scots |
St. English |
Scots |
| amber |
lammer |
rumble |
rummle |
| chamber |
chaumer |
shamble |
skemmle |
| cumber |
cummer |
thimble |
thimmle |
| embers |
emmers |
timber |
timmer |
| number |
nummer |
tumble |
tummle |
Note.
| December |
December |
member |
member |
| September |
September |
November |
November |
- As previously mentioned the final <d>
after <n> is usually silent. In
many words the historic <d> in medial
positions is not pronounced. In such words the spelling
<n> or <nn>
is used.
| candle |
caunle |
thunder |
thunner |
| wander |
wander |
wonder |
wunner |
- Scots often has no final 'f' where Standard
English does.
- Scots often has no medial and final 'v'
where Standard English does.
| calves |
caur |
have |
hae |
| delve |
del |
leave |
lea' |
| devil |
deil |
love |
lue |
| dove |
dou |
over |
ower |
| even |
e'en |
serve |
ser |
| give |
gie |
silver |
siller |
| harvest |
hairst |
twelve |
twal |
- In some words Scots has no final 'th', where
Standard English does.
| mouth |
mou |
(uncouth) |
unco |
| quoth |
quo |
with |
wi |
Letter Differences
- In some words Scots has <dd> where Standard
English has <th>.
| smithy |
smiddie |
stithy |
stiddie |
| withy |
widdie |
|
|
-
Scots
often has <k> or <ck> where
Standard English has <ch>. The Scots <k>
or <ck> is often claimed to be of Scandinavian
origin.
| birch |
birk |
larch |
larick |
| bitch |
bick |
stitch |
steek |
| breeches |
breeks |
stretch |
streek |
| church |
kirk |
such |
sic |
| itchy |
yeukie |
thatch |
thack |
- Scots often has <scl> where Standard
English has <sl>.
| slant |
sclent |
slender |
sclender |
| slate |
sclate |
slice |
sclice |
- Scots often has <sk> where Standard
English has <sh>.
| shambles |
skemmles |
share |
skare |
shelf |
skelf |
- Scots often has <g> or <gg>
where Standard English has <dge>.
| bridge |
brig |
ridge |
rig |
| dredge |
dreg |
edge on |
egg |
| sedge |
seg |
|
|
Note the exceptions hedge
hedge and sledge sled.
- Scots often has <au> where Standard
English has <al>.
| calf |
cauf |
malt |
maut |
| calm |
caum |
palm |
paum |
| chalk |
cauk |
psalm |
psaum |
| false |
fause |
salmon |
saumon |
| half |
hauf |
salt |
saut |
| halse (neck) |
hause |
scald |
scaud |
Note stalk, talk and walk.
- Scots usually has <aw> where Standard
English has final <all>.
| call |
caw |
hall |
haw |
| all |
aw |
small |
smaw |
| ball |
baw |
stall |
staw |
| fall |
faw |
wall |
waw |
- Scots often has <ow> medially and <owe>
finally, where Standard English has <ol(l)>.
| boll |
bowe |
hollow |
howe |
| bolster |
bowster |
knoll |
knowe |
| bolt |
bowt |
poll |
powe |
| colt |
cowt |
roll |
rowe |
| gold |
gowd |
stolen |
stowen |
| golf |
gowf |
|
|
Note the exception: soldier
sodger.
- Scots often has <aul> where Standard
English has <ol>.
| bold |
bauld |
old |
auld |
| cold |
cauld |
scold |
scauld |
| fold |
fauld |
told |
tauld |
Note the exceptions:
| hold |
haud |
solder |
souder |
| soldier |
sodger |
|
|
- In Scots the position of <r> is often
switched compared to the preceding or following vowel
in Standard English.
| burnt |
brunt |
proverb |
provrib |
| christen |
kirsten |
rhubarb |
rhubrub |
| grass |
girse |
turf |
truff |
| curb |
crib |
wart |
wrat |
| modern |
modren |
wrestle |
warstle |
| pretend |
pertend |
|
|
- Scots often has a pronunciation variation between
/ʃ/ and /s/
in many words of Norman French origin. These words may
be spelled using <s>, <c>
or <sh>.
| officer |
offisher |
gusset |
gushet |
| cinders |
shinders |
hoarse |
hairsh |
| sew (clothes) |
shew |
mince |
minsh |
| vessel |
veshel |
notice |
notish |
- The <ual> in some words may be pronounced
/wəl/ .
- In some words of Latin origin, Scots has kept the
original pronunciation /i(:)/
where Standard English has /ɪ/
or /ai/.
| baptise |
bapteese |
oblige |
obleege |
| civil |
ceevil |
original |
oreeginal |
| item |
eetem |
pity |
peety |
| liberal |
leeberal |
position |
poseetion |
| licence |
leeshence |
spirit |
speerit |
Note. system
seestem.
- Scots often has <-fee> where Standard
English has <-fy>.
| magnify |
magnifee |
satisfy |
saitisfee |
| modify |
modifee |
signify |
seegnifee |
- Scots often has <i> where Standard English
has <u>.
- Scots often has <e> where Standard English
has <a>.
| brass |
bress |
glad |
gled |
| clasp |
clesp |
glass |
gless |
| hasp |
hesp |
fast |
fest |
- Scots often has <ai> where Standard
English has <a>. Especially in words with
<r> + consonant.
| arm |
airm |
saddle |
saidle |
| bedraggle |
bedraigle |
sharp |
shairp |
| father |
faither |
warm |
wairm |
| manner |
mainer |
yard |
yaird |
- Scots often has <a> where Standard English
has <o>.
| appen |
open |
soft |
saft |
| crop |
crap |
song |
sang |
| drop |
drap |
strong |
strang |
| long |
lang |
throng |
thrang |
| pot |
pat |
top |
tap |
| sob |
sab |
|
|
- Scots often has <a(consonant)e>
where Standard English has <o(consonant)e>.
| bone |
bane |
one |
ane |
| home |
hame |
stone |
stane |
| lone |
lane |
|
|
Note the exceptions in <ai>.
| cole |
kail |
sore |
sair |
| rope |
raip |
whole |
hail |
- Scots often has <ee> where Standard
English has <e>.
| well |
weel |
fret |
freet |
| wet |
weet |
jelly |
jeely |
Note the exception red
reid.
- Scots often has <u> or <i>
after <wh> and <w> where Standard
English has <e>, <i>, or <o>.
| whelk |
wulk |
word |
wird |
| woman |
wumman |
wirth |
worth |
| worm |
wirm |
whurl |
whorl |
- Scots often has <y> where Standard English
has <oi>.
| anynt |
anoint |
join |
jyne |
| boil (sore) |
byle |
point |
pynt |
| boil (water) |
byle |
spoil |
spyle |
| choice |
chyce |
voice |
vyce |
Note.
| ile |
oil |
eyster |
oyster |
| queir |
choir |
noise |
noise |
| eyntment |
ointment |
pushion |
poison |
| ryal |
royal |
evite |
avoid |
- Scots has <ch> /x/
where Standard English has <gh>.
Most dialects of Scots have a German like Ich/Ach
rule governing the pronunciation of <ch>.
<ch> is pronounced /ç/
following a front vowel, and /x/
following a back vowel. For the sake of simplicity /x/
has been throughout this site.
| bought |
bocht |
might v. |
micht |
| bright |
bricht |
night |
nicht |
| fight |
fecht |
rough |
roch |
| fright |
fricht |
sight |
sicht |
| high |
heich |
thought |
thocht |
| laugh |
lauch |
tough |
teuch |
| light |
licht |
weight |
wecht |
| might n. |
maucht |
|
|
Note the exception, 'delight'
comes from Old French 'deliter'. The Standard
English spelling arose by analogy with 'light'.
The word is not pronounced 'delicht' in Scots
and is written (and pronounced) 'delite'.
Burgh retains the <gh> in Scots.
- Scots often has <oo> where Standard
English has <ou>.
| about |
aboot |
out |
oot |
| house |
hoose |
round |
roond |
| mouse |
moose |
sound (healthy) |
soond |
| our |
oor |
sound (noise) |
soond |
- Scots often has <u> where Standard English
has <ou>.
| found |
fund |
mount |
munt |
| fountain |
funtain |
mountain |
muntain |
| ground |
grund |
mourn |
murn |
Among the exceptions are:
| though |
tho |
group |
group |
| colour |
colour |
thought |
thocht |
| country |
kintra |
through |
throu |
| enough |
eneuch |
tour |
tour |
- Scots often has <ou> where Standard
English has <ow> medially.
| brown |
broun |
gown |
goun |
| cower |
cour |
powder |
pouder |
| crowd |
croud |
power |
pouer |
| crown |
croun |
shower |
shour |
| down |
doun |
towel |
touel |
| drown |
droun |
tower |
tour |
| flower |
flouer |
town |
toun |
| fowl |
foul |
|
|
- In some words Scots often has final <aw>
where Standard English has final <ow>.
| blow |
blaw |
show |
shaw |
| crow |
craw |
snow |
snaw |
| mow |
maw |
low |
law |
| row (line) |
raw |
throw |
thraw |
In some words Scots often has final <ae>
where Standard English has final <ow>.
| arrow |
airae |
pillow |
pillae |
| barrow |
barrae |
shadow |
shaidae |
| bellows |
bellaes |
sorrow |
sorrae |
| borrow |
borrae |
swallow |
swallae |
| follow |
follae |
widow |
weedae |
| marrow |
marrae |
window |
windae |
| meadow |
meidae |
yellow |
yellae |
| narrow |
nairae |
|
|
Similarly in some words Scots often
has final <ae> where Standard English
has final <a>.
| algebra |
algebrae |
Canada |
Canadae |
| America |
Americae |
China |
Cheenae |
| alpha |
alphae |
omega |
omegae |
- In some words Scots has <ou> where Standard
English has final <ow>.
| allow |
allou |
cow |
cou |
| bow |
bou |
how |
hou |
| brow |
brou |
now |
nou |
Exceptions to the above are:
| bellow |
buller |
furrow |
furr |
| below |
ablo |
minnow |
minnin |
| elbow |
elbuck |
|
|
- The Anglo-Saxon long <o> /o:/
became /ø/
and /y/ in older
Scots, then spelled <ui> and <u(Consonant)e>
respectively. Now generally spelled <ui>
or <eu> (see below) in Modern Scots and
usually <oo> in Standard English. Similarly
with Scandinavian and Romance words.
This remains /ø(:)/
and /y(:)/ in
peripheral dialects.
In parts of Fife, Angus and Ulster /e(:)/
occurs. In northern dialects and parts of
Ulster /i(:)/
occurs, where in Mid Northern Scots after /g/
and /k/ it is
/wi(:)/. In Central Scots and parts of Ulster it became
/ɪ/ when
short and /e:/
when long.
| blood |
bluid |
palm |
luif |
| board |
buird |
pool |
puil |
| brute |
bruit |
poor |
puir |
| cool |
cuil |
roose |
ruise |
| done |
duin |
refuse |
refuise |
| floor |
fluir |
school |
schuil |
| ford |
fuird |
spoon |
spuin |
| fruit |
fruit |
sure |
shuir |
| good |
guid |
Thursday |
Fuirsday |
| loom |
luim |
use n. |
uiss |
| moon |
muin |
use v. |
uise |
| moor |
muir |
(young coal-fish) |
cuithe |
- In some of the above the Central Scots pronunciation
has established itself in the spelling.
| ado |
adae |
do |
dae |
shoe |
shae |
to |
tae |
e.g. do
dae, did did, done
duin and does daes or dis.
- Some words descended from the long <o>
now have <i>.
| brother |
brither |
mother |
mither |
| foot |
fit |
other |
ither |
Note. wood
wid, not descended from long <o>.
- Where the Anglo-Saxon long <o> /o:/
was followed by /k/
or /x/ the sound
shifted to <eu> in Scots. Pronounced /(j)u/
or /(j)ʌ/
depending on dialect.
Similarly with Scandinavian words.
| book |
beuk |
hook |
heuk |
| bough |
beuch |
laughed |
leuch |
| (cliff) |
heuch |
look |
leuk |
| (ravine) |
cleuch |
nook |
neuk |
| (ditch) |
sheuch |
plough |
pleuch |
| duck (bird) |
deuk |
(sparrow) |
speug |
| enough |
eneuch |
tough |
teuch |
Note tug
teug.
- In some words Scots has no final <e>
as in Standard English <ure>.
| creature |
craitur |
nature |
naitur |
| lecture |
lectur |
picture |
pictur |
| mixture |
mixtur |
venture |
ventur |
Note. secure
siccar.
- In many words Scots has initial <a>
where Standard English has <be>.
| because |
acause |
beneath |
aneath |
| before |
afore |
beside |
aside |
| behind |
ahint |
between |
atween |
| below |
ablo |
beyond |
ayont |
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