Unit 7, Appendix 2 Dialect variation

Dialect variation – using the forms listed below, you are representing a particular dialect of Scots


Scots Dialect Pronunciation variation from other Scots dialects Examples of words with Scots dialect variation
Insular th → t think → tink
th → d thee → dee
North East wh → f whit → fit
Lothians -a → -ae Glesga → Glesgae
West Central ai → eh fairm → ferm
Tayside ay → eh aye → eh
Borders oo → ow you → yow
ee → ey me → mey

The Scots words that are traditionally spelled <ui> vary across dialects accounting for much of the distinctiveness in dialects. In the Northern Isles, parts of Angus and West Dunbartonshire these words maintain a distinctive vowel sound. (This is spelled with the umlaut in Insular dialects, ‘ö’). In other dialects it has been replaced with other sounds in the dialects.

muinpuirnuik
Insularmönpürnyook
North Eastmeenpeer/pearnyook
Central, Southern, and Ulster Scotsminpaernyuk


In the North east words traditionally spelt <ui> that are preceded by a k or g sound tend to have acquired a w sound, for example in scuil, skweel, and guid, gweed.

Some dialect retain pronunciation of <ch> in words like bricht and nicht, in others these are silent, like <gh> in the English words bright and night. However, in uniquely Scots words and in place names these are often pronounced.


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