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Ro-ràdh
Vowels
Consonants
Fricatives
Slenderisation
Lenition
Pre-aspiration
Diphthongs
Helping Vowel
Hiatus
L, N, R
Rt& Rd
Vowels before
rr, ll, nn
Unstressed Vowels
|
Fuaimreagan
- Vowels
Gaelic uses the five
symbols a,
o,
u,
i,
e to represent a large number of Gaelic vowel sounds.
This is achieved by using accents and by combining the five basic vowles
in various ways. In Gaelic there are both short and long vowles.
Long
vowels are indicated by means of accents. There are two accents used in
Scottish Gaelic:
the
acute ( ´
) found only on the letters e and
o
the grave
( `
) found on a, o, u, i,
e
The difference in
pronounciation between a, o, u, i, e and
à, ò,
ù, ì, è respectively is one of pure length. The difference on
the other hand between è, ò and
é, ó
respectively is one of quality. Listen to the difference between
è
and é and
ò and ó:
Download
fuaimreag01
| [ɛː] |
'sè |
[eː] |
dé |
| [ɔː] |
òl |
[oː] |
bó |
Consider now the
difference of length between a, o, u, i, e and à,
ò, ó, ù, ì, è, é.
| Short |
|
Long |
|
| [a] |
cas |
[aː] |
càs |
| [ɔ] |
dol |
[ɔː] |
òl |
| [o] |
gob |
[oː] |
mór |
| [u] |
cur |
[uː] |
ùr |
| [i] |
min |
[iː] |
mìn |
| [ɛ] |
bean |
[ɛː] |
'sè |
| [e] |
teth |
[eː] |
dé |
You may have noticed
that there is a slight difference between the two short e sounds and the
two short o sounds. These differences are not indicated in the spelling.
Listen to them again:
| [ɔ] |
dol |
[o] |
gob |
| [ɛ] |
bean |
[e] |
teth |
Notice the difference between the two e, and the two
o
sounds.
Here are some more
words to practice your pronounciation of Scottish Gaelic vowels.
Download
fuaimreag02
| Short
i/io
[i] |
| ri |
ɾʲi |
to |
| ris |
ɾʲiʃ |
to
him |
| min |
min |
flour |
| sin |
ʃin |
that |
| tric |
t̪riʰkʲ |
often |
| mic |
miʰkʲ |
sons |
| thig |
hig̊ʲ |
to
come |
| litir |
ʎiʰtʲɪɾʲ |
letter |
| milis |
milɪʃ |
sweet |
| imich |
imɪç |
to
go |
| sgillinn |
sg̊ʲiʎɪɲ |
penny |
| fios |
fis |
knowledge |
| lios |
lis |
garden |
| bior |
b̊iɾ |
point |
| briogais |
b̊ɾig̊ɪʃ |
trousers |
Long
i/ì/ìo
like <ea> in <bean>
[iː] |
| ìm |
iːm |
butter |
|
mìn |
miːn |
soft |
| sìn |
ʃiːn |
to
stretch |
| chì |
çiː |
will
see |
| sgìth |
sg̊ʲiː |
tired |
| dìreach |
d̊ʲiːɾʲəx |
straight |
| binn |
b̊iːɲ |
sweet |
| cinn |
kʲiːɲ |
heads |
| till |
tʲiːʎ |
to
return |
| cill |
kʲiːʎ |
churchyard |
| fìor |
fiːɾ |
true |
|
sìos |
ʃiːs |
down |
| sìoda |
ʃiːd̪̊ə |
silk |
| crìoch |
kʰɾiːç |
border |
Download
fuaimreag03
Short
e/ea/ei
like <a> in <gate> in
Scottish English
[e] |
| de |
d̊ʲe |
of |
| le |
le |
with |
| teth |
tʲeh |
hot |
| leth |
ʎeh |
half |
| eadar |
ed̪̊əɾ |
between |
| cead |
kʲed̪̊ |
right |
| fead |
fed̪̊ |
whistle |
| beag |
b̊eg̊ |
small |
| leag |
ʎeg̊ |
to
chop down |
| creag |
kɾeg̊ |
cliff |
| leis |
leʃ |
with
him |
| ceist |
kʲeʃtʲ |
question |
| bheil |
vel |
[verb
form] |
Long
é/eu/éi
like <ay> in <say> in
Scottish English.
[eː] |
| dé |
d̊ʲeː |
what |
|
an-dé |
ən'd̊ʲeː |
yesterday |
| feum |
feːm |
use |
| leum |
ʎeːm |
to
jump |
| ceum |
kʲeːm |
step |
| Seumas |
ʃeːməs |
James |
| feumaidh |
feːmɪ |
must |
| fhéin |
heːn |
self |
|
féidh |
feːj |
deer
(plural) |
| réidh |
r̴eːj |
level |
| léir |
ʎeːɾʲ |
visible |
| céile |
kʲeːlɪ |
partner |
Download
fuaimreag04
Short
e/ea
like <e> in <get>
[ɛ] |
| fear |
fɛɾ |
man |
| bean |
b̊ɛn |
wife |
| lean |
ʎɛn |
to
follow |
| sean |
ʃɛn |
old |
| leabaidh |
ʎɛb̊ɪ |
bed |
Long
è/èi/(ài)
like <ai> in <fair>
[ɛː] |
| sèimh |
ʃɛ̃ːv |
quiet |
|
gnè |
g̊ɾɛ̃ |
gender |
| 'sè |
ʃɛː |
it
is |
| Gàidheal |
g̊ɛː.əɫ̪ |
Gael |
|
pàipear |
pɛːʰpɛɾ |
paper |
Download
fuaimreag05
Short
a/ai/ea
like <a>
in <hat>
in Scottish English
[a] |
| ad |
ad̪̊ |
hat |
| cas |
kas |
foot |
| can |
kan |
to
say |
| mac |
maʰk |
son |
| abair |
ab̊ɪ
ɾʲ |
to
say |
| aran |
aɾan |
bread |
| athair |
ahɪ
ɾʲ |
father |
| bata |
b̊aʰt̪ə |
bat |
| fada |
fad̪̊ə |
long |
| balach |
b̊aɫ̪əx |
boy |
| falamh |
faɫ̪əv |
empty |
| tapaidh |
t̪aʰpɪ |
quick |
| math |
mah |
good |
| baile |
b̊alɪ |
town |
| caileag |
kalag̊ |
girl |
| cailleach |
kaʎəx |
old
woman |
| maide |
mad̊ʲɪ |
stick |
| each |
jax |
horse |
| seachd |
ʃaxg̊ |
seven |
| speal |
sb̊jaɫ̪ |
scythe |
| dealbh |
d̊ʲa
ɫ̪av |
picture |
| sealg |
ʃaɫ̪ag̊ |
to
hunt |
Long
à/ài/eà
like <a> in <halve> in Scottish English [aː] |
| àrd |
aːɹʃd̪̊ |
tall |
|
àlainn |
aːɫ̪ɪɲ |
wonderful |
| bàrd |
b̊aːɹʃd̪̊ |
bard |
| bàta |
b̊aːʰt̪ə |
boat |
| làmh |
ɫ̪ãːv |
hand |
| làr |
ɫ̪aːɾ |
ground |
| màthair |
mãːhɪɾʲ |
mother |
| àite |
aːʰtʲɪ |
place |
|
sàil |
saːl |
heel |
| dàil |
d̪̊aːl |
delay |
| càise |
kaːʃɪ |
cheese |
| càil |
kaːl |
anything |
| càin |
kaːɲ |
to
slander |
| tàir |
t̪aːɾʲ |
base |
| geàrr |
g̊ʲaːr̴ |
short |
|
ceàrr |
kʲaːr̴ |
wrong |
| is fheàrr |
ʃaːr̴ |
better |
| deàrrsach |
d̊ʲaːr̴səx |
shining |
Download fuaimreag06
Short
o/oi/eo
like <o> in <cot>
[ɔ] |
| loch |
ɫ̪ɔx |
lake |
| olla |
ɔɫ̪ə |
wool |
| ochd |
ɔxg̊ |
eight |
| trod |
t̪ɾɔd̪̊ |
scuffle |
| dona |
d̪̊ɔnə |
bad |
| sona |
sɔnə |
happy |
| bochd |
b̊ɔxg̊ |
poor |
| bodach |
b̊ɔd̪̊əx |
old
man |
| cnoc |
kɾɔ̃ʰk |
hill |
| socair |
sɔʰkɪɾʲ |
gentle |
| coltach |
kɔɫ̪əx |
similar |
| toit |
t̪ɔʰtʲ |
smoke |
| toil |
t̪ɔl |
desire |
| coire |
kɔɾʲɪ |
kettle |
| deoch |
d̊ʲɔx |
drink |
|
seo |
ʃɔ |
this |
Download fuaimreag07
Long
ò/òi/eò
like <au> in <caught>
[ɔː] |
| òl |
ɔːɫ̪ |
to
drink |
|
òg |
ɔːg̊ |
young |
| mòd |
mɔːd̪̊ |
Mod |
| pòg |
pɔːg̊ |
kiss |
| tòrr |
t̪ɔr̴ |
a
lot |
| còrr |
kɔːr̴ |
rest |
| bròn |
b̊ɾɔːn |
sorrow |
|
sròn |
sd̪̊ɾɔːn |
nose |
|
còrd |
kɔːɹd̪̊ |
to
agree |
| bòrd |
b̊ɔːɹd̪̊ |
table |
| còta |
kɔːʰt̪ə |
coat |
| Dòmhnall |
d̪̊ɔ̃ː.əɫ̪ |
Donald |
| glòir |
g̊ɫ̪ɔːɾʲ |
glory |
|
bòid |
b̊ɔːd̊ʲ |
vow |
| còir |
kɔːɾʲ |
right |
| ceòl |
kʲɔːɫ̪ |
music |
|
seòl |
ʃɔːɫ̪ |
sail |
| beò |
b̊jɔː |
alive |
Download
fuaimreag08
Short
o/(oi)
like <o> in <coat> in Scottish English
[o] |
| bog |
b̊og̊ |
soft |
| gob |
g̊ob̊ |
mouth |
| obair |
ob̊ɪɾʲ |
work |
| tobar |
t̪ob̊əɾ |
well |
| coma |
komə |
indifferent |
| comann |
komən̴̪ |
society |
| ogha |
o.ə |
nephew |
| bodhar |
b̊o.əɾ |
deaf |
| loisg |
ɫ̪oʃg̊ʲ |
to
burn |
Long
ó/(ói)
like <o> in <owe> in Scottish English
[oː] |
| bó |
b̊oː |
cow |
|
có |
koː |
who |
| mór |
moːɾ |
big |
| Mórag |
moːɾag̊ |
Morag |
| móran |
moːɾan |
a
lot |
| fóghnaidh |
foːnɪ |
will
suffice |
| cóig |
koːg̊ʲ |
five |
|
móir |
moːɾʲ |
big
(genitive) |
Download
fuaimreag09
Short
u/ui/iu
like <oo> in <took> only short
[u] |
| ubh |
u |
egg |
| dubh |
d̪̊u |
black |
| muc |
muʰk |
pig |
| rug |
r̴ug̊ |
grabbed |
| thug |
hug̊ |
gave |
| bun |
b̊un |
bottom |
| cupa |
kuʰpə |
cup |
| luchd |
ɫ̪uxg̊ |
people |
| cuir |
kuɾʲ |
to
put |
| cuilean |
kulan |
puppy |
| tuit |
t̪uʰtʲ |
to
fall |
| fliuch |
flux |
wet |
|
siubhal |
ʃu.əɫ̪ |
walking |
Long
ù/ùi/iù/iùi/(u)/io
like <oo> in <cool>
[uː] |
| ùr |
uːɾ |
new |
|
cù |
kuː |
dog |
| cùl |
kuːɫ̪ |
rear |
| dùn |
d̪̊uːn |
fortress |
| rùn |
r̴uːn |
secret |
| bùth |
b̊uː |
shop |
| crùbag |
kɾuːb̊ag̊ |
crab |
| ùrlar |
uːɹɫ̪əɾ |
floor |
| sùil |
suːl |
eye |
|
dùil |
d̪̊uːl |
expectation |
| cùis |
kuːʃ |
matter |
| ciùrradh |
kʲuːr̴əɣ |
hurt |
| ciùin |
kʲuːɲ |
quiet |
|
ciùil |
kʲuːl |
music
(genitive) |
| stiùir |
ʃd̊ʲuːɾʲ |
to
steer |
| a-null |
ə'n̴̪uːɫ̪ |
over |
| fionn |
fjuːn̴̪ |
fair |
|
lionn |
ʎuːn̴̪ |
beer |
There are two other long vowels
in Scottish Gaelic. The first is spelled ao and is
pronounced like long ù but with the lips spread (i.e.
not rounded). Listen to the following examples:
Download fuaimreag10
Long
ao
like <oo> in <cool>
but with spread lips [ɯː] |
| caol |
kɯːɫ̪ |
narrow |
| gaol |
g̊ɯːɫ̪ |
love |
| saor |
sɯːɾ |
free |
| daor |
d̪̊ɯːɾ |
expensive |
| raon |
r̴ɯːn |
area |
| laogh |
ɫ̪ɯːɣ |
calf |
| caora |
kɯːɾə |
sheep |
| saoghal |
sɯː.əɫ̪ |
world |
| aois |
ɯːʃ |
age |
| faoin |
fɯːɲ |
silly |
| faoileag |
fɯːlag̊ |
seagull |
The other long vowel in Gaelic
occurs in words spelled adh + consonant and is pronounced
like standard RP English <e> in Bert e.g.
Download fuaimreag11
adh-C
You
can produce this sound by making an [o] and spreading your lips at
the same time (as if you were grinning widely).
[ɤː] |
| ladhran |
ɫ̪ɤːɾan |
sandpiper |
| adhbhar |
ɤːvəɾ |
reason |
| Raghnall |
r̴ɤːnəɫ̪ |
Ronald |
| adhbrann |
ɤːb̊ɾən̴̪ |
ankle |
Extra minor note:
Both of these long vowels have short variants. The short form of ao
occurs in some words spelled -ui-. The short
form of
adh
+ consonant occurs in words spelled
-agh-,
-adh-, and in some words spelled
-oi-.
Download
fuaimreag12
Short
-ui-
like
[ɯː]
only short [ɯ] |
| uisge |
ɯʃg̊ʲɪ |
water |
|
uiseag |
ɯʃag̊ |
lark |
Download fuaimreag13
Short
-(e)agh/-(e)adh-/oi
like [ɤː]
only short.
[ɤ] |
| agh |
ɤɣ |
heifer |
| lagh |
ɫ̪ɤɣ |
law |
| dragh |
d̪̊ɾɤɣ |
worry |
| adharc |
ɤ.əɾk |
horn |
| ladhar |
ɫ̪ɤ.əɾ |
hoof |
| taghadh |
t̪ɤ.əɣ |
election |
| seadh |
ʃɤɣ |
yes |
| leagh |
ʎɤɣ |
to
melt |
| leaghadh |
ʎɤ.əɣ |
melting |
| goid |
g̊ɤd̊ʲ |
to
steal |
| coille |
kɤʎɪ |
wood |
| goirid |
g̊ɤɾʲɪd̊ʲ |
short |
| coileach |
kɤləx |
cockerel |
| doirbh |
d̪̊ɤɾɤv |
difficult |
SUMMARY CHART OF
SCOTTISH GAELIC VOWELS:
|
[i] |
i,
io |
[iː] |
ì,
ìo |
| [e] |
e,
ea, ei |
[eː] |
é,
éi, eu |
| [ɛ] |
ea |
[ɛː] |
è,
èi |
| [a] |
a,
ai, ea |
[aː] |
à,
ài, eà |
| [ɔ] |
o,
oi, eo |
[ɔː] |
ò,
òi, eò |
| [o] |
o,
(oi) |
[oː] |
ó,
(ói) |
| [u] |
u,
ui, iu |
[uː] |
ù,
ùi, (iù), iùi, (u), io |
| [ɤ] |
agh/adh,
oi |
[ɤː] |
agh/adh+cons. |
| [ɯ] |
(ui) |
[ɯː] |
ao,
aoi |
|
