Help:IPA/Scottish Gaelic

This is the pronunciation key for IPA transcriptions of Scottish Gaelic on Wikipedia.

It provides a set of symbols to represent the pronunciation of Scottish Gaelic in Wikipedia articles, and example words that illustrate the sounds that correspond to them. Integrity must be maintained between the key and the transcriptions that link here; do not change any symbol or value without establishing consensus on the talk page first.

For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA. For the distinction between [ ], / / and ⟨ ⟩, see IPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters.

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The charts below show the way in which the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) represents Scottish Gaelic pronunciations in Wikipedia articles. For a guide to adding IPA characters to Wikipedia articles, see Template:IPA and Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Pronunciation § Entering IPA characters.

See Scottish Gaelic phonology and Scottish Gaelic orthography for a more thorough look at the sounds of Scottish Gaelic.

Consonants^[1]
Broad		Slender		English approximations
IPA	Examples	IPA	Examples	English approximations
f^[2]	fad, fead, pholl, pheann			fade
ɣ	dhà, deireadh, ghaol, dragh	ʝ	dh'iarr, dh'innis, gheall, ghin	Spanish luego; yard (but stronger)
h^[2]	thonn, thig, shùil, sheòl			haste
j	eala, beò, theàrn, iolaire, piuthar, shiùbhlainn, gràidh			yard
k	gaol, beagan, caileag, amharc	kʲ	gille, fairrge, thig, chunnaic	scat; askew
kʰ^[3]	còta	kʲʰ^[3]	cìr	cup; cure
l̪ˠ	làmh, balla, geal	l	mo leaba, cliathaich, baile, fuil	health; lice
l̪ˠ	làmh, balla, geal	ʎ	leaba, slige, gille	health; scallion
m^[2]	mac, mic, lampa, ìm			main
n̪ˠ	nàire, snàmh, clann	ɲ	nighean, sneachda, cinneadh, ròin	tenth; onion
n̪ˠ	nàire, snàmh, clann	n	mo nàire, anail, bean	tenth; nice
ŋ	long	ŋʲ	aingeal	think; angular
p^[2]	ball, nàbuidh, abair, corp			space
pʰ^[2]^[3]	peann, poll			pain
rˠ	rud, riochd, oirre, orra			Spanish rojo
ɾ	dà rud, mo riochd, crann, fear	ɾʲ	cridhe, fir	crane; creed (both Scotland); American atom
s̪	solas, speal, sgeulachd	ʃ	seòl, stiùir, slighe, snìomh	soot; shade
t̪	dall, fada, ad, falt	tʲ	dìleas, maide, thèid, fuilt	stock; stew (RP)
t̪ʰ^[3]	tana	tʲʰ^[3]	tìr	tide; tune (RP)
v^[2]	bhean, sàibh, mhàthair, deimhinn, làmh			veil
x	chòta, balach	ç	chì, balaich	loch (Scotland); huge

Monophthongs
Short		Long		English approximations
IPA	Examples	IPA	Examples	English approximations
a	mac, glaine	aː	làmh, àite, geàrr	rat; rather (both Scotland)
e	teth, fead, cheil	eː	glè, chèile, beud	hit; hay (both Scotland)
ɛ	fear, each	ɛː	cnàimh, sèimh	let; flare (RP)
ə^[4]	fada, baile			viva
i	mise, fios	iː	ìseal, pìobaire, cinn	reef
ɪ^[4]	uilig, capaill			hit
o	tobar, bodhar	oː	bò, còig	story
ɔ	cnoc, sgoil, deoch	ɔː	bròn, mòine, ceòl, còrr	dog
u	ugh, bun, sgioltachd, fliuch	uː	cùl, sùil, diombach, tiùrr, cunntas	pull; rule
ɯ	duine, uisge	ɯː	craobh, aois	good; roof
ɤ	dragh, coire	ɤː	fadhlach	ago; blur (both RP)
Diphthongs
IPA	Examples			English approximation
ai	claidheamh, chaill, cainnt			price
au	amharc, abhainn, ball, gann			loud
ei	seinn, beinn, peinnsean			main
ɛu	seall, theann, dream			roughly like go (some dialects^[5]); Spanish euro
ia	Niall, pian, feur, beul			he and she
iə	fiacail, iasg, ceud, deug, sìos, fìon			idea
ɔu	toll, tonn, com			goal
ua	uamhasach, suaineadh, uaine			you and me
uə	fuar, uair, buaidh			bluer
ɯi	chraoibh, ghaoith, tuill, tuinn			two years
ɤi	maighdean, greim, coibhneil, oighre, coilltean, broinn			bite (Scotland)

Suprasegmentals
IPA	Example	Explanation
ˈ	uinneag [ˈɯɲak]	primary stress (placed before the stressed syllable)
.	naidheachd [ˈn̪ˠɛ.əxk]	syllable break
◌̃	samhradh [ˈs̪ãũɾəɣ]	nasal vowel

^ Scottish Gaelic contrasts between velarized ("broad") and palatalized ("slender") consonants. Velarized consonants, denoted in the IPA by a superscript ⟨ˠ⟩, are pronounced with the back of the tongue raised toward the velum, which happens to the /l/ in English pill in some accents like RP and General American and in all positions in Scottish English. Slender consonants, denoted in the IPA by a superscript ⟨ʲ⟩, are pronounced with the body of the tongue raised toward the hard palate, in a manner similar to the articulation of the ⟨y⟩ sound in yes. In Scottish Gaelic orthography, broad consonants are surrounded by the letters ⟨a⟩, ⟨o⟩, ⟨u⟩, while slender ones are surrounded by ⟨e⟩ and ⟨i⟩.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Neither broad nor slender, slender positions instead having an on- or off-glide /j/.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e In initial position, the aspirated stops /kʰ, kʲʰ, pʰ, t̪ʰ, tʲʰ/ are postaspirated [kʰ, kʲʰ, pʰ, t̪ʰ, tʲʰ]. In medial or final position after a stressed vowel, they are preaspirated [xk, çkʲ, hp, ht̪, htʲ].
^ ^a ^b [ə] and [ɪ] are never long and they only ever occur in unstressed position, the latter before a slender consonant.
^ These dialects include Southern England (including Received Pronunciation), English Midlands, Australian, New Zealand, the Southern American, Midland American, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Western Pennsylvania and younger Californian English. Other dialects of English, such as most other forms of American, Northern England, Welsh, Scottish and Irish English, have no close equivalent vowel.

[1] Scottish Gaelic contrasts between velarized ("broad") and palatalized ("slender") consonants. Velarized consonants, denoted in the IPA by a superscript ⟨ˠ⟩, are pronounced with the back of the tongue raised toward the velum, which happens to the /l/ in English pill in some accents like RP and General American and in all positions in Scottish English. Slender consonants, denoted in the IPA by a superscript ⟨ʲ⟩, are pronounced with the body of the tongue raised toward the hard palate, in a manner similar to the articulation of the ⟨y⟩ sound in yes. In Scottish Gaelic orthography, broad consonants are surrounded by the letters ⟨a⟩, ⟨o⟩, ⟨u⟩, while slender ones are surrounded by ⟨e⟩ and ⟨i⟩.

[j-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Neither broad nor slender, slender positions instead having an on- or off-glide /j/.

[h-3] In initial position, the aspirated stops /kʰ, kʲʰ, pʰ, t̪ʰ, tʲʰ/ are postaspirated [kʰ, kʲʰ, pʰ, t̪ʰ, tʲʰ]. In medial or final position after a stressed vowel, they are preaspirated [xk, çkʲ, hp, ht̪, htʲ].

[short-4] [ə] and [ɪ] are never long and they only ever occur in unstressed position, the latter before a slender consonant.

[5] These dialects include Southern England (including Received Pronunciation), English Midlands, Australian, New Zealand, the Southern American, Midland American, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Western Pennsylvania and younger Californian English. Other dialects of English, such as most other forms of American, Northern England, Welsh, Scottish and Irish English, have no close equivalent vowel.

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