Editing Scots language (section)

==Phonology==
{{Further|Modern Scots#Phonology|Phonological history of Scots}}
[[File:WIKITONGUES- Christine speaking Shetlandic.webm|thumb|Scottish poet [[Christine De Luca]] speaking the [[Shetland dialect]] of Scots]]

===Vowels===
The vowel system of Modern Scots:<ref>Aitken A. J. "How to Pronounce Older Scots" in ''Bards and Makars''. Glasgow
University Press 1977</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
![[A. J. Aitken|Aitken]] !! [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]] !! Common spellings
|-
| 1 || short {{IPA|/əi/}}<br>long {{IPA|/aɪ/}} || i-e, y-e, ey
|-
| 2 || {{IPA|/i/}} || ee, e-e, {{Not a typo|ie}}
|-
| 3 || {{IPA|/ei/}}{{efn|With the exception of [[North Northern Scots|North Northern dialects]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dsl.ac.uk/INTRO/intro2.php?num=28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922070428/http://www.dsl.ac.uk/INTRO/intro2.php?num=28|archive-date=2012-09-22|title=SND INTRODUCTION|date=22 September 2012}}</ref> this vowel has generally merged with vowels 2, 4 or 8.}} || ei, ea
|-
| 4 || {{IPA|/e/}} || a-e, #ae
|-
| 5 || {{IPA|/o/}} || oa, o-e
|-
| 6 || {{IPA|/u/}} || ou, oo, u-e
|-
| 7 || {{IPA|/ø/}}{{efn|Merges with vowels 15. and 8. in central dialects and vowel 2 in Northern dialects.}}{{efn|name=oe|Also {{IPA|/(j)u/}} or {{IPA|/(j)ʌ/}} before {{IPA|/k/}} and {{IPA|/x/}} depending on dialect.}} || ui, eu{{efn|name=oe}}
|-
| 8 || {{IPA|/eː/}} || ai, #ay
|-
| 8a || {{IPA|/əi/}}{{efn|name=əi|Vowels 8a and 10 are ultimately the same vowel in Modern Scots.}} || i-e, y-e, ey
|-
| 9 || {{IPA|/oe/}} || oi, oy
|-
| 10 || {{IPA|/əi/}}{{efn|name=əi}} || i-e, y-e, ey
|-
| 11 || {{IPA|/iː/}} || #ee, #{{Not a typo|ie}}
|-
| 12 || {{IPA|/ɑː, ɔː/}} || au, #aw
|-
| 13 || {{IPA|/ʌu/}}{{efn|Monophthongisation to {{IPA|/o/}} may occur before {{IPA|/k/}}.}} || ow, #owe
|-
| 14 || {{IPA|/ju/}} || ew
|-
| 15 || {{IPA|/ɪ/}} || i
|-
| 16 || {{IPA|/ɛ/}} || e
|-
| 17 || {{IPA|/ɑ, a/}} || a
|-
| 18 || {{IPA|/ɔ/}}{{efn|Some mergers with vowel 5.}} || o
|-
| 19 || {{IPA|/ʌ/}} || u
|}

{{notelist}}

[[Vowel length]] is usually conditioned by the [[Scottish vowel length rule]].

===Consonants===

{| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center
|-
! colspan=2|
! [[Labial consonant|Labial]]
! [[Interdental consonant|Dental]]
! [[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
! [[Postalveolar consonant|Post-<br>alveolar]]
! [[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
! [[Velar consonant|Velar]]
! [[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
! colspan=2|[[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
| {{IPA link|m}}
|
| {{IPA link|n}}
|
|
| {{IPA link|ŋ}}{{efn|Spelt {{vr|ng}}, always {{IPA|/ŋ/}}.<ref name=JohnstonEdinburghHistory>{{cite book|last=Johnston|first=Paul|year=1997|chapter=Regional Variation|editor-last=Jones|editor-first=Charles|title=The Edinburgh History of the Scots Language|publisher=Edinburgh University Press|location=Edinburgh|page=510}}</ref>}}
|
|-
! colspan=2|[[Stop consonant|Stop]]
| {{IPA link|p}} {{IPA link|b}}
|
| {{IPA link|t}} {{IPA link|d}}{{efn|{{IPA|/t/}} may be a glottal stop between vowels or word final.{{r|JohnstonEdinburghHistory|page=501}} In Ulster dentalised pronunciations may also occur, also for {{IPA|/d/}}.}}
| {{IPA link|tʃ}} {{IPA link|dʒ}}{{efn|The cluster {{vr|nch}} is usually realised {{IPA|/nʃ/}}{{r|EdinburghHistory|page=500}} e.g. {{lang|sco|brainch}} ("branch"), {{lang|sco|dunch}} ("push"), etc.}}
|
| {{IPA link|k}} {{IPA link|ɡ}}{{efn|In Northern dialects, the clusters {{vr|kn}} and {{vr|gn}} may be realised as {{IPA|/kn/}}, {{IPA|/tn/}} and {{IPA|/ɡn/}}{{r|EdinburghHistory|page=501}} e.g. {{lang|sco|knap}} ("talk"), {{lang|sco|knee}}, {{lang|sco|knowe}} ("knoll"), etc.}}
| {{IPA link|ʔ}}
|-
! colspan=2|[[Fricative consonant|Fricative]]
| {{IPA link|f}} {{IPA link|v}}
| {{IPA link|θ}} {{IPA link|ð}}{{efn|Spelt {{vr|th}}. In Mid Northern varieties an intervocalic {{IPA|/ð/}} may be realised {{IPA|/d/}}.{{r|EdinburghHistory|page=506}} Initial {{vr|th}} in ''thing'', ''think'' and ''thank'', etc. may be {{IPA|/h/}}.{{r|JohnstonEdinburghHistory|page=507}}}}
| {{IPA link|s}} {{IPA link|z}}{{efn|Both {{IPA|/s/}} and {{IPA|/z/}} may be spelt {{vr|s}} or {{vr|se}}. {{vr|z}} is seldom used for {{IPA|/z/}} but may occur in some words as a substitute for the older {{vr|ȝ}} ([[yogh]]) realised {{IPA|/jɪ/}} or {{IPA|/ŋ/}}. For example: {{lang|sco|brulzie}} ("broil"), {{lang|sco|gaberlunzie}} (a beggar) and the names ''[[Menzies]]'', ''[[Finzean]]'', ''[[Culzean]]'', ''[[Mackenzie (surname)|Mackenzie]]'' etc.}}
| {{IPA link|ʃ}} {{IPA link|ʒ}}
| {{IPA link|ç}}{{efn|name=ch|Spelt {{vr|ch}}, also {{vr|gh}}. Medial {{vr|cht}} may be {{IPA|/ð/}} in Northern dialects. {{lang|sco|loch}} ("fjord" or "lake"), {{lang|sco|nicht}} ("night"), {{lang|sco|dochter}} ("daughter"), {{lang|sco|dreich}} ("dreary"), etc. Similar to the German {{lang|de|Nacht}}.{{r|JohnstonEdinburghHistory|page=499}} The spelling {{vr|ch}} is realised {{IPA|/tʃ/}} word initially or where it follows {{vr|r}} e.g. {{lang|sco|airch}} ("arch"), {{lang|sco|mairch}} ("march"), etc.}}
| {{IPA link|x}}{{efn|name=ch}}
| {{IPA link|h}}
|-
!rowspan=2|[[Approximant consonant|Approximant]]
! <small>[[Central consonant|central]]</small>
|
|
| {{IPA link|ɹ}}{{efn|name=r|Spelt {{vr|r}} and pronounced in all positions, i.e. [[Rhotic consonant|rhotically]]. The phoneme {{IPA|/r/}} is most commonly realised as an approximant {{IPA link|ɹ|[ɹ]}}, although an alveolar tap {{IPA link|ɾ|[ɾ]}} is also common, especially among older speakers in rural areas. The realisation as a trill {{IPA link|r|[r]}} is obsolete and only sporadically used for emphasis.{{r|EdinburghHistory|page=510–511}}}}
|
| {{IPA link|j}}
| {{IPA link|ʍ}}{{efn|{{vr|w}} {{IPA|/w/}} and {{vr|wh}} {{IPA|/ʍ/}}, older {{IPA|/xʍ/}}, do not merge.{{r|JohnstonEdinburghHistory|page=499}} Northern dialects also have {{IPA|/f/}} for {{IPA|/ʍ/}}.{{r|JohnstonEdinburghHistory|page=507}} The cluster {{vr|wr}} may be realised {{IPA|/wr/}}, more often {{IPA|/r/}}, but may be {{IPA|/vr/}} in Northern dialects{{r|JohnstonEdinburghHistory|page=507}} e.g. {{lang|sco|wrack}} ("wreck"), {{lang|sco|wrang}} ("wrong"), {{lang|sco|write}}, {{lang|sco|wrocht}} ("worked"), etc.}} {{IPA link|w}}
|
|-
! <small>[[Lateral consonant|lateral]]</small>
|
|
| {{IPA link|l}}
|
|
|
|
|-
! colspan=2|[[Trill consonant|Trill]]
|
|
| {{IPA link|r}}{{efn|name=r}}
|
|
|
|
|}

{{notelist}}