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The British Government has accepted the second interpretation:
:"The UK Government announced on 4 June 1998 its decision to sign the Council of Europe Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. This came into effect as of the 1 July 2001. The Scots language will be covered by Part II of the Charter. By applying Part II of the Charter to Scots the Government will be recognising the distinctive nature and cultural value of the language." <ref>http://conventions.coe.int/treaty/en/Treaties/Html/148.htm</ref>
==Spelling and Pronuciation==
An apostrophe has been used in the past where it supposedly represented a "missing" English letter. Such letters were never actually missing in Scots. Contemporary writers now generally avoid such apostrophes.
'''Consonants'''
Most consonants are usually pronounced much as in English but:
*'''c''': /k/ or /s/, much as in English.
*'''ch''': /x/, also '''gh'''. Medial 'cht' may be /ð/ in Northern dialects. ''loch'' (fjord or lake), ''nicht'' (night), ''dochter'' (daughter), ''dreich'' (dreary), etc. Similar to the German "Na'''ch'''t".
*'''ch''': word initial or where it follows 'r' /tʃ/. ''airch'' (arch), ''mairch'' (march), etc.
*'''gn''': /n/. In Northern dialects /gn/ may occur.
*'''kn''': /n/. In Northern dialects /kn/ or /tn/ may occur. ''knap'' (talk), ''knee'', ''knowe'' (knoll), etc.
*'''ng''': is always /ŋ/.
*'''nch''': usually /nʃ/. ''brainch'' (branch), ''dunch'' (push), etc.
*'''r''': /r/ is pronounced in all positions, i.e. rhotically.
*'''s''' or '''se''': /s/ or /z/.
*'''t''': may be a glottal stop between vowels or word final. In Ulster dentalised pronunciations may also occur, also for 'd'.
*'''th''': /ð/ or /θ/ much as is English. Initial 'th' in ''thing'', ''think'' and ''thank'', etc. may be /h/.
*'''wh''': usually /ʍ/, older /xʍ/. Northern dialects also have /f/.
*'''wr''': /wr/ more often /r/ but may be /vr/ in Northern dialects. ''wrack'' (wreck), ''wrang'' (wrong), ''write'', ''wrocht'' (worked), etc.
*'''z''': /jɪ/ or /ŋ/, may occur in some words as a substitute for the older <3> (yogh). For example: ''brulzie'' (broil), ''gaberlunzie'' (a beggar) and the names ''Menzies'', ''Finzean'', ''Culzean'', ''MacKenzie'' etc.
'''Silent letters'''
*The word final 'd' in '''nd''' and '''ld''': but often pronounced in derived forms. Sometimes simply 'n' and 'l' or 'n'' and 'l''. ''auld'' (old), ''haund'' (hand), etc.
*'t' in medial '''cht''': ('ch' = /x/) and '''st''' and before final '''en'''. ''fochten'' (fought), ''thristle'' (thistle) also 't' in ''aften'' (often), etc.
*'t' in word final '''ct''' and '''pt''' but often pronounced in derived forms. ''respect'', ''accept'', etc.
'''Vowels'''
In Scots, vowel length is usually conditioned by the ''Scottish vowel length rule''. Words which differ only slightly in pronunciation from ''Scottish English'' are generally spelled as in English. Other words may be spelt the same but differ in pronunciation, for example: ''aunt'', ''swap'', ''want'' and ''wash'' with /a/, ''bull'', ''full'' v. and ''pull'' with /ʌ/, ''bind'', ''find'' and ''wind'' v., etc. with /ɪ/.
*The unstressed vowel /ə/ may be represented by any vowel letter.
*'''a''': usually /a/ but in south west and Ulster dialects often /ɑ/. Note final ''a'' in ''awa'' (away), ''twa'' (two) and ''wha'' (who) may also be /ɑ/ or /ɔ/ or /e/ depending on dialect.
*'''au''', '''aw''' and sometimes '''a''', '''a'''' or '''aa''': /ɑ:/ or /ɔ:/ in Southern, Central and Ulster dialects but /a:/ in Northern dialects. The cluster 'auld' may also be /ʌul/ in Ulster. ''aw'' (all), ''cauld'' (cold), ''braw'' (handsome), ''faw'' (fall), ''snaw'' (snow), etc.
*'''ae''', '''ai''', '''a'''(consonant)'''e''': /e/. Often /ɛ/ before /r/. In Northern dialects the vowel in the cluster -'ane' is often /i/. ''brae'' (slope), ''saip'' (soap), ''hale'' (whole), ''ane'' (one), ''ance'' (once), ''bane'' (bone), etc.
*'''ea''', '''ei''', '''ie''': /i:/ or /e:/ depending on dialect. /ɛ/ may occur before /r/. Root final this may be /əi/ in Southern dialects. In the far north /əi/ may occur. ''deid'' (dead), ''heid'' (head), ''meat'' (food), ''clear'', ''speir'' (enquire), ''sea'', etc.
*'''ee''', '''e'''(Consonant)'''e''': /i:/. Root final this may be /əi/ in Southern dialects. ''ee'' (eye), ''een'' (eyes), ''steek'' (shut), ''here'', etc.
*'''e''': /ɛ/. ''bed'', ''het'' (heated), ''yett'' (gate), etc.
*'''eu''': /(j)u/ or /(j)ʌ/ depending on dialect. Sometimes erroneously 'oo', 'u(consonant)e', 'u' or 'ui'. ''beuk'' (book), ''ceuk'' (cook), ''eneuch'' (enough), ''leuk'' (look), ''teuk'' (took), etc.
*'''ew''': /ju/. In Northern dialects a root final 'ew' may be /jʌu/. ''few'', ''new'', etc.
*'''i''': /ɪ/, but often varies between /ɪ/ and /ʌ/ especially after 'w' and 'wh'. /æ/ also occurs in Ulster before voiceless consonants. ''big'', ''fit'' (foot), ''wid'' (wood), etc.
*'''i'''(consonant)'''e''', '''y'''(consonant)'''e''', '''ey''': /əi/ or /aɪ/. 'ay' is usually /e/ but /əi/ in ''ay'' (yes) and ''aye'' (always). In Dundee it is noticeably /ɛ/.
*'''o''': /ɔ/ but often /o/.
*'''oa''': /o/.
*'''ow''', '''owe''' (root final), seldom '''ou''': /ʌu/. Before 'k' vocalisation to /o/ may occur especially in western and Ulster dialects. ''bowk'' (retch), ''bowe'' (bow), ''howe'' (hollow), ''knowe'' (knoll), ''cowp'' (overturn), ''yowe'' (ewe), etc.
*'''ou''', '''oo''', '''u'''(consonant)'''e''': /u/. Root final /ʌu/ may occur in Southern dialects. ''cou'' (cow), ''broun'' (brown), ''hoose'' (house), ''moose'' (mouse) etc.
*'''u''': /ʌ/. ''but'', ''cut'', etc.
*'''ui''', also '''u'''(consonant)'''e''', '''oo''': /ø/ in conservative dialects. In parts of Fife, Dundee and north Antrim /e/. In Northern dialects usually /i/ but /wi/ after /g/ and /k/ and also /u/ before /r/ in some areas eg. ''fuird'' (ford). Mid Down and Donegal dialects have /i/. In central and north Down dialects /ɪ/ when short and /e/ when long. ''buird'' (board), ''buit'' (boot), ''cuit'' (ankle), ''fluir'' (floor), ''guid'' (good), ''schuil'' (school), etc. In central dialects ''uise'' v. and ''uiss'' n. (use) are [je:z] and [jɪs].
'''Suffixes'''
*Negative '''na''': /na/, /nɪ/ or /ne/ depending on dialect. Also 'nae' or 'y' eg. ''canna'' (can't), ''dinna'' (don't) and ''maunna'' (mustn't).
*'''fu''' (ful): /fu/, /fɪ/, /fɑ/ or /fe/ depending on dialect. Also 'fu'', 'fie', 'fy', 'fae' and 'fa'.
*The word ending '''ae''': /ɑ/, /ɪ/ or /e/ depending on dialect. Also 'a', 'ow' or 'y', for example: ''arrae'' (arrow), ''barrae'' (barrow) and ''windae'' (window), etc.
==Web Links==
==References==
<references/>
[[Category:Scotland]]
