(a) General Note
(b) Single stressed vowels
(c) Single unstressed vowels
(d) Dipthongs
(e) Consonants
At the moment Scots lacks either a standard pronunction (there is no Scots equivalent of English RP or a standard orthography (spelling system). However there is a growing consensus on how Standard Scots should be written and pronounced, and this guide attempts to bring the common elements of modern systems together, but is a work in progress and by no means comprehensive.(b) Single stressed vowels
In Scots, words tend to be formed further back in the mouth than in English. There is thus often less vocal distinction than in English, and much variation between dialects, so this guide is approximate.(c) Single unstressed vowelsa - sounds like a in English cat
e - sounds like e in English let
i - sounds like i in English hit or u in English hut
o - sounds like o in English cot or oa in English coat
u - sounds like u in English but
A neutral sound as represented by the endings of English sugar or butter.(d) Dipthongs (o/e here means o-constant-e)
Dipthongs vary from dialect to dialect but are always given their full value and never flattened.(e) Consonants
au, aw - Longer version of a vowel or aw sound in English awful depending on the dialect eg baw, cauld.
ae, ai, a/e - Approximately like ay in English play, but with more of an e sound eg dae, faither. In some areas also like ee in English feel.
ei, ee, ea - Like ee in feel eg freen.
oa, o/e - Like oa in English coat. o at the end of words has the same sound eg joco.
oo, ou, u/e - Like oo in English foot eg foo, stoor, oot.
ey, y/e - No real equivalent in English, sort of e as in get and i as in English fine fused into a dipthong eg gyte, pey, aye, gey.
ay, i/e - Like the vowel in English day eg five, ay.
ow, owe - Like the vowel in English out eg ower, lowp.
ui - Varies with dialect. 'Standard' is like French peu or German schoen. But often like ay sound in English play or ee as in English feel eg puir.
eu - Varies with dialect. 'Standard' is as vowel as in English you eg neuk, teuchter (derogatory term for a country person).
Mostly like English, but note the following important differences:
ch - Soft as in English cheese at the beginning of words, otherwise hard sound as in loch.
h - Usually full value, rarely dropped eg hert, haver.
ng - As English sing not English single ie there is no intrusive g sound eg finger, ingin (English: onion)
r - Stronger than English, always full value after vowels, (unlike RP English where it is common to 'throw the r away') eg caur, fower. Often 'rolled' at the beginning of words.
t - Replacement by a glottal stop in middle and end of words is a common and distinctive feature of Scots. Resisted by some due to its association with 'bad English'.
wh - Pronounced hw never w as in English water eg whit. Pronounced as f in North East dialects.