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Lowland Scots/Common phrases

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Scots (Germanic)

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Scots survives in a number of dialects. The North east Central (Fife) pronunciation is marked NeC, North East Scots (Doric) is marked as NE. C ans S for central and southern pronunciations. The unmarked pronunciations are generally used in most areas. A /t/ between vowels and final is glottalised. This may also occur with a final /d/.

  • Scots: Scots [skots, skOts]
  • hello: awricht [A'rIxt, a'rIxt], NE: whit like [fIt l@ik]
  • good-bye: see ye [si: ji:]
  • thank you: ta [ta:]
  • that one: that ane [C and S Dat jIn, NeC Dat en, at en, NE at in]
  • no: nae [ne:, nQ NE na]
  • yes: ay [AI]
  • sorry: sairy [se:rI]
  • I don’t understand: A dinna unnerstaund [a dIn@ Vn@rstA:n(d), a dIne Vn@rstA:n(d), a dIna Vn@rstA:n(d)]
  • I don't know: A dinna ken [a dIn@ kɛn]
  • where’s the bathroom?: whaur’s the cludgie? [WA:rz D@ klVdZI,]. NE: whaur’s the chantie [fArz i 'tSVntI]
  • generic toast: cheers! [tSi:rz]
  • Do you speak English?: Dae ye speak English? [de: ji spIk INlIS, NE di: ji spIk INlIS]