Editing Scottish Gaelic (section)

== Orthography ==
{{Main|Scottish Gaelic orthography}}

Scottish Gaelic [[orthography]] is fairly regular; its standard was set by the 1767 [[New Testament]]. The 1981 [[Scottish Examination Board]] recommendations for Scottish Gaelic, the Gaelic Orthographic Conventions, were adopted by most publishers and agencies, although they remain controversial among some academics, most notably Ronald Black.<ref>The Board of Celtic Studies Scotland (1998) ''Computer-Assisted Learning for Gaelic: Towards a Common Teaching Core''. The orthographic conventions were revised by the [[Scottish Qualifications Authority]] (SQA) in 2005: {{cite web |date=August 2005 |title=Gaelic Orthographic Conventions 2005 |url=http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/controller?p_service=Content.show&p_applic=CCC&pContentID=7339 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070507071828/http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/controller?p_service=Content.show&p_applic=CCC&pContentID=7339 |archive-date=7 May 2007 |access-date=24 March 2007 |publisher=SQA publication BB1532}}</ref>

The quality of consonants (broad or slender) is indicated by the [[vowel]]s surrounding them. Slender ([[palatalization (phonetics)|palatalised]]) consonants are surrounded by slender vowels ({{vr|e, i}}), while broad (neutral or [[velarization|velarised]]) consonants are surrounded by broad vowels ({{vr|a, o, u}}). The spelling rule known as {{lang|gd|caol ri caol agus leathann ri leathann}} ("slender to slender and broad to broad") requires that a word-medial consonant or consonant group followed by {{vr|i, e}} is preceded by {{vr|i, e}} and similarly, if followed by {{vr|a, o, u}} is preceded by {{vr|a, o, u}}.

This rule sometimes leads to the insertion of a [[Silent letter|silent]] written vowel. For example, plurals in Gaelic are often formed with the suffix {{lang|gd|-an}} {{IPA|gd|ən|}}, for example, {{lang|gd|bròg}} {{IPA|[prɔːk]}} ("shoe") / {{lang|gd|brògan}} {{IPA|[prɔːkən]}} ("shoes"). But because of the spelling rule, the suffix is spelled -{{vr|ean}} (but pronounced the same, {{IPA|gd|ən|}}) after a slender consonant, as in {{lang|gd|muinntir}} {{IPA|[mɯi̯ɲtʲɪrʲ]}} ("[a] people") / {{lang|gd|muinntirean}} {{IPA|[mɯi̯ɲtʲɪrʲən]}} ("peoples") where {{vr|e}} is purely a graphic vowel inserted to conform with the spelling rule because {{vr|i}} precedes the {{vr|r}}.

[[Lexical stress|Unstressed]] vowels omitted in speech can be omitted in informal writing, e.g. {{lang|gd|Tha mi an dòchas.}} ("I hope.") > {{lang|gd|Tha mi 'n dòchas.}}

Scots English orthographic rules have also been used at various times in Gaelic writing. Notable examples of Gaelic verse composed in this manner are the [[Book of the Dean of Lismore]] and the [[Fernaig manuscript|{{lang|gd|Fernaig|nocat=y}} manuscript]].

===Alphabet===
[[File:Oghamgigha.jpg|thumb|right|The Giogha Stone bearing a Goidelic Ogham inscription]]
====Ogham====
The [[Ogham]] [[writing system]] was used in Ireland to write [[Primitive Irish]] and [[Old Irish]] until it was supplanted by the [[Latin script]] in the 5th century [[Common Era|CE]] in Ireland.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Celtic languages – Irish &#124; Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Celtic-languages/Irish |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326031851/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Celtic-languages/Irish |archive-date=26 March 2023 |access-date=25 April 2023 |website=www.britannica.com}}</ref> In Scotland, the majority of Ogham inscriptions are in [[Pictish language|Pictish]] but a number of Goidelic Ogham inscriptions also exist, such as the [[Giogha|Giogha Stone]] which bears the inscription VICULA MAQ CUGINI 'Viqula, son of Comginus',<ref>{{cite web |author=<!--Not stated--> |date= |title=GIGHA/1 |url=https://www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology/cisp/database/stone/gigha_1.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230527222134/https://www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology/cisp/database/stone/gigha_1.html |archive-date=27 May 2023 |access-date=25 April 2023 |website=Celtic Inscribed Stones Project |publisher= |quote=}}</ref> with Goidelic MAQ (modern ''mac'' 'son') rather than Brythonic MAB (cf. modern Welsh ''mab'' 'son').

====Insular script====
[[File:Uilleam-MacDhunShleibhe-Eirinn_a_Gul.jpg|thumb|{{lang|gd|A' maidin neochiontas na h-óige}} ([[William Livingston (poet)|Uilleam MacDhunléibhe]], 19th century)]]
The [[Insular script]] was used both in Ireland and Scotland but had largely disappeared in Scotland by the 16th century. It consisted of the same 18 letters still in modern use {{vr|a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, l, m, n, o, p, r, s, t, u}}.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/46449130 |title=Graiméar Gaeilge na mBráithre Críostai. |date=1999 |publisher=An Gúm |others=L. A. Ó hAnluain, Christian Brothers |isbn=1-85791-327-2 |edition=Eagrán nua |location=Baile Átha Cliath |oclc=46449130 |access-date=25 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231117111705/https://search.worldcat.org/title/46449130 |archive-date=17 November 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Irish Orthography |url=http://www.nualeargais.ie/gnag/ortho.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326031917/http://www.nualeargais.ie/gnag/ortho.htm |archive-date=26 March 2023 |access-date=2022-10-23 |website=www.nualeargais.ie}}</ref> and generally did not contain {{vr|j, k, q, v, w, x, y, z}}.

In addition to the base letters, vowels in the Insular script could be [[Diacritic|accented]] with an [[acute accent]] ({{vr|á, é, í, ó, ú}} to indicate length. The [[Dot (diacritic)#Overdot|overdot]] was used to indicate [[lenition]] of {{vr|ḟ, ṡ}}, while the following {{vr|h}} was used for {{vr|ch, ph, th}}. The lenition of other letters was not generally indicated initially but eventually the two methods were used in parallel to represent the lenition of any consonant and competed with each other until the standard practice became to use the overdot in the Insular Script and the following {{vr|h}} in Roman type, i.e. {{vr|ḃ, ċ, ḋ, ḟ, ġ, ṁ, ṗ, ṡ, ṫ}} are equivalent to {{vr|bh, ch, dh, fh, gh, mh, ph, sh, th}}. The use of Gaelic type and the overdot today is restricted to decorative usages.
[[File:An Comunn Gaidhealach Memorial Plaque.jpg|thumb|Plaque commemorating the founders of the Comunn Gaidhealach in Oban in 1891 using the Insular Script for decorative purposes]]
Letters with an overdot have been available since [[Unicode|Unicode 5.0]] .<ref>Unicode 5.0, {{cite web |title=Latin Extended Additional |url=https://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U1E00.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180410091257/http://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U1E00.pdf |archive-date=10 April 2018 |access-date=24 March 2018 |df=dmy-all}}&nbsp;{{small|(163&nbsp;KB)}}. Retrieved 13 October 2007.</ref>

====Latin script====
{{further|Scottish Gaelic orthography#Alphabet|}}

The modern Scottish Gaelic [[alphabet]] has 18 [[letter (alphabet)|letter]]s: {{vr|a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, l, m, n, o, p, r, s, t, u}}. {{vr|h}} is mostly used to indicate [[lenition]] of a [[consonant]]. The letters of the alphabet were traditionally [[Bríatharogam|named after trees]], but this custom has fallen out of use.

[[Long vowels]] are marked with a [[grave accent]] ({{vr|à, è, ì, ò, ù}}), indicated through [[digraph (orthography)|digraphs]] (e.g. {{vr|ao}} for {{IPA|[ɯː]}}) or conditioned by certain consonant environments (e.g. {{vr|u}} preceding a non-intervocalic {{vr|nn}} is {{IPA|[uː]}}). Traditionally the [[acute accent]] was used on {{vr|á, é, ó}} to represent long [[close-mid vowels]], but the [[spelling reform]]s replaced it with the grave accent.<ref name="SQA" />

Certain 18th century sources used only an acute accent along the [[Irish orthography|lines of Irish]], such as in the writings of [[Alasdair mac Mhaighstir Alasdair]] (1741–51) and the earliest editions (1768–90) of [[Duncan Ban MacIntyre]].<ref>O'Rahilly, T F, ''Irish Dialects Past and Present''. Brown and Nolan 1932, {{ISBN|0-901282-55-3}}, p. 19</ref>