Notes on the Phonology of a County Antrim Ulster-Scots Dialect
Part II: Diachronic Study i.e. the Historical Origins of the Dialect*

(i) b

[ke:m] 'comb', [klæ̈m] 'climb', [ˈrʌml̹] 'rumble',

[ˈtæ̈mər] 'timber', [ˈtʌml̹] 'tumble', [ˈtræ̈ml̹] 'tremble',

Note in this connexion that the intrusive [b] of the standard language does not appear in the Glenoe words:

[ˈfʌml̹] 'fumble', [ˈgrʌml̹] 'crumble'; 'fine crumbs',

[ˈθæ̈ml̹] 'thimble'.

(ii) d

Finally: [bɑ:n] 'band', [blæ̈n] 'blind', [ɛ:n] 'end',

[ɛ:rn] 'errand', [fil] 'field', [grʌn] 'ground',

[kəin] 'kind', [kəül] 'cold', [rÜn] 'round', [ˈθü:zn̗] 'thousand'.

Medially: [ˈhæ̈nər] 'to hinder', [ˈhɑ:rle] 'hardly',

[hɑ:rn] 'harden', [ˈkɑ:nl̹] 'candle', [ˈθʌnər] 'thunder',

[ˌwɑ:nər] 'wander'.

(iii) f

[ˈhɑ:ŋkərtse] 'handkerchief', [məˈsɛ:l] 'myself',

[o:], [ə] 'of', [wərˈsɛ:lz] 'ourselves'.

(iv) g

[ˈɑ:ŋre] 'angry', [ˈfɑ:rdn̩] 'farthing', [ˈfæŋər] 'finger', [ˈlɑ:ŋər] 'longer', [ˈsæŋl̹] 'single', [strɛ:nθ] 'strength',

[ˈsʌmθən] 'something'.

(v) l

[bjü:] 'blue', [bɔ:] 'ball', [fü:] 'full', [hɑ:d] 'hold', [ˈkÜtər] 'coulter', [nɛü] 'knoll', [pjü:] 'plough',

[skɑ:d] 'scald'; 'tea', [ˈso:dźər] 'soldier', [ˈsʌðər] 'solder',

[śÜðər] 'shoulder'.

(vi) n

[kæ̈l] 'kiln', and surnames such as [ˈro:besən] 'Robinson'

(vii) r

[ˈkɑ:trιdź] 'cartridge', and frequently in words like [ˈjæ̈stəde] 'yesterday', [ˈgʌldəd] (for [ˈgʌldərd]) 'shouted incoherently', i.e. in the sequence interdental, schwa, r, alveolar, the r may drop out.

(viii) t

[biss] 'cattle (i.e. beasts)', [dźɔes] 'joist', [ɛ:mpe] 'empty',

[kʌrn] 'currant', [slɛ:p] 'slept', [wɑ:rn] 'to warrant'.

(ix) v

[dil] 'devil', [ˈəüər] 'over', [gi:] 'give', [gin] 'given',

[he:] 'have', [le:] 'leave', [swil] 'swivel'.

(x) w

[kə] 'quoth' (only the phrases [kəˈhi:] and [kəˈśi:] — 'quoth he, quoth she' — used in oral narration),

[kəˈte:śən] 'quotation', [ˈko:śənt] 'quotient', [ko:t] 'quote',

[kɔet] 'quoit'.

(i) [r]

[ˈkɑ:rke] 'khaki', [ˈlɑ:śərz] 'eye-lashes', [ˈlɔ:zənźərz] 'lozenges', [ˈpro:kər] 'poker', [ˈθræ̈sl̹] 'thistle'.

(ii) [t]

[jæ̈nst] 'once', [ˈsɛ:rtəntle] 'certainly', [ˈsθdəntle] 'suddenly'.

(i) [g] for [k]

[ˈgrʌml̹] 'crumbs'.

(ii) [d], or [d] (dental) for [t]

[ˈkɛ:rpəndər] 'carpenter', [kəmˈpɛ:dətər] 'competitor'

[prɔ:desən] 'protestant'.

(iii) [v] for [f]

[kɑ:v] 'calf'.

(i) [k] for [g]

[kriś] 'grease', [ˈtɑ:ŋkl] 'tangle (a species of sea-weed)'

[ˈtræ̈kər] 'trigger'.

(ii) [t] for [d]

[ˈde:vət] 'David', [əˈhæ̈nt] 'behind', [ˈfɔ:rət] 'forward',

[ˈhʌzbənt] 'husband', [ˈkʌbərt] 'cupboard'.

(iii) [tś] for [dz]

[ˈkɑ:bιtś] 'cabbage', [ˈlʌgιtś] 'luggage', [ˈpɑ:rιtś] 'porridge'.

(i) [d], [d] for [ð]

[ˈfɑ:rdər] 'farther', [ˈfɑ:rdn̗] 'farthing'.

(ii) [dź] for [dj]

[dźü:] 'dew'; 'due', [dźʌk] 'a duck', [reˈdźÜs] 'reduce'.

(iii) [ð] for [d]

[ˈblɛ:ðər] 'bladder', [ˈfɛ:ðər] 'father', [ˈfɔ:ðər] 'fodder', [ˈlɛ:ðər] 'ladder', [ˈpÜðər] 'powder'.

(iv) [h] for [f]

[hɛ:θ] 'faith!' (as an interjection).

(v) [l] for [n]

[ˈtśæ̈mle] 'chimney'.

(vi) [n] for [l]

[kəˈno:g] 'collogue, confabulate'.

(vii) [n] for [m]

[ˌgrəindˈæ̈n] 'grimed in', [ˈpɑ:ntəˌməim] 'pantomime'.

(viii) [n] for [ŋ]

[ˈdźÜrən] 'during', [ˈgo:ən] 'going', [ˈɔ:neθən] 'anything'.

(ix) [r] for [l]

[ˈdźəˈrü:z] 'jalouse, surmise'.

(x) [r] for [t]

[ər] 'out of (in phrases such as [ˌgɔ:nərˈðɑ:t] 'go on out of that').

(xi) [ś] for [s]

[kriś] 'grease', [ˈpæ̈śˌməül] 'pismire, ant', [rɛ:nś] 'rinse', [slÜś] 'sluice', [ˈśʌnərz] 'cinders'.

(xii) [t] for [l]

[ˈstɛ:rekət] 'hysterical' (with aphaeresis).

(xiii) [tś] for [tj]

[ˈfɔ:rtśən] 'fortune', [tśÜb] 'tube', [tśʌg] 'tug', [tśʌx] 'tough'.

(xiv) [v] for [b]

[ˈge:vl̹] 'gable', [ˈmɛ:rvl̹] 'marble (plaything)'.

(xv) [v] for [w]

[ˈɛ:rvn̗] 'Irwin', [ˈkɑ:rve] 'caraway'.

(i) [ś] for [sj]

[śü:] 'sew', [śÜt] 'suit', [ˈtæ̈śe] 'tissue'.

(ii) [ź] for [zj]

[mæ̈źər] 'measure', [ˈfʌźənləs] 'tasteless', [ˈpʌźən] 'poison'.

(i) [r] + vowel for vowel + [r]

[brʌst] 'burst', [krʌdz] 'curds (and whey)'.

(ii) vowel + [r] for [r] + vowel

[ˈbæ̈rse] 'bristly', [gæ̈rn] 'complain' (ultimately < OE grennian, cp. grin),

[ˈhʌnər] 'hundred', [skɑ:rt] 'scratch', [ˈwɑ:lˌkɑ:rsəz] 'water-' (lit. well-) 'cress'.

(iii) [ml] for [lm]

[ˈʍɑ:ml̹] 'overturn (a bowl, a box, etc.)' cp. (over)whelm.

(i)

In Glenoe /h/ is generally heard for orthographic h except in weakly stressed pronominal forms:

[ˈgi:ət ˌte: əm] 'give it to him'

[e həzˈ lo:st ιzˈ e:n] 'he has lost his own'

On the other hand, where RP has restored /h/ in certain spelling pronunciations, Glenoe has no /h/:

[ɛ:rb] 'herb', [ˈɔ:spæ̈tl̹] 'hospital'

(ii)

In Glenoe /r/ has not been lost in final or preconsonantal positions, except in the few cases mentioned above under (I) (vii). Parasitic /r/ is unknown.

(iii)

Unvoiced /w/ (i.e., /ʍ/) corresponds to orthographic wh, except where the spelling is not etymologically justified, as in whelk, whole, whore, whooping-cough, which in Glenoe are pronounced [wʌlk], [he:l], [ˈhü:ər], [ˈhÜpən-ˌkɔ:x]

(iv)

Glenoe has preserved /w/ in [twɔ:] 'two'

(v)

The unvoiced velar fricative /x/ is preserved in many Glenoe words including:

[bɔ:xt] 'bought', [drɑ:xt] 'draught', [ɛ:xt] 'eight', [hix] 'high', [lɑ:x] 'laugh', [sæ̈x] 'sigh', [sʌx] 'sough', [strɛ:xt] 'straight', [trɔ:x] 'trough' but not in delight (Glenoe [dəˈləit]), where the gh is unetymological

(i) /g/ represents RP /dź/

[bræ̈g] 'bridge', [ræ̈g] 'ridge'

(ii) /k/ represents RP /tś/

[kɑ:f] 'chaff, [kæ̈st] 'chest, box'