The Ulster-Scots Dialect Boundaries in Ulster

Robert J. Gregg

Phonemic Systems of Ulster Dialects (Vowels)

	US(1)	US(2)	US(3)	USU	UAI	Antrim Gaelic
BEET	i	i	{i	i	i	i
BOOT	ϊ	{e	{i	ü	ü	ϊ
BAIT	e	{e	e	e	e	e
BIT	æ̈	æ̈	ɛ̈	ϊ	ϊ	æ̈
BET	ɛ	ɛ	ɛ	ɛ̣	ɛ̜	ɛ
BAT	ɑ	ɑ	a	a	a	ɑ
POT	ɔ	ɔ	ɔ	ɔ	ɒ	ɔ
BOAT	o	o	o	o	o	o
BUT	ʌ	ʌ	ö	ʌ	ö	ö/ʌ?
ABOUT	ü	ü	ü	əü	əü	ü

US(1) represents the main county Antrim US dialect, as well as north Ards and part of the area west of Strangford Lough in county Down. US(2) covers the north Antrim and north-east Londonderry subdialect. US(3) includes the US Laggan dialect of Donegal, along with the Mid Ards, part of the area west of Strangford Lough and the Magilligan subdialect in north-east Deny. Antrim Gaelic is added for purposes of comparison. The inventory, based on the investigations of N. M. Holmer (see Notes 4 and 6, above), represents the Gaelic of the Glens of Antrim as well as that of Rathlin Island.

The phonemic symbols have been chosen in such a way as to give some idea of the underlying phonetic features of the vowel. Diphthongs are intentionally excluded from these basic systems, as is also all consideration of the suprasegmental feature of length.

Tabulated Summary of Phonological Rules

List	US		ME			UAI
(1)	/x/	→	/x/		←	/f/, /Ø/
(2)	/ϊ/	→	ọ̄		←	/ü/
				{k
	/jʌ/	→	ọ̄ +	{g	←	/ü/, /ö/, etc.
				{h
(3)	/æ̈(n)/	→	i(nd)		←	/əi(nd)/
	/æ̈/	→	u		←	/ü/, /ö/
	/æ̈(g)/	→	i(g)		←	/ϊ(dź)/
(4)	/ɛ/	→	ɑ		←	/a/, /e/, etc.
(5)	/ü/	→	ū		←	/əü/, /o/
(6)	/(w)ʌ/	→	(w)i		←	/(w)ϊ/
	/ʌ(n)/	→	u(nd)		←	/əü(nd)/
(7)				{p
	/ɑ/	→	o	{b	←	/ɒ/, /ɔ/
				{m
	/ɑ(ŋ)/	→	a(ng)		←	/ɒ (ŋ)/
	/(w)ɑ/	→	(w)e		←	/(w)ɛ/
(8)	/ɔ(Ø)/	→	a(l)		←	/ɒ(l)/
	/ɑ(ØC)/	→	a(lC)		←	/ɒ(lC)/, /ɔ(lC)/
	/ɔ(Ø)/	→	a(w)		←	/ɒ(Ø)/
(9)	/i /	→	ẹ̄, ē̜		←	/e/, /ɛ/, etc.
(10)	/e/	→	ɑ̄		←	/o/
(11)	/o/	→	o		←	/ɒ/
(12)	/əi/	→	e̜i, ai		←	/e/
	/əi/, /ɑe/	→	ī		←	/əi/
(13)	/əü(l)/	→	a(ld)		←	/o(ld)/, /əü(ld)/
	/əü(ØC)/	→	o(lC)		←	/o(lC)/
	/əü/	→	ōw		←	/o/, /ü/

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