How to Talk With a Scottish Accent
Understand the differences in Scottish dialects., Set your oral posture., Pronounce like words the same, join syllables in words, and drop "g" endings., Replace "o’s" with "ae" sounds.
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Understand the differences in Scottish dialects.
Just like American, Canadian, and English accents, Scottish accents vary widely based on region.
If you are wanting to speak with a Scottish accent, chances are you are thinking of the kind of Scottish accent you hear in movies and on television.
These accents are typically from the Lowlands and Midlands.
A "generic" Scottish accent is hard to define because there are so many types.
But, you can learn to speak with a general accent that non-Scottish people would be able to identify as Scottish.
Most of the Scottish accents that you may hear come from the Lowland and Midland areas.
These are the regions where the more populated cities such as Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Galloway reside.
However, even the accents of these more populous regions will differ.
Galloway, which is south-west, sounds slightly closer to Irish as it’s close to Northern Ireland.
Additionally, there is a difference in the accents from Glasgow and Edinburgh, not unlike how a New York and Boston accent differ from one another. -
Step 2: Set your oral posture.
Oral posture, or vocal tract posture, is the way you position your jaw, lips, tongue, teeth, and even vocal chords to speak a certain way.
There are some basic techniques you can employ with the positioning of your articulators (lips, teeth, tongue, hard and soft palate, etc.) to speak with a Scottish Accent.
Set the tip of your tongue far back in your mouth.
When you speak, pull your tongue back toward your throat.
Doing this will help you get the harsher, guttural sounds associated with Scottish accents.
When speaking, you still want to keep a lot of movement or action in your lips and jaw.
Keep your lips out and open your mouth as if to get your lips around each sound and word.
Because you are pulling your tongue back, you may be tempted to close or tighten your lips.
To counteract this, focus on keeping your jaw loose and unclenched. , Unlike in American English where "pull" has a slightly different pronunciation than "pool"
in a Scottish accent, both words sound like "pool".
When trying a Scottish accent, think of "u" sounds as "oo" sounds.
If there are two short words together, pronounce the two as one. "Did not" often becomes "didnae" or "dinnae." However, avoid speaking too fast.
Drop the 'g' sound from words ending in a 'g.' For example, say "evenin’" instead of "evening." "Sewing" becomes "sewin’". , The "ae" sound, officially known as the Near-Open Front Unrounded Vowel, is an "ah" sound with more emphasis on the "a" and less on the "h".
You hear this sound when you pronounce words like "have" and "that" in American Standard English.
Try making the "ah" sound in words like "Not" to become "nae." Words that end in "oo" sounds get more of the "ae" pronunciation as well. "To" is pronounced as "tae". "Do" becomes "dae".
Additionally, "no" gets a bit of an "aw" sound at the end making it sound like "naw" or "nae".
Another example of changing how you pronounce words is in the sentence "I am going to the shops over there." In a Scottish accent, it would be pronounced as "Am gan tae the shoaps oor air." -
Step 3: Pronounce like words the same
-
Step 4: join syllables in words
-
Step 5: and drop "g" endings.
-
Step 6: Replace "o’s" with "ae" sounds.
Detailed Guide
Just like American, Canadian, and English accents, Scottish accents vary widely based on region.
If you are wanting to speak with a Scottish accent, chances are you are thinking of the kind of Scottish accent you hear in movies and on television.
These accents are typically from the Lowlands and Midlands.
A "generic" Scottish accent is hard to define because there are so many types.
But, you can learn to speak with a general accent that non-Scottish people would be able to identify as Scottish.
Most of the Scottish accents that you may hear come from the Lowland and Midland areas.
These are the regions where the more populated cities such as Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Galloway reside.
However, even the accents of these more populous regions will differ.
Galloway, which is south-west, sounds slightly closer to Irish as it’s close to Northern Ireland.
Additionally, there is a difference in the accents from Glasgow and Edinburgh, not unlike how a New York and Boston accent differ from one another.
Oral posture, or vocal tract posture, is the way you position your jaw, lips, tongue, teeth, and even vocal chords to speak a certain way.
There are some basic techniques you can employ with the positioning of your articulators (lips, teeth, tongue, hard and soft palate, etc.) to speak with a Scottish Accent.
Set the tip of your tongue far back in your mouth.
When you speak, pull your tongue back toward your throat.
Doing this will help you get the harsher, guttural sounds associated with Scottish accents.
When speaking, you still want to keep a lot of movement or action in your lips and jaw.
Keep your lips out and open your mouth as if to get your lips around each sound and word.
Because you are pulling your tongue back, you may be tempted to close or tighten your lips.
To counteract this, focus on keeping your jaw loose and unclenched. , Unlike in American English where "pull" has a slightly different pronunciation than "pool"
in a Scottish accent, both words sound like "pool".
When trying a Scottish accent, think of "u" sounds as "oo" sounds.
If there are two short words together, pronounce the two as one. "Did not" often becomes "didnae" or "dinnae." However, avoid speaking too fast.
Drop the 'g' sound from words ending in a 'g.' For example, say "evenin’" instead of "evening." "Sewing" becomes "sewin’". , The "ae" sound, officially known as the Near-Open Front Unrounded Vowel, is an "ah" sound with more emphasis on the "a" and less on the "h".
You hear this sound when you pronounce words like "have" and "that" in American Standard English.
Try making the "ah" sound in words like "Not" to become "nae." Words that end in "oo" sounds get more of the "ae" pronunciation as well. "To" is pronounced as "tae". "Do" becomes "dae".
Additionally, "no" gets a bit of an "aw" sound at the end making it sound like "naw" or "nae".
Another example of changing how you pronounce words is in the sentence "I am going to the shops over there." In a Scottish accent, it would be pronounced as "Am gan tae the shoaps oor air."
About the Author
Dorothy Gonzales
Enthusiastic about teaching home improvement techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: