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ArchivesRe: Celtic, Gaelic and Welsh names; a general question
in reply to a message by Grainne and Ioan
I'm not sure what you're asking. Of course you can spell these names phonetically if you want to.
If they are going to have an awkward pronunciation, why not a separate alphabet (is there one).
Umm ... The Roman alphabet is not exclusive to English. And it's not as if English spelling makes absolute sense. In the Gaelic languages, consonants are used to indicate the pronunciations of the letters around them, but not pronounced themselves. It's just the way it is. In many languages large numbers of letters go unpronounced - French is the obvious example.
I nearly avoided embarassing my employer, by asking for the spelling of the listed names, when I noticed the customer calling had a Scottish accent.
I'm not sure what you mean, but the vast majority of Scots (a) cannot speak Gaelic (b) do not understand Gaelic spelling either and (c) do not have names with Gaelic spellings. Just over 1% of Scots - those who live out in the Highlands and Islands - know the language. The person you were talking to probably didn't :-)
♥Elinor♥
If they are going to have an awkward pronunciation, why not a separate alphabet (is there one).
Umm ... The Roman alphabet is not exclusive to English. And it's not as if English spelling makes absolute sense. In the Gaelic languages, consonants are used to indicate the pronunciations of the letters around them, but not pronounced themselves. It's just the way it is. In many languages large numbers of letters go unpronounced - French is the obvious example.
I nearly avoided embarassing my employer, by asking for the spelling of the listed names, when I noticed the customer calling had a Scottish accent.
I'm not sure what you mean, but the vast majority of Scots (a) cannot speak Gaelic (b) do not understand Gaelic spelling either and (c) do not have names with Gaelic spellings. Just over 1% of Scots - those who live out in the Highlands and Islands - know the language. The person you were talking to probably didn't :-)
♥Elinor♥
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