A. An introduction to place-names and their study

A recurrent problem for the majority of people who regularly use maps in their activities is that the bulk of the place-names in the Highlands of Scotland is in Gaelic. While various guides are available to assist with the meanings of these (though often these are simply copied from inaccurate sources) and some give help in the pronunciation, there is no source combining these in a readily accessible form. The maps included with this booklet have been produced to meet such a need. It is hoped that they will lead to greater accuracy of pronunciation than is commonly heard, promote the use of the Gaelic language and help to preserve the cultural heritage of the Highlands.

It should be noted that the pronunciations given on the maps are, where possible, those used in speech by local native speakers of Gaelic within the limitation of the system used. This means that the pronunciation is often at variance with the name given on the map. A common reason for this is the addition of the definite article which the O.S. usually omits at the start of the name. A further reason is that the locally used name does not coincide with that given on the map (see below for a discussion on this). Local pronunciation may also cause a variation from that expected, e.g. because ‘n’ in the article ‘an’ is omitted before l, n, r, s and some words beginning with f. Another reason is that the undefined final vowel sound is often dropped at the end of words, as in ‘muice’, for example.

The accuracy of place-names on O.S. maps

(^*before place-names in this section is used to show incorrect forms)

It is probable that few users of maps consider that their content is anything but true and accurate. The reality, though, is quite the opposite. In the 1870s, what is now the Ordnance Survey (O.S.) carried out its first detailed mapping of the Highlands. At this time (and until quite recently), the O.S. was a part of the military establishment and it employed sappers to gather place-names as well as to carry out the surveying . These sappers were not, or not necessarily, Gaelic speakers and depended on local ‘experts’ to give them the written forms and meanings of the names. These ‘experts’ were possibly school teachers or others able to write Gaelic who may or may not have had close ties with the area in question.

Sometimes these people who gave the names were the estate owners or people whose residence was distant from the area in question; their knowledge of the land and its names was not always as reliable as those of the crofter or farmer who worked the land. In some cases, names were possibly made up to keep the men from the O.S. happy. A modern example of this is Lochan Uaine, Beinn Eighe (1:25 000, Outdoor Leisure Map 8, NG9660). It is not named on maps before the 1960s and was invented by a manager of the nature reserve.

Sometimes the information gathered was wrongly recorded. ‘^*Port an Amaill’ (Landranger, sheet 19, NG7492) is shown to the north of the lighthouse at Rubha Rèidh. Older, long-standing residents of the area know this name to indicate a landing place immediately to the south of the lighthouse. This error possibly arose as a result of misplacing another feature to the south of here (^*Sròn na h-Airde Fholaich, Explorer 434, NG7391) some 400 metres too far to the north; Port nan Amall (as it should be) was in consequence shifted in its relative location.

On other occasions, errors arose because those making the enquiries did not understand what was being said or, perhaps, heard what they wished to hear. On the O.S. map (Landranger, sheet 19, NG8073) the name, ‘^*Ard Ialltaig’ is shown. This name would suggest the meaning ‘Bat Promontory’ yet this headland is adjacent to Shieldaig, Loch Gairloch, which, when combined with ‘Àird’ would give ‘Àird Shìldeag’ which is very close in pronunciation to the name on the map. Whether this is coincidence cannot be proven since the name is not known today. The name ‘A’ Chreag Mhòr’(the big rock) is used to refer to it by the few Gaelic speakers remaining in the area. The word ‘Bidein’ is not used in Wester Ross but the name given for a summit of An Teallach contains it. This is an example of the O.S. standardising its usage. It may be confusing but the locally used ‘Spidean’ has been given since this is what is known to be the correct name of the top.

A further source of error came about when names were ‘corrected’ or copied incorrectly for later editions of the maps. It was very common for the O.S. map-makers to change names to fit what they believed must be correct in terms of any of spelling, meaning or position. An example of the incorrect copying is found near Inverasdale at the place shown as ‘^*Creag Choic’ (Landranger, sheet 19, NG8085). This is shown on the original map as ‘^*Creag Choie’ but the last letter was copied wrongly on to later maps probably because of the confusion caused by rock outcrop symbols. It is still known today as ‘A’ Chreag Chaoidh’ which is just a better spelling of the original collected.

When the O.S. started representing place-names on its maps it was decided to omit the definite article at the start of most names which should have one. So, ‘^*Beinn Bheag’, translating as ‘little mountain’ or ‘a little mountain’, is shown when it would be named ‘A’ Bheinn Bheag’, ‘the little mountain’, in Gaelic. In the following work, definite articles have been indicated on names that require them. This, however, has introduced added difficulties. Firstly, in some cases, it is difficult to tell if a place-name should have the definite article. This occurs where there is uncertainty over the meaning and it is not known whether the place-name includes a proper name. In this case the definite article would not be required. There is inconsistency with the definite article though. For example, ‘Beinn Eighe’, ‘file mountain’ is the correct name for that hill; one would expect the definite article before the name but it seems not to be used in this case. Secondly, the addition of the article often changes the sound of the first letter of the name. In the example above, using ‘^*Beinn Bheag, the ‘b’ sound changes to ‘v’. A table has been supplied as an aid if users wish to give names as they would be used in Gaelic. It is hoped that the O.S. will rectify the omission of articles as it reviews place-names in line with a newly adopted policy on Gaelic place-names.

There is no doubt that, for place-names, the first edition of the O.S. map, available for study from libraries and on the internet (at www.old-maps.co.uk), is the best source of information. It is to the great credit of the researchers of the 19th century that so much of what was recorded is accurate. Anyone who has tried to pinpoint the location of a name for a moorland area given by an informant will appreciate the achievement.

Accuracy of information

Reference has been made to reliable sources both published and personal contact. Of the latter, Roy Wentworth spent many years studying place-names in Wester Ross and provided much advice on the representation of the names given here. Where possible, local usage has been included even where this is markedly different from that given on other published maps. Reference is made to these variations above. Despite this, for many names, doubt will exist as to the correct form and pronunciation of place-names used by those who lived on the land for centuries. This is compounded by the difficulties caused by Gaelic dialect. An attempt has been made to adopt that used in the area concerned but, for the reason given above, uncertainty must exist.

The author accepts responsibility for errors in this work and would gratefully receive comments from users (e-mail: nevis@macmail.com)

A note on using Gaelic place-names

The grammar of Gaelic is markedly different from that of English and causes many difficulties for the unwary. In English, descriptive words can be joined by using the phrase ‘of the’ as in ‘the loch of the hollow of the lochan.’ Any of the parts of this name could be used independently with no change in spelling. In Gaelic, however, the spelling of the word depends on how the word is used. For example, ‘hollow’ is ‘toll’ but, if used in the form ‘of the hollow’, becomes ‘a’ thuill’ unless it is followed by another word in the form ‘of the’ in which case it remains unchanged. So, ‘the loch of the hollow’ would be ‘Loch an Tuill’ but ‘the loch of the hollow of the lochan’ is ‘Loch Toll an Lochain’ where ‘lochan’ has changed to the form for ‘of the lochan.’ Clearly, this is not simple, nor is the explanation complete, but it does indicate the danger of taking a word from a place-name and using it in a different way.

For example, near Lochan na Bearta (Landranger, sheet 19, NG9980) climbers have named a crag ‘^*Na Bearta Buttress’ after the nearby loch. ‘Na Bearta’ means ‘of the deed’ so the name translates as ‘Of the deed buttress’. This climbing area would have been better named ‘A’ Bheart Buttress’, meaning ‘The Deed Buttress’. Reference was often made to ‘^*A’Ghlas Thuill’ for a corrie (Landranger, sheet 19, NH0784) on An Teallach. This has been taken from the name shown for the adjacent summit, ‘^*Bidein a’ Ghlas Thuill.’ This means ‘the peak of the grey hollow’ and so to use ‘^*A’Ghlas Thuill’ alone means ‘Of the grey hollow.’ The correct Gaelic for the corrie is ‘An Glas Tholl’ as, more or less, appears on Landranger maps since 1997.

Apamapa: an introduction to place-names Nevis Hulme, 2007

B. Pronunciation

This has been a major problem for those with a casual interest in Gaelic place-names as, at best, there was need to refer to a book to find a guide to pronunciation. The only entirely accurate method of representing this is using the International Phonetic Alphabet. This is, unfortunately, somewhat complicated and it is realised that most with an interest in being able to say place-names with a degree of accuracy are not prepared to go to the trouble of learning this system. For this reason, and to overcome inadequacies in other methods of pronunciation, a system of imitated pronunciation has been devised specifically for the purpose.

Careful reference to this imitated pronunciation is essential for reasonably accurate pronunciation. This system has been tested with a variety of British speakers of English but cannot be guaranteed to work with other speakers. A guide to phonetic equivalents is given for those with knowledge of the International Phonetic Alphabet.

It has been argued by some that attempting to pronounce place-names correctly may cause confusion especially where many have come to use a common form amongst a group, for example, a climbing club. This argument does not stand up since a new acquaintance may have a completely different pronunciation for the same place. It is entirely possible that ‘An Teallach’ could be called ‘antilock’ by someone with no knowledge of Gaelic. Variations of this type are to be heard from time to time, e.g. (these should be read as if English) ‘ben a clad hyme’ (Beinn a’ Chlaidheimh) or ‘skur rood’ (Sgùrr Ruadh).

It should be noted that, as stated earlier, the pronunciation given here is that which is or would have been used by a Gaelic speaker from Wester Ross. Unlike many other popular pronunciation guides, it is not based on Lewis, Skye or a standardised form of Gaelic but that used in the area of interest.

A guide to pronunciation of Gaelic place-names [ note ∂ ao y in particular ]

a. Vowels: short sounds

∂ = e in ‘butter’ or ‘paper’ (undefined vowel sound)

a = a in ‘cat’ A = a in ‘say’ ao = ea in ‘earn’ or eu in French ‘fleur’

e = e in ‘pet’ E = ee in ‘see’ i = i in ‘pit’

o = o in ‘cot’ O = o in ‘comb’ ow = ow in ‘cow’ oo = oo in ‘toot’

b. Vowels: long sounds

These are shown with the addition to the above of a colon. The sounds correspond to those above but the vowel sound is extended, e.g. e: = eee in ‘atte-e-ention’. The following are long equivalents of the first group of sounds given above:

a: A: e: ao: E: o: O: oo:

c. Consonants

The first letter of the following words give the pronunciation for these letters:

bat, dog, fat, gap, hat, map, not, pot, run, sad, top, van

l represents the l in ‘list’ and in ‘table’

ch = ch in ‘loch’ gh = equivalent of ch, but with a ‘g’instead of ‘c’

j = j in ‘judge’ k = c in ‘cat’

sh = sh in ‘shut’ tj = tch in ‘catch’

y = y in 'yes', e.g. by = b in ‘beauty’ or ly = l in ‘lure’, similarly for f, g, k, m, v

d. Stress

This is shown using bold type. This generally falls on the first syllable of the word, e.g. ‘achadh’ pronounced achugh. The main stress generally falls on the first syllable of the last word of a place-name. Because of this, elements of a place-name preceding this are shortened in speech, so for example sròin, stro:n becomes stron in unstressed positions.

In general, only the main stress is shown and this generally occurs on the last word, e.g. ‘An Caisteal Mòr’, pronounced ‘∂n kasht∂l mO: r’. Secondary stress is shown in some cases.

e. Other

, (comma) is used to separate vowel sounds where necessary

f. Advanced (ignore until the basics have been mastered)

n = n in ‘onion’, like ny k = k in ‘Kew’, like ky l = l in ‘lure’

As with any system other than the International Phonetic Alphabet, this system only approximates Gaelic pronunciation. The quality of consonants in Gaelic does vary from English usage and certain distinctions within Gaelic are not realised in this system.

The IPA and the imitated system

(This is not included because of difficulties with typefaces.)

Apamapa: an introduction to place-names Nevis Hulme, 2007

C. The definite article

As stated above, this has been added where the form of the place-name suggests that it should come before the name. The forms of the article are given below and from this, it is hoped, an understanding of the pronunciation may be developed. This is only a brief synopsis!

Nominative case (e.g. nouns in italics here: A’ Chreag Mhòr, An t-Allt Loch Ghiùthsachan)

1. A’ before feminine nouns beginning with:

B spelling changes to A’ Bh . . . pronounced ∂ v . . .

C spelling changes to A’ Ch . . . pronounced ∂ ch . . .

G spelling changes to A’ Gh . . . pronounced ∂ gh . . .

M spelling changes to A’ Mh . . . pronounced ∂ v . . .

P spelling changes to A’ Ph . . . pronounced ∂ f . . .

2a. An t- before masculine nouns beginning with a vowel pronounced ∂n t

b. before feminine nouns beginning with S + vowel, pronounced ∂n t

Sl, Sn or Sr (sound of S lost)

3a. Am before masculine nouns beginning with B, M, P pronounced ∂m

b. Am before masculine nouns beginning with F pronounced ∂

e.g. Fuaran, foo∂ran becomes Am Fuaran, ∂ foo∂ran

(compare with feminine F below; this is a Wester Ross dialect variation)

4a. An before nouns beginning with L, N, R and S pronounced ∂

(this is a Wester Ross dialect variation)

b. An before feminine nouns beginning with F pronounced ∂n

e.g. Faoilin, faolEn An Fhaoilinn, ∂n aolEn (sound of F lost)

5. An before other letters pronounced ∂n

6a. Na before plurals beginning with a consonant pronounced n∂

b. Na h- before plurals beginning with a vowel pronounced n∂ h

Genitive case (e.g. nouns in italics here: Coir’ a’ Bhristidh, Creag na Corcurach, Leac na Tuatha)

7. A’ before masculine genitive beginning with:

B spelling changes to A’ Bh . . . pronounced ∂ v . . .

C spelling changes to A’ Ch . . . pronounced ∂ ch . . .

G spelling changes to A’ Gh . . . pronounced ∂ gh . . .

M spelling changes to A’ Mh . . . pronounced ∂ v . . .

P spelling changes to A’ Ph . . . pronounced ∂ f . . .

(cf. rule 1 above)

8. An t- before masculine genitive nouns beginning with pronounced ∂n t . . .

S + vowel, Sl, Sn or Sr (cf. rule 2b. above) (sound of S lost)

9a. An before masculine genitive nouns beginning with pronounced ∂n

a vowel

b. An before masculine genitive nouns beginning with pronounced ∂n . . .

F (cf. rule 4b. above) (sound of F lost)

10a. Na before pronounced n∂ . . .

a consonant

b. Na h- before feminine genitive nouns beginning with pronounced n∂ h

a vowel

11a. Nan those beginning with L, N, R and S pronounced n∂

(this is a Wester Ross dialect variation)

b. Nan before all other plural nouns pronounced n∂n

(In general, the dative case is not needed in the study of place-names.)

Apamapa: an introduction to place-names Nevis Hulme, 2007

D. Place-name elements (Ross and Cromarty)

The list of elements of place-names given here was drawn up to include all place-names on the parts of the O.S. Landranger maps (sheets 19, 20 and parts of 24 and 25) covering the Munros of Northern Ross-shire, i.e. An Teallach and the ‘Fisherfield Six’, Slioch and the Torridon Hills, Beinn Dearg and surrounding hills, the Fannich Hills, Ben Wyvis.

It is being extended to include elements appearing on other parts of these maps and, in particular, the area around Gairloch.

Additions to the list since it was published in print are included in red.

The following columns are used.

Gaelic

The Gaelic spelling of the word is given. Those names given in italic type are errors on at least one version of the O.S. map or less favoured spellings; references are given, where possible, to correct or preferred spellings

This list is in alphabetical order ignoring the definite article (a’, am, an, an t-, na, na h- and nan) on the left-hand side.

Say

This gives the pronunciation as oultined on page 4.

Pronunciation may vary where words are in unstressed positions, e.g. while one may consider ‘An t-Sàil Mhòr’ to be said as ‘∂n ta:l vO:r’, it is actually pronounced ‘∂n tal vO:r’. ‘allt’ will only rarely appear in a stressed position in a place-name so will usually be pronounced ‘alt’. This applies to most generic elements (i.e. those which signify the main part of the name) but the stressed form is given for completeness.

Unexpected vowel sounds may be encountered between words on the maps; these are used in Gaelic to allow sounds to flow just as is found within words, e.g. ‘dearg’ pronounced ‘jerek’. An example would be ‘Am Meall Mòr’ which is pronounced ‘∂ mEel∂ mO:r’

Meaning

The meanings given refer to place-names and may be different from those used in everyday speech.

? means uncertainty in meaning. Where the meaning given by authorities is highly speculative, a meaning has not been included. Brackets following a question mark are used in meanings to indicate that a whole phrase is uncertain rather than a single word, e.g. ?(foolish woman)

The case of each element (nominative or genitive) appears as it is used on the maps. The genitive case of nouns is indicated by ‘of the’ or ‘(of)’ in the ‘meaning’ column.

For adjectives, the following is shown in brackets after meanings to indicate case, gender and number:

g genitive case (e.g. in ‘of the green hill’, green is in the genitive case)

n nominative case (e.g. in ‘the green hill’, green is in the nominative case)

f feminine (all nouns in Gaelic are either feminine or masculine and adjectives

m masculine change to match this)

s singular

p plural

Comments

This includes any additonal points relevant to the word, its pronunciation or meaning.

Link to list of elements: A B C D E F G I L M N O P R S T U Contents

Apamapa: an introduction to place-names Nevis Hulme, 2007

Gaelic Say Meaning Comments

abhainn owEn river

acha’ ach∂ hill-field see ‘achadh’

achadh ach∂gh hill-field ‘achk’ or ‘ach∂’ unstressed

an achaidh ∂ nachE of the hill-field

achd achk hill-field see ‘achadh’

achlais achlash hollow (armpit)

na h- achlaise n∂ hachlash of the hollow

an aghaidh ∂n ∂ghE the face

na h- aghaidh n∂ h∂ghE of the face

na h- aibhne n∂ haEn∂ of the river

Àiliginn a:lEgin ?

àinich a:nEch of ?panting (assumes accent on ‘a’)

àird a:rt promontory

àird easaidh art esE promontory of the (water)fall stream

na h- airbhe n∂ hara of the wall

an t- aircill an terkyEl the ?(hiding place)

àirigh a:rE shieling ‘arE’ unstressed

(an t-) allt (∂n t)owlt (the) burn ‘alt’ unstressed

nan allt n∂n owlt of the burns

alltan owltan wee burn ‘altan’ unstressed

Antonaidh antonE Antony

àth a: ford ‘a’ unstressed

àthann a:han kiln

Link to list of elements: A B C D E F G I L M N O P R S T U Contents

Apamapa: an introduction to place-names Nevis Hulme, 2007

Gaelic Say Meaning Comments

bad bat clump

badan batan wee clump

badhaisbheinn bao∂shv∂n mountain of the ?hunt

baile bal∂ township

bàine ba:n∂ fair (gfs)

a’ bhàird ∂ va:rd of the bard (poet)

am bàgh ∂m ba:gh the bay

a’ bhàigh ∂ va:E of the bay

bàn ba:n fair (nms)

na bana-mhorair n∂ ban∂ vor∂r of the lady

am beacan ∂m behkan the wee point

beag bAk wee (nms)

beaga bAk∂ wee (p)

am bealach ∂m byaloch the pass

na bearta n∂ byarsht of the deed said as ‘na Beart’

beinn bEn mountain English ‘ben’

na beinne n∂ bEny of the mountain

na bèiste n∂ bAshtj∂ of the beast

beithe bAh∂ (of) birch

a’ . . . bhaid ∂ . . . vatj of the . . . clump

an . . . bhaile ∂n . . . val∂ of the . . . township but ∂ . . . before ‘seana’

in ‘An Seana Bhaile’

bhàin va:n fair (gms)

a’ bhainne ∂ vany of the milk

a’ bhàird ∂ va:rt of the bard (poet)

bhanbhaig vanavAk wee pig-like burn

a’ bharranaich ∂ varanEch of the sedge

Bhàtair va:ht∂r Walter’s

a’ bhàthaich va:Ech of the byre

bheag vAk wee (nfs)

a’ bhealaich ∂ vyalEch of the pass

bheinn vEn mountain ‘v∂n’ unstressed

a’ bheucaich vEahkEch the bellowing

bhig vEk wee (gms)

a’ bhinnein ∂ vEny∂n of the pinnacle

a’ bhodaich ∂ votEch of the old man

a’ bhràghad ∂ vra:∂t of the upland

an . . . bhràigh ∂n . . . vraE the . . . upland but ∂ . . . before ‘seana’

in ‘An Seana Bhràigh’

a’ bhràighe ∂ vra:E of the upland

bhraoin vraon (of) damp place

a’ bhreabadair ∂ vreb∂tar of the weaver

bhreac vrehk speckled (nfs) ‘vrEhk’ locally

a’ bhric ∂ vrEhk of the trout

Apamapa

© Nevis Hulme, 1st edition 2004; published on-line with corrections, 2007

This document may be printed for personal study so long as it is not redistributed or used for profit.

As detailed elsewhere on this website, a pack is available including a booklet of these notes and maps of the areas listed above.

Contents

A. An introduction to place-names and their study

B. Pronunciation

The IPA and the imitated system

C. The definite article