Pronunciation of song lyrics

[Calum Mac Neill]

Thanks for the appreciation, everybody. It wasn't a cut and paste job and I wish I'd had Crofter's good sense to suggest going out and finding a recording to listen to! I'm glad Gearóid has gotten some good advice on this thread, though.

[wullie m]

Calum Pal, can you give me the correct pronounciation of this bothy near Loch Treig! and oblige.
wullie m.

[Calum Mac Neill]

The pronunciation could be written like 'stiiiinyack' or 'stiiiiñack' with the first vowel long (perhaps the 'i' in the word 'thin' is the most similar sounding vowel in Scottish English). The second vowel ('a' as in the word 'back') is short. Be careful not to make the 'n' long, it's the 'iiii' vowel before it which is long.

Even many English speakers who've heard a Gaelic speaker pronounce the the first vowel, which is represented by the digraph 'ao', find it impossible to reproduce it. Certain Irish dialects pronounce it like the flat vowel /e/ in the word 'brae'.

[wullie m]

Thanks Calum, many arguments over this
wullie m.