Pronunciation of Chattan?

[MacBean]

Oh come now Rex, that's impossible!

Can you imagine playing Scrabble in Gaelic - you'd need 10x as many h's!

[ctbuchanan]

Oh come now Rex, that's impossible!

Can you imagine playing Scrabble in Gaelic - you'd need 10x as many h's!

And a lot fewer of the rest! :-D

"Scottish Gaelic is written with just 18 letters each of which is named after a tree or shrub. The consonants all have more than one pronunciation depending on their position in a word and which vowels precede or follow them.
A a B b C c D d E e F f G g H h I i

L l M m N n O o P p R r S s T t U u


A grave accent on a vowel (Àà, Èè, Ìì, Òò and Ùù) indicates a longer version of the vowel, but these are not considered separate letters "

[ThistleDown]

Oh come now Rex, that's impossible!

Can you imagine playing Scrabble in Gaelic - you'd need 10x as many h's!

Yes, Mark, but if you are playing with the same total number of tiles in Gaelic as you do in English, what happens to the 8 fewer in the Gaelic alphabet? Maybe they could all be aitches

Rex

[Cygnus]

Practice this in private. Place the back of your tongue against the roof of your mouth and force a bit of air out in the form of a "kh". The air should come from the space between your tongue and your throat, not deeply from your lungs.

That will do and is preferable to kattan, shattan or chatton, but if you wish to pronounce it as it is natively pronounced in Badenoch, Strathdearn and Strathnairn you must repeat the "kh" sound immediately preceeding the double "t". The result will be khaakhtun.

Rex

Rex,

The lesson in Gaelic pronunciation is hugely appreciated! After my first year living in Brazil, it finally dawned on me that the key to learning proper pronunciation in Portuguese (and any language) is to learn what is happening where you can't see (e.g., the throat, mouth, tongue). Sadly, I'd already formed plenty of bad habits that I didn't overcome in the other year I spent there, and I still sound like a foreigner when I speak.

Your description was perfect and is something I'll work on.

Thank you, once again.

- Brian

[NewEnglander]

Being a clansman of the Clann Mhuirich, a Highland clan that is a leading member of the Clan Chattan Confederation, the correct pronunciation of Chattan is indeed Hattan. The "C" is silent. Though the name does derive from St. Cattan, of which is pronounced Kattan.

Slainte,

Thanks, cousin! I've always wondered about that. And thanks to the other that chimed in with even more specific replies...that when waaaaay over my head (and past my tongue)!

[Oldhiker]

\
"Scottish Gaelic is written with just 18 letters each of which is named after a tree or shrub.

I have never heard this story, can you tell us more?

I believe the reason it is these 18 letters is for the Latin alaphabet of that time frame that was used by the Irish monks to record the Celtic languages. Before that time it was not a writen language.

[Chas]

I have never heard this story, can you tell us more?

I believe the reason it is these 18 letters is for the Latin alaphabet of that time frame that was used by the Irish monks to record the Celtic languages. Before that time it was not a writen language.

This might help.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaelic_alphabet

Sounds very romantic.

Regards

Chas

[ThistleDown]

Rex,

The lesson in Gaelic pronunciation is hugely appreciated! After my first year living in Brazil, it finally dawned on me that the key to learning proper pronunciation in Portuguese (and any language) is to learn what is happening where you can't see (e.g., the throat, mouth, tongue). Sadly, I'd already formed plenty of bad habits that I didn't overcome in the other year I spent there, and I still sound like a foreigner when I speak.

Your description was perfect and is something I'll work on.

Thank you, once again.

- Brian

I don't have the Gaelic, Brian, so that wasn't a language lesson. It is, however, how we pronounce Chattan here in Clanchattan country. As you might expect we think we know best how to say our own name, but we are fairly tolerant of those who can't get their throat and tongue around it. If they leave shattan and chatton and kattin over by we'll accept even hattun.

Rex

[Cygnus]

I don't have the Gaelic, Brian, so that wasn't a language lesson. It is, however, how we pronounce Chattan here in Clanchattan country. As you might expect we think we know best how to say our own name, but we are fairly tolerant of those who can't get their throat and tongue around it. If they leave shattan and chatton and kattin over by we'll accept even hattun.

Rex

I see - sorry for the confusion!

Still, I don't think I've ever made that particular sound before, so it may as well be Greek to me!

Thanks again!

[creagdhubh]

I don't have the Gaelic, Brian, so that wasn't a language lesson. It is, however, how we pronounce Chattan here in Clanchattan country. As you might expect we think we know best how to say our own name, but we are fairly tolerant of those who can't get their throat and tongue around it. If they leave shattan and chatton and kattin over by we'll accept even hattun.

Rex

Aye, but not all pronounce Chattan exactly as you have so eloquently and correctly described, Rex. I heard Cluny say Chattan a number of times whilst in Badenoch earlier this month, and like many times before, he says hattan, with the "c" being silent. I do suppose that who ever is reciting the name, its final sound often depends on their own accent-I think this is especially true with native Scots, of which many have different accents depending on varying factors such as where they were educated, occupation (as in Cluny's case, being a retired High Court Judge in London) region, military experience perhaps, their family, etc.

The name Chattan also derives from one man, Gilliechattan mor, the progenitor of the Clann Mhuirich. Thanks for the lesson Rex, well done mate!



Na bean do'n chat,