The letter yogh (ȝogh) (Ȝ ȝ; Scots Language: yoch; Middle English: ȝogh) is a Latin script that was used in Middle English and Older Scots, representing y () and various velar consonant phonemes. It descends from the Insular G, the form of the letter g in the medieval Insular script, ᵹ.
In Middle English writing, tailed z came to be indistinguishable from yogh.
In Middle Scots, the character yogh became confused with a cursive z and the early Scots printers often used z when yogh was not available in their fonts.[.] Consequently, some Scots language words have a z in place of a yogh—the common surname Menzies was originally written Menȝies (pronounced mingis).
Yogh is shaped similarly to the Cyrillic script З and the Arabic numerals 3, which are sometimes substituted for the character in online reference works. There is some confusion about the letter in the literature, as the English language was far from standardised at the time. Capital Ȝ is represented in Unicode by code point , and lower case ȝ by code point .
Pronunciation
In Modern English,
yogh is pronounced , using short o
or , , , using long o.
[.]
It stood for and its various allophones—including and the voiced velar fricative —as well as the phoneme ( in modern English orthography). In Middle English, it also stood for the phoneme and its allophone ç as in (in an early Middle English way still often pronounced as spelled so: ), and also represented the phonemes /j/ and /dʒ/. Sometimes yogh stood for or , as in the word .
In Middle Scots, it represented the sound in the clusters , and , written lȝ and nȝ.[.] Yogh was generally used for rather than y.
In medieval Cornish language manuscripts, yogh was used to represent the voiced dental fricative , as in , now written , pronounced .
History
Old English
The original Germanic
g sound was expressed by the
gyfu rune in the Anglo-Saxon futhorc (which is itself sometimes rendered as ȝ in modern transliteration). Following palatalization, both
gyfu and Latin
g in Old English expressed the sound before front vowels. For example, "year" was written as
gear, even though the word had never had a
g sound (deriving from Proto-Germanic
*jērą).
With the re-introduced possibility of a sound before front vowels, notably in the form of loanwords from the Old Norse (such as gere from Norse gervi, Modern English gear), this orthographical state of affairs became a source of confusion, and a distinction of "real g" () from "palatalized g" () became desirable.
In the Old English period, Insular G was simply the way Latin g was written in the Insular script introduced at the Christianisation of England by the Hiberno-Scottish mission. It only came to be used as a letter distinct from g in the Middle English period, where it evolved in appearance into ȝ, now considered a separate character.
Middle English
In the 14th century, the digraph
gh arose as an alternative to yogh for /x/, and eventually overtook yogh in popularity; still, the variety of pronunciations persisted, as evidenced by
cough,
taught, and
though. The process of replacing the yogh with
gh was slow, and was not completed until the arrival of printing presses (which lacked yogh) in England around the end of the fifteenth century. Not every English word that contains a
gh was originally spelled with a yogh: for example,
spaghetti is
Italian language, where the
h makes the
g hard (i.e., instead of );
ghoul is
Arabic, in which the
gh was .
The medieval author Ormulum used this letter in three ways when writing Early Middle English. By itself, it represented , so he used this letter for the y in "yet". Doubled, it represented , so he ended his spelling of "may" with two yoghs. Finally, the digraph of ȝh represented .
In the late Middle English period, yogh was no longer used: niȝt came to be spelled night. Middle English re-imported Carolingian G for (As a further side note, French language also used to represent in words like voyage and yeux).
Scots
In words of
French language and
Scottish Gaelic origin, the
Early Scots palatal consonant had become or in some cases , and the palatal consonant had become by the Middle Scots period.
Those were variously written nȝ(h)e, ngȝe, ny(h)e or ny(i)e, and lȝ(h)e, ly(i)e or lyhe (cf.
gn and
gli in
Italian language). By the
Modern Scots period the yogh had been replaced by the character
z, in particular for , (
nȝ) and (
lȝ), written
nz and
lz. The original and developed into in some words such as Ȝetland or
Zetland for
Shetland.
Yogh was also used to represent in words such as ȝe, ȝhistirday
(yesterday) and ȝoung but by the Modern Scots period
y had replaced yogh.
[.] The pronunciation of MacKenzie (and its variant spellings) (from Scottish Gaelic MacCoinnich ), originally pronounced in Scots,
shows where yogh became z.
Menzies Campbell is another example.
After the development of printing
In Middle Scots orthography, the use of yogh became confused with a cursive
z and the early Scots printers often used
z when yogh was not available in their fonts.
The yogh glyph can be found in surnames that start with a Y in Scotland and Ireland; for example the surname Yeoman, which would have been spelled Ȝeman. Sometimes, the yogh would be replaced by the letter z, because the shape of the yogh was identical to some forms of handwritten z.
In Unicode 1.0, the character yogh was mistakenly unified with the quite different character ezh (Ʒ ʒ), and yogh itself was not added to Unicode until version 3.0.
Examples of Middle English words containing a yogh
These are examples of Middle English words that contain the letter yogh in their spellings.
[.]
-
niȝt ("night")
-
yȝe ("eye")
-
ȝha ("")
-
yhalȝed ("hallowed")
-
ȝhat ("gate")
-
ȝhe(i)d(e) (past tense of "go", which in ME is often "yede")
-
yȝ(e/i)ld(e), yȝened ( of "yield" and "yean")
-
yherber(e)ȝed ("")
-
ȝhere ("ear")
-
yhyȝed (", hastened")
-
ȝiefte ("gift")
-
ȝif ("if")
-
ȝise ("yes")
-
ȝista(i/y) ("yesterday")
-
ȝister- ("yester-")
-
ȝit(e) ("yet")
-
ȝive ("give" or "if")
-
wrouȝte ("wrought")
[.]
Scots words with for
Placenames
-
Adziel – a farm steading near Strichen in Aberdeenshire that lends its name to nearby Adziel Wood and Adziel House;
-
Auchenbainzie – a farm steading and hill near Penpont in Dumfries and Galloway;
-
Auchenzeoch – a farm steading near Fordoun in Aberdeenshire;
-
Aucholzie – a settlement in Glenmuick, Aberdeenshire from the meaning "the field of the wood", also the adjacent stream Allt Cholzie and nearby ruined farmstead Mill of Aucholzie;
-
Balzeordie and Castletoun of Balzeordie – two farms near Brechin in Angus and a neighbouring wood Balzeordie Den, site of a minor hillfort known by the same name;
-
Barncailzie Wood – a Wood in Galloway that lends its name to a former hunting lodge;
-
Ben Chonzie – a mountain in Perthshire;
-
Branzet Moss – a moor next to a ruined farm steading, Branzet on Bute;
-
Branziert – a suburb of Killearn in Stirlingshire;
-
The Branziet – pronounced bringit (IPA ), a farm and settlement near Bardowie, East Dunbartonshire that lends its name to the Branziet Burn and Branziet Bridge;
-
Bunzion – pronounced bunion (IPA ), Lower and Upper Bunzion are farms in the Parish of Cults, Fife;
-
Cadzow – the former name of the town of Hamilton, South Lanarkshire; the word Cadzow continues in modern use in many street names and other names, e.g. Cadzow Castle, Kilncadzow;
-
Calzeat – an obsolete place name from the Parish of Broughton, Glenholm and Kilbucho in Peebleshire which, since 1971, has leant its name to textile manufacturer Calzeat and Company Limited;
-
Calziebohalzie – a former farmstead in Stirlingshire with a rare instance of a word containing two yoghs, from the ();
-
Cockenzie – pronounced cockennie (IPA ), from the meaning "cove of Kenneth", a town in East Lothian;
-
Cozie – previously West Cozie, the name given to a row of now ruined cothouses on Menmuir farm in Angus;
-
Colzium – now pronounced as written, a historic estate and mansion house built on the banks of the Colzium Burn near Kilsyth;
-
Crailzie Hill – a hill in the Scottish Borders;
-
Cultezeoun – a farm in Carrick, South Ayrshire from the meaning "the back of Euan's house", the home of Margaret McMurray;
-
Culzean – pronounced culain (IPA ), a historic castle in Ayrshire run by the National trust for Scotland;
-
Dalchonzie – a place on the banks of the River Earn in Perthshire that lends its name to a country house, farm and power station and the nearby hill Bioran Dalchonzie and a former railway station;
-
Dalmunzie – pronounced dalmoney (IPA ), a historic castle in Perthshire repurposed as a hotel;
-
Dalzellowlie, Dallzellowlie or Dalziellily – a colliery located between Maybole and Girvan in South Ayrshire whose deposits were contested between the estates of Culzean and Kilhenzie and were set on fire more than once, burning for many decades and becoming known as Burning Hills;
-
Drumelzier – pronounced drumellier (IPA ), a village in the River Tweed that shares its name with Drumelzier Castle, Drumelzier Kirk, the Drumelzier Burn and Drumelzier Law;
-
Drunzie and Drunzie Feus – two adjacent settlements near Glenfarg in Perth and Kinross;
-
Easter Dalziel – pronounced deeyel (IPA ) from Gaelic Dail Gheal () meaning "white field";
-
Edzell – now pronounced as written, a village in Angus and the nearby Hill of Edzell, Edzell Castle, Mains of Edzell farm and the nearby settlement Edzell Woods;
-
Falgunzeon – a farm in Dumfries and Galloway that lends its name to the adjacent Falgunzeon Hill;
-
Finzean – pronounced fingen (IPA ), an area in rural Aberdeenshire;
-
Hill of Foulzie – near Macduff in Aberdeenshire and four surrounding farm steadings Foulzie, Backhill of Foulzie, Over Foulzie and Newton of Foulzie;
-
Funzie – pronounced finnie (IPA ), a village on Fetlar that lends its name to nearby Funzie Ness, Funzie Bay, Haa of Funzie, Loch of Funzie, Muckle Funziegord Geo and the historic dividing wall Funzie Girt;
-
Gartwhinzean – a historic settlement near Crook of Devon in Perth and Kinross;
-
Glazert Water – a tributary of the River Kelvin which lends its name to a Country House Hotel and two streets in Lennoxtown;
-
Glazert Burn – a tributary of the River Irvine in North Ayrshire;
-
Glenrazie – a small settlement near Newton Stewart, Dumfries & Galloway which lends its name to Glenrazie Woods to the north;
-
Glenzier – pronounced glinger (IPA ), a village in Dumfries & Galloway which lends its name to Glenzierfoot and the Glenzier Burn;
-
Henzie Burn – a burn, a tributary to the River Almond, Perth and Kinross which originates in a high Cirque, Corry Henzie;
-
Inzie Head – a headland on the Aberdeenshire coast south east of St Combs;
-
Kailzie Gardens – a historic walled garden named after Kailzie Hill and Kailzie Hope near Kirkburn, Scottish Borders;
-
Kilchenzie or Kilkenzie – a small settlement on the Kintyre peninsula, from Choinnich (), the genitive of Coinneach () "Kenneth";
-
Kilhenzie Castle – pronounced kilhinny, a late medieval, baronial keep in Carrick, South Ayrshire, also from Choinnich and which takes its name from the surrounding features Kilhenzie Burn, Kilhenzie Wood and the Back Hill of Kilhenzie;
-
Kilrenzie, a remote settlement in the parish of Colmonell in South Ayrshire;
-
Kirkgunzeon – pronounced kirkgunion (IPA ), a village and civil parish in Dumfries and Galloway that lends its name to the adjacent stream Kirkgunzeon Lane and the nearby Isles of Kirkgunzeon Farm and Cottage;
-
Lenzie – now pronounced as written (IPA ), but previously lenyie (IPA ), a village near Glasgow;
-
Malzie or Culmalzie, (sometimes Culmazie) – a site in Machars in Dumfries & Galloway somewhat dubiously supposed to relate to Saint Mhaillidh
-
Menzie Cleugh – a gully or ravine in the sea cliff near Coldingham in the Scottish Borders reputedly derived from the name of a person who resided there;
-
Menzion – a village in the Scottish Borders;
-
Menzieshill – an area of Dundee;
-
Monzie – pronounced money (IPA ), from the Gaelic Moighidh, "a level tract", a parish in Perthshire near Crieff which lends its name to Monzie Castle and the Falls of Monzie;
-
Monzievaird – with competing etymologies but supposed to be from the Gaelic Maghbhard, "plain of the bards", a place in Perthshire — the site of the Massacre of Monzievaird and which lends its name to Loch Monzievaird;
-
Moonzie – a parish in Fife generally supposed to be from Gaelic and meaning "hill of the deer";
-
Munzie Well – a holy well dedicated to St Mungo
-
Portencalzie – a small settlement near Kirkcolm on the Rhins of Galloway;
-
Pinzarie – pronounced pingery, a farm steading and ruined farm steading, Old Pinzarie underneath Pinzarie Hill upstream from Tynron on the course of the Shinnel Water;
-
Pitcalzean – an obscure archaeological enclosure near the village of Nigg, Highland
-
Queenzieburn – pronounced queenieburn (IPA ), a village in Lanarkshire;
-
Ruchazie – now pronounced as written (IPA ), a district of Glasgow;
-
Strath Mulzie and Corriemulzie – a broad glen and the river that runs through it in Sutherland that lends its name to the Corriemulzie Estate;
-
Terringzean Castle – pronounced tringan (IPA ) but with a variety of recorded spellings, a castle in East Ayrshire;
-
Ulzieside – an estate and farm near Sanquhar in Dumfries and Galloway;
-
Velzie – a small settlement on Fetlar;
-
Zell – archaic spelling of the island of Yell;
-
Zetland – the name for Shetland until the 1970s – Shetland UK postcodes begin with the letters ZE.
See also:
-
Lochranza – a village and sea loch on the Isle of Arran the in this instance deriving from , but nonetheless mistaken as a yogh with written referents to Loch Ranga found in the 19th century.
Surnames
-
Alzie – a surname, historically found in Renfrewshire, Glasgow and Lanarkshire and possibly an alternate spelling of Algie. The name fell into disuse in the early nineteenth century;
-
Cadzow – see placename;
-
Dalziel – pronounced deeyel (IPA ) or dehyell, from Gaelic Dail Gheal (); also spelled Dalyell and Dalzell;
-
Gilzean – pronounced gilain, a variant of Maclean, from Gaelic MacGilleEathain (). However, many now pronounce the 'z', including footballer Alan Gilzean;
-
Malzie – a now defunct surname possibly related to the Dumfries & Galloway placename;
-
McFadzean – pronounced macfadyen (IPA ), scotticised version of the Gaelic surname MacPhaidin also found, primarily in Ireland, anglicised as MacFadden;
-
MacKenzie – now pronounced as written, though as late as 1946 George Black recorded the original form pronounced makenyie (IPA ), from the Gaelic MacCoinnich () as standard;
[.]
-
Menzies – most correctly (for example, by Robert Menzies) pronounced mingis (IPA ),
[.] now also pronounced with ;
-
Ninian Winzet – pronounced winyet (IPA ).
See also:
-
Gilhaize – a seemingly invented surname used for the eponymous protagonist of John Galt's Ringan Gilhaize
-
Layamon – now written as pronounced although frequently rendered with a yogh as Laȝamon up to the early 1900s in literary referents;
[.]
Miscellaneous nouns
-
Assoilzie – pronounced with a silent z – in Scots law: acquittal or ruling in favour of the defender in a civil matter;
-
Brulzie – with a variety of spellings including bruilzie and broolzie – a commotion or noisy quarrel – possibly related to Brulyie to broil;
-
Capercailzie – the Scots spelling of capercaillie (IPA ) from the Scottish Gaelic capall-coille () meaning "forest horse";
-
Gaberlunzie – most correctly pronounced gaberlunyie (IPA ) but now often pronounced as written, a licensed beggar;
-
Spulzie — pronounced spooly with a variety of spellings including spuilzie and spulyie, both the taking of movable goods and the term for a process of restitution for such crimes;
-
Tailzie – pronounced in Scots law: a defunct since 2000 term for an entailed estate/interest in one;
-
Tuilzie – now standardised to Tulyie a struggle or fight, from the Old French 'toeillier' meaning to strive, dispute or struggle;
-
– pronounced ooly, oil. Found in reference to 'The Ulzie Ball' held by Longforgan weavers once daylight had returned sufficiently to allow work without the use of oil lamps.
In Egyptology
A Unicode-based transliteration system adopted by the Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale
suggested the use of the yogh ȝ character as the transliteration of the Ancient Egyptian "
aleph" glyph:
A
The symbol actually used in Egyptology is , two half-rings opening to the left. Since Unicode 5.1, it has been assigned its own codepoints (uppercase U+A722 Ꜣ LATIN CAPITAL LETTER EGYPTOLOGICAL ALEF, lowercase U+A723 ꜣ LATIN SMALL LETTER EGYPTOLOGICAL ALEF); a fallback is the numeral 3.
See also
-
Old English Latin alphabet
External links
