The Blackhouse (The Lewis Trilogy)

PRONUNCIATION

Here is a simple guide to the English pronunciation of some of the Gaelic names and words in the book. ch is pronounced as in the Scottish word loch, and the emphasis is placed on the underlined syllable:

Machair, pronounced macher, is the Gaelic word for the fertile sandy soil around the coastal areas of the Western Isles of Scotland. It has passed into the English language as a result of international concern over the problem of ‘machair erosion’. Much of the machair is gradually being reclaimed by the sea.