Velar fricatives

Shaetlan haes a consonant at soonds a peerie bit laek clearin da back o yir trott. Hit's spelt <ch> an it's caaed a voiceless velar fricative /x/. Dis consonant is whit dey caa a phoneme - dat means at hit's meaneen distinguishin: swappin dis soond fir anidder cheinges da meaneen o da wird. Fir example <loch> (pronounced /lɒx/) means 'lake' whaaras <lock> (pronounced /lɒk/) means 'tae shut (laek a door)', an <pech> (pronounced/pɛx/) means 'tae braithe heivy' whaaras <pɛck> means 'tae bite wi a neb (laek a hen aetin)'.

Standirt English døsna hae da voiceless velar fricative athin its consonant system, so spaekkers o Standirt English øses da "herd" k-soond fir Shaetlan <ch>-wirds braaly aft. Bit dis fairly cheinges da meaneen o da wird. Tae spaek aboot a "skating on a frozen lock" or "pecking in the heat" døsna mak muckle sense. Da twa soonds sud be keepit apairt, an dat's why d'ir no spelt da sam.

Da voiceless velar fricative is affen fun trowe da languages o da wirld. German haes it an aa, an hit's idda naem o da ert-kent composer J. S. Bach: hit sud be pronounced /bax/ wi yun saft frushin soond at da back o yir trott, an no /bak/ wi a "herd" k-soond.