DSL - SND1 U, letter of the alphabet . The twenty-first letter of the alphabet , now called [ju] as in Eng., but earlier [u], written uh, oo (Sc. 1721 Ramsay (S.T.S.) Gl. s.v. Woo; Crm. 1854 H. Miller Schools ii.; Bnff. 1874 W. Gregor Olden Time 39; Sh. 1958 New Shetlander No. 46. 24). See also [W], letter .
1. It has several sounds in Sc.: (1) that of the high back tense rounded vowel [u], written variously u, oo, ou, †ow, ew, ue, which in the wm.Sc. area especially tends to be markedly advanced in the direction of [y], e.g. Boo, drew, [Du], pron., [Fou], [Mou], [Pou], true. The distinction in length and tenseness in Eng. between the u sound in food, moon, rude [u(w)] and that in cook, foot, full, good, pull, push, put, stood [u] is not made in Sc. Before -r a glide gen. develops in Sc. as [Flour] [ˈfluər], [Sour] [ˈsuər], poor. The sound [ʊ] may be said to have disappeared from mainland Sc., exc. for an obsol. survival in Rxb., where the sound [ʊə] freq. written uo, developed from O.Sc. o̜ as in bonnie, coal, folk, frost, morn, rose, storm, etc. See [O], letter , 1., Murray D.S.C.S. 111, 147, Watson W.-B. § 71, P.L.D. § 105), as also in Cmb. dial. In Sh. an almost identical sound, for which Jakobsen uses the symbol [⊙], is characterised in this dictionary by [ʊ] and gen. written by Sh. authors with u, as [Kul], [Lurt], [Mun], v., [Runk], v.1, [Skulp], [Skuttel], [Strubba]; (2) that of the high back lax rounded vowel [ʌ], as in [Bucht], cut, dumb, [Guddle], [Hurl], [Lunt], [Putt], [Rung], turn, work, etc., tending also to [ə] in unstressed syllables, as [Elbuck], [Stolum]. In the neg. pref. [Un-] and in [Up], the earlier pronunciations [un-, up] are occas. heard, though nearly obs.; (3) when followed by a consonant and a mute e, it frequently indicates the sound [ø, y, ɪ]. See 2. (4).
2. u appears in various digraphs: (1) au, representing the sound [o̜:], in em. and wm. Sc. and gen. adopted as the standard spelling in other dialects also, where the vowel remains unrounded, exc. Sh. where the spelling aa is preferred. Hence [Cauld], [Draucht], [Hauch], [Haud], [Lauch], [Maun], [Saut], [Waur]. See P.L.D. §§ 48, 85, 93, and [A], letter , II.; (2) eu, (i) for [ju], as in [Feu]; alternating with [(j)ʌ] according to dialect, in words orig. with O. and Mid.Eng. &omacrdotbl; before ch [x] or k, as [Beuk], [Deuk], [Eneuch], [Heuch], leuch ([Lauch]), [Leuk], [Pleuch], [Teuch]. See P.L.D. § 35.6.; (ii) for [ø] esp. in Ork. writing from Dennison onwards, as geud ([Guid]), creuk ([Cruik]), deud ([Dae]), meun ([Mune]), seut ([Suit]), peur ([Puir]). See (4) below; (3) ou, (i) for [u], (ii) for [ʌu]. See [O], letter , 2. (2), 3. (4); (4) ui, (i) for [ø, y, later unrounded to ɪ], alternating with the earlier u-e, which is now usu. retained only before nasals, as in [Brume], dune ([Dae]), [Lume], [Mune], [Spune], [Tume]. [Tune], etc., also [Blude], [Schule], and representing O.E. ō, O.N. ó, O.Fr. u (see P.L.D. §§ 20, 35), as in [Buit], n.1, [Cuil], [Fuil], [Guid], [Huilie], [Muir], [Puir], [Shuir], [Tuil], [Wuid]. See Burns Intro. to Gl. to 1787 edition. This spelling has become a literary standard also in n.Sc. where the actual pronunciation is [i]. See also [O], letter , 3. (3) (ii); (ii) for [e] from the same etym. sources, when in final position and before r and the voiced fricatives v, z, in m.Sc., and, more gen. for (i) in Ags., Fif. Hence [Dae], [Shae], [Tae], prep., adv., flair ([Fluir]), pair ([Puir]), shair ([Shuir]); [Excaise], maisic ([Music]), refaise ([Refuise]), yaize ([Use], v.). The spelling of u for &omacrdotbl;, due chiefly to the influence of French spelling, originates in North.Mid.Eng. in the mid 14th c. and is found in Scottish MSS. from about the same time. The i represents length of vowel as in ai, ei and (in O.Sc.) oi.
3. u is not kept distinct in spelling from v and w in O.Sc. and this practice survived into the early 18th c., e.g. tua ([Twa]), tuell ([Twal]), Twesday, urett, wrote (Sc. 1700 W. Fraser Scotts of Buccleuch (1878) II. 374), uryt, write (Sc. 1701 Rec. Conv. Burghs 440, 1716 W. Fraser Sutherland Bk. (1892) II. 215).
4. (1) u [u], with its variant spellings, originates (i) chiefly in O.E. ū, O.N. ú, O.Fr. ou. See P.L.D. §§ 38–40, note also § 101; (ii) in O.E. ūl and O.N. úl final, ul- before a consonant, where the l is vocalised. See P.L.D. §§ 60.2, 78.3., [L], letter , 1.; (iii) also from wi after s, as in [Soom], v.1, [Soop], soord ([Swurd]). See P.L.D. § 76; (2) u [ʌ] goes back (i) mainly to O.E., O.N. u and ū, ú, O.Fr. u, ou with later shortening (see P.L.D. § 60 and cf. [Bun], ppl.adj.1, fund ([Find]), [Grund], [Hund]; [Funtain], [Muntain]; bushel, [Push]; (ii) to O.E., O.N. i in proximity to a labial consonant or a velar l or both, as burd, bird, but, bit (Sc. 1752 Lyon in Mourning (S.H.S.) III. 128), fussle ([Fissle]), hum, him (Fif. 1845 Stat. Acc.2 IX. 42), wull ([Will]), wut ([Wit]), whun ([Whin]), whusky, whuskers, whustle, mulk ([Milk]), [Muckle], puckle ([Pickle]). Cf. also sullie ([Silly]). See P.L.D. § 59. This feature is extended to many other collocations with i with varying degrees of thoroughness in the various dialects. It is particularly frequent in Ork. and Arg. (see P.L.D. § 95.2. (1) and N. Munro Para Handy passim) and in Per. (see Wilson L. Strathearn 40–1). Cf. also [Chucken], durty (Inv. 1741 Trans. Gael. Soc. Inv. XIV. 274), shurt ([Shirt]), shunner ([Shinner]), [Studdie]. Conversely u appears as [ɪ] in e.g. bibble ([Bubble]), tribble, [Trouble] (cf. Burns To a Mouse vi.), [Ribble]; (iii) to o in buddy ([Body]), in [Dug], [Monie], in some areas of m. and s.Sc., [Trodge]; (iv) in [Bull] and [Full] [fʌl], [Pull] [pʌl], as variants of [Fou], [Pou]. See [L], letter , 1. (1).