Beginning Scottish Gaelic 1-A

This is a simplified introduction to the Scottish Gaelic alphabet and diacritics ("accent marks"), including: * The ABCs and how to say the letters out loud (as in an acronym or someone's initials). * The most common sounds represented by each letter (though Gaelic is phonetically complex and some subtleties have to be learned through exposure and practice). * Some important notes for beginners: what English letters and sounds are not used in Gaelic, broad vs. slender vowels, a memorable rule that helps with spelling, when the muted "schwa" vowel /ə/ is used (including as an unwritten "helping vowel"), word order, default syllable stress in a word, the "⁊" symbol (which is not "7"), etc. Some language-learning online programs like Duolingo skip this kind of information and expect you to just pick it up organically as you go along. But many learners find that unhelpful, even confusing, and almost all offline language courses begin with the language's alphabet. So, this core information is now provided here for you, as pre-course preparatory material for any course like Duolinguo, Can Seo, LearnGaelic, Learning Our Language, etc. If you've already started a course, you should still find it helpful. The sounds are explained in simple (not professional linguist) terms using dictionary-style approximations (like /aw/), though IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) symbols are also provided for those who know them (shown in the form [ɔː]). These cards gloss over certain subtleties that would be confusing for a newbie (some of which also vary by dialect), but you wouldn't learn them anyway without the kind of exposure you're going to get through long practice with audio-visual material and real conversation (look for an online practice group via Zoom or Discord if you're not in Scotland or Gaelic Canada, or not in an organised class elsewhere). IN-PROGRESS: This deck is still under construction, especially as to the sounds each letter can represent and under what conditions. That takes some significant research across multiple reliable sources. It also does not yet cover diphthongs, lenited forms, and other complexities, which might be better as a second deck.