Yoch

The letter **yoch** (ȝoch) (*Ȝȝ*; ; Mid English: *ȝoch*) wis uised in Mid English and Scots for the soond o *y* (/j/) and ither seemilar soonds. The chairacter yoch wis aften confuised wi a cursive z. Gin the yoch wisna available, writers wad uise the letter ‘z’. Sic-like, muckle Lallan Scots wirds haes a z insteid o a yoch.  It is nou maistlins spelt wi the letter *y* or *z* awtho it haes been kent tae chynge intil a *j* or *g*.

Far ensaumple, "yes" wis written "ȝise", "nicht" wis "niȝt" and *Ȝe* turnt tae *ye*. The yoch leuks awfu like a Indien nummer three (3), that micht be substitutit for the yoch in written wirks.

The dooble letter and lawer case letters (*Ȝ*, *ȝ*) is representit in the Unicode wi code pynts U+021C Ȝ LATIN DOOBLELETTER YOCH(HTML `&amp;#540;`) and U+021D ȝ LATIN LAWER CASE LETTER YOCH (HTML `&amp;#541;`).

## Pronunciation
In auld Scots, the yoch wis uised for the soond /j/ in the cluster o soonds /lj/, /ŋj/ and /nj/ written as *lȝ* and *nȝ*. Yoch wis generally uised for /j/ insteid o *y*. 

## History
In wirds o French and Gaelic oreegin, the early Scots consonant /ɲ/ haed becam /nj/ or whiles /ŋj/, and the palatal consonant /ʎ/ haed becam /lj/.

Afttimes thir wis written as *nȝ(h)e*, *ngȝe*, *ny(h)e* or *ny(i)e*, and *lȝ(h)e*, *ly(i)e* or *lyhe* (*gn* and *gli* in ). In the Modren Scots, the yoch wis replaced by the chairacter *z* in /ŋj/, /nj/ (*nȝ*) and /lj/ (*lȝ*), written *nz* and *lz*. 

The oreeginal /hj/ and /çj/ became the /ʃ(j)/ in some wirds like *Ȝetland* or *Zetland* for *[[Shetland]]*.

Yoch wis uised for tae represent the /j/ in wirds sic as *ȝe*, *ȝhistirday (yisterday) and ȝoung* but it wis replaced by the *y* . The pronunciation o the familiy name MacKenzie (fae the Gaelic *MacCoinnich* [pronunced maxˈkʰɤɲɪç]), wis oreeginally pronunced [məˈkɛŋjiː] in the Scots[1]. Menzies Campbell is seemilar. 

## Efter the prentin press wis developit
The chairacter yoch wis aften confuised wi a cursive ‘z’ that leuks seemilar to the yoch. Gin the yoch wisna available, writers wad uise the letter ‘z’. The yoch can be fund in faimily names that stairts wi a *Y* in Scotland and Ireland; sic as the familiy name Yeoman, whit wad hae been spelt *Ȝeman*. Aftimes the yoch wad juist hae beeen replaced by the letter *z*. 

In the Unicode 1.0, the chairacter yoch wis mistaken for the seemilar chairacter ezh (Ʒ ʒ), and yoch wisna addit tae Unicode until v3.0. 

## Scots wirds whaur the ⟨''ȝ''⟩ wis replaced wi the ⟨z⟩

### Place names

* Ben Chonzie – a muntain in Perthshire;
* Branziert – a bit toun in Killearn near Stirlin;
* The Branziet – pronunced *bringit* (IPA /brɪŋɪt/), a ferm and toun near Bardowie, East Dunbartonshire that gies its name tae the Branziet Burn and Branziet Brig;
* Bunzion – pronunced *bunion* (IPA /bʌnjən/), Lawer and Upper Bunzion bes fairms in the Pairish o Cults, Fife;
* Cadzow – uised tae be the name o the toin of Haimilton, South Lanarkshire; Cadzow gies its name tae mony street names and ither names the likes o Cadzow Castle, Kilncadzow;
* Calzeat – Lanrikhire;
* Calziebohalzie – a rare name wi twa yochs, uised tae be a ferm in Stirlinshire. Cam fae the Gaelic *Coille Buachaille* (Scots Gaelic pronunciation: [kʰɤʎəˈpuəxɪʎə]);
* Cockenzie – pronunced like *Cockennie* (IPA [koˈkɪni]), fae the Scots Gaelic: *Cùil Choinnich* meanin "Co’ o Kenneth", a toun in East Lothian;
* Colzium Estate – nou pronunced wi the ‘z’, an auld estate and big hoose biggit by the Lennox faimily alang the Colzium Burn in Kilsyth;
* Corriemulzie – a river in Sutherland that gies its name tae the Corriemulzie Estate;
* Crailzie Hill – a muckle hill in the Scottish Borders;
* Culzean – pronunced *Culain* (IPA /kʌˈleɪn/), a auld castle in Ayrshire run by the Naitional Trust for Scotland;
* Dalmunzie – nou pronunced like written, an auld castle in Perthshire nou uised as a hottel;
* Drumelzier – pronunced *drumellier* (IPA /drʌˈmɛljɛr/), a veelage in the Tweed Valley;
* Drunzie and Drunzie Feus - two bit toons near Glenfarg in Perth an Kinross;
* Easter Dalziel – pronunced *deeyel* (IPA /diːˈɛl/) fae the Gaelic *Dail Gheal* ([t̪alˈʝal̪ˠ]) meanin "white field";
* Edzell – nou pronunced as written, a veelage in Angus alangside Edzell Wids;
* Finzean – pronunced *fingen* (IPA /ˈfɪŋən/), in landwart Aberdeenshire;
* Funzie Girt – pronunced *funyie girt* (IPA /ˈfɪnji ˈɡɜːrt/), an auld dividin waw on Fetlar;
* Gartwhinzean – a auld toon near Crook of Devon in Perth and Kinross;
* Glenzier – pronunced *glinger* (IPA /ˈɡlɪŋər/), a veelage in Dumfries an Gallowa that gies its name to Glenzierfoot and the Glenzier Burn;
* Kailzie Gardens – a historic walled garden near Kirkburn, Scots Borders;
* Kilchenzie or Kilkenzie – a small settlement on the Kintyre peninsula, fae *Choinnich* (Scottish Gaelic pronunciation: [ˈxɤɲɪç]), the genitive of *Coinneach* (Scottish Gaelic pronunciation: [ˈkʰɤɲəx]) "Kenneth";
* Kilhenzie – a bit toon in South Ayrshire, fae the Gaelic *Choinnich*;
* Kirkgunzeon – pronunced like *Kirkgunion* (IPA /kɜːrkɡʌnjən/), a veelage in Dumfries and Galloway;
* Lenzie – nou pronunced as written (IPA /ˈlɛnzɪ/), but uised tae be cawed *Lenyie* (IPA /ˈlɛnjɪ/), a veelage near Glesga;
* Lochranza – pronunced as written, but foond as *Loch Ranga* ere the 19th century, a veelage on the Isle o Arran;
* Menzion – a veelage in the Borders;
* Menzieshill – an area of Dundee;
* Monzie – pronunced *money* (IPA /ˈmʌni/), fae the Gaelic *Moighidh*, "level tract", a parish in Perthshire near Crieff that gies its name tae Loch Monzievaird and the Faws of Monzie;
* Portencalzie – a bit toon near Kirkcolm on the Rhins of Gallowa;
* Pitcalzean – an obscure archaeological cruive near the veelage of Nigg, Heiland that gies it name tae Pitcalzean House;
* Queenzieburn – pronouoced like *Queenieburn* (IPA /kwiːnibɜːrn/), a veellage in Lanrikhire;
* Terringzean Castle – pronunced like *tringan* (IPA /ˈtrɪŋən/) but wi mony ither written spellins, a castle in East Ayrshire;
* Ulzieside – an estate and farm near Sanchar in Dumfries an Gallowa;
* Zell – auld spelling o the isle o Yell;
* Zetland – the name for Shetland till the 1970s – Shetland postcodes stairts wi the letters ZE.

### Surnames

* Cadzow – see the toon;
* Dalziel – pronoonced *deeyel* (IPA /diːˈɛl/) or *dehyell*, fae the  Gaelic *Dail Gheal* ([t̪alˈʝal̪ˠ]); can be spelt Dalyell and Dalzell;
* Gilzean – pronoonced *gilain*, likes o Maclean, fae the Gaelic *MacGilleEathain* ([maxkʲɪˈʎe.ɛɲ]). Mony fowk nou pronunce the 'z', the likes o Alan Gilzean;
* Layamon – nou pronoonced as written but wis written as Laȝamon ere the 1900s in buiks;
* MacKenzie – now pronoonced as written, but ere 1946 George Black written the auld form pronunced *makenyie* (IPA /məˈkɛŋji/), fae the Gaelic *MacCoinnich* ([maxˈkʰɤɲɪç]);
* Menzies – most richtly pronoonced *Mingis* (IPA /ˈmɪŋɪs/),but nou pronoonced wi the /z/;
* Winzet – pronoonced *winyet* (IPA /ˈwɪnjət/).

### Miscellaneous nouns

* Assoilzie – pronoonced w the seelent ‘*z’* – in the Scots law: rulin for the defender in the ceevic law;
* Capercailzie – the richt Scots spellin o capercaillie in the Inglis (IPA /ˌkæpərˈkeɪli/) fae the Gaelic *capall-coille* ([kʰaʰpəl̪ˠˈkʰɤʎə]) meanin "horse o the wid";
* Gaberlunzie – richtly pronunced *gaberlunyie* (IPA /ɡæbərˈlʌnji/) but aften pronunced as written, a lea’fu beggar;
* Tailzie – pronoonced [ˈteɪli], fae the Scots law but uised nae mair;
* Tuilzie – a struggle or fecht.

## References