Home › Glossary › Letter T

Tham

Dialect
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

The Scots dialectal form of the pronoun "them," commonly used in Scottish poetry and speech to reflect regional linguistic identity, preserving historical grammatical structures distinct from Standard English usage.

Detailed Definition
Used in "the ane of tham," it maintains colloquial flow. Scots poetry favors these pronouns for authenticity and metrical fit.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Mark Alexander Boyd's Sonet: "Twa gods gyds me: the ane of tham is blind" – 'tham' meaning them (the two gods); A poet could write: "I sing o' tham wha walk the ancient paths" to demonstrate 'tham' as plural pronoun for distant figures; Educational example: "The stars abune, I honor tham wi' every prayer" showing 'tham' for reverence in celestial verse; In narrative: "Twa lovers met, and love united tham for aye" illustrating 'tham' in relational unity; Hypothetical usage: "The winds and waves, I trust in tham to guide" to use 'tham' for natural forces personified.
Additional Notes
Tham is the Scots pronoun for "them," used for groups, deities, or distant objects with natural dialect flow; Boyd refers to guiding gods; enhances conversational tone in poetry; tip for students: maintains rhythm where English "them" might feel stiff; common in narrative ballads and direct address.
Also Known As
Them Thame
Skip to main content