Conclusion

(1) It is clear that in the representation of both consonants and vowels in BDL, the orthography shows variety within individual poems. Thus /i/ is represented in 8 ways in BDL VII. But it must be noted that there are two main ways of representing /i/ in the poem, by means of MS e or i. Of the remaining six forms, three (nos. 2, 3, 4) are modifications of MS e (i.e. they consist of e with a superscript dot, or followed by another vowel), and one (no. 6) is the upper case form of MS i. A similar picture emerges from the treatment of /e/ in this poem, and with someother vowels: see /a/ and /ə/.

(2) BDL XXVII generally reinforces the pattern distinguished in (1), usually with the same orthographic forms; see the evidence for /i/, /e/, /a/ and /ə/, for example. Where the evidence of BDL VII is not sufficient to establish the principle of two main spellings, this may be thrown into relief by BDL XXVII, as in the case of /i:/ and /e:/.

(3) As (2) suggests, many (indeed a clear majority) of the orthographic forms in BDL VII are attested in BDL XXVII. Those not found in the latter usually comprise spellings with a frequency of 2 or 1; this can also be seen from a number of forms from BDL XVII which are not attested in BDL VII. In other words, individual poems can show a scatter of one-off or eccentric forms, but there is an established common core of spellings. This is very much the impression given by the majority of poems within the corpus, and it would probably be borne out by a detailed study.

(4) The orthography does not have a clearly defined method of indicating long vowels, or more particularly, of distinguishing them from short vowels. Long a, i.e. /a:/, can be signalled by a wavy line placed above it, or MS a may be regarded as long if it is represented as a-e, where a consonant (often n) occurs between the MS vowels. The latter method may be used to indicate other long vowels, but not invariably. Doubling of vowels may sometimes be a sign of length. So also may i or y following a vowel.

(5) Broad and slender (palatal) consonants are not clearly distinguished in the MS. Doubling of consonants in certain instances may be consistent with the occurrences of palatal consonants in normal spelling, but this principle does not hold generally, as broad consonants may also be doubled.

(6) Although the orthography of BDL is based on that of Middle Scots, it is obviously indebted to that of Early Modern Irish. This is most clearly seen in its representation of consonants, where some may occur virtually as they would be in Early Modern Irish. Note especially MS d for dh- and g for -gh, as well as MS -cht for -cht in normal orthography; note also the spelling mnâ, and variants, which predominate in BDL VII. In the case of vowels, the influence of Early Modern Irish may be apparent in the MS use of i for /i/, and MS ei for /e/ before a palatal consonant.