Insular Scots
Insular Scots
Shetland and Orkney were colonised from Norway under Danish control in the
ninth century. The colonists spoke a Scandinavian language which came to
be known as Norn. The Islands were governed under proxy between 1321 and
1468 by the Scottish Earls of Angus, Strathearn and St. Clair. In 1468 the
Islands were offered as a dowry security for the marriage of the Danish
princess Margaret to James III. The dowry was never paid and the Islands
became part of Scotland. Eventually through Scots government and settlement
the Islands became Scots speaking although the dialect is heavily influenced
by Norn. Not only in vocabulary but also in verb construction.
Because of the significant variation
within Insular Scots and its difference to mainland Scots
varieties. Insular Scots has developed orthographic traditions
of its own. Vowel length and the use of consonants varies
much more than in mainland Scots, and is often considered
difficult to represent using traditional Scots orthography.
For further insights, see:
Robertson, T. A. and Graham, J. (1952)
Grammar and Usage of the Shetland Dialect, Lerwick:
Shetland Times Ltd.
Graham, J. (1984) The Shetland Dictionary, Lerwick.
Flaws, M. and Lamb, G. (1997) The Orkney Dictionary,
The Orkney Language and Culture Group, Kirkwall.
Tait, John (2000) "Some characteristics of the Shetlandic
vowel system", Scottish Language 19 , 83-99.
Consonants
Consonants usually have the same phonetic
values (pronunciation)
in Scots, as in Standard English.
An initial <d> before a vowel may
be pronounced /dj/ or
even /ʤ/.
Initial <f> (/f/)
may be pronounced /fj/
in words like fact, fauch and ferm etc.
For more detail see Orthography.
| Scots
Spellings |
Pronunciation
in words like: |
| |
| <ch> |
usually |
/x/ |
bocht, nicht, loch |
| <ch> |
Initial often |
/ʃ/ |
chap, chield, chirl,
chowk |
| <nch> |
usually |
/nʃ/ |
brainch, clinch, dunch,
hainch, inch, French |
| <tch> |
usually |
/ʧ/ |
fleetch, wratch |
| <dge> |
usually |
/ʤ/1Often
pronounced /ʧ/. |
begrudge, cadge, cruldge,
fadge |
| <g(e)> |
occasionally |
/ʤ/1Often
pronounced /ʧ/. |
breinge, gigot |
| <gn> |
initial |
/gn/2Now
usually only among older speakers. |
gnap, gnaw |
| <kn> |
initial |
/kn/2Now
usually only among older speakers. In Shetland <kn>
may occasionally be pronounced /hn/. |
knap, knee, knot,
knowe |
| <j> |
initial |
/ʧ/ |
Jean, jeely, jyle |
| <ld> |
usually |
/ld/3Syllable
final <ld> is often pronounced /l/. |
auld, bield, cauld,
elder, fauld |
| <nd> |
usually |
/nd/3Syllable
final <nd> is often pronounced /n/. |
baund, daunder, find,
haund, sindry |
| <ng> |
usually |
/ŋ/ |
finger, hing, ingan,
single |
| <nk> |
usually |
/ŋk/ |
bink, hank |
| <qu> |
usually |
/kw/
or
/ʍ/ |
acquent, quair, queen |
| <sh> |
usually |
/ʃ/ |
creash, sheep |
| <sh> |
occasionally |
/ʒ/ |
fushion, pushion |
| <th> |
usually |
/d/ |
blether, thaim, thair |
| <th> |
usually |
/t/ |
wirth, thing, thrawn |
| <th> |
final after a vowel |
/θ/ |
mooth, sooth, truith |
| <th> |
final |
/ð/
or
/d/ |
buith, meith |
| <wh> |
usually |
/ʍ/
or
/kw/ |
wha, whan, wheech,
wheel |
| <wr> |
initial often |
/wr/ |
wrack, wrang, wricht,
write |
Vowels and Diphthongs |
| vowels |
unstressed |
/ə/ |
aboot, the, oxter,
duntit, bannock, smeddum |
| <a> |
initial in |
/ə/ |
ahint, awa etc. |
| <a> |
usually |
/a/4In
some areas /ɔ/ and /æ/ may
also occur. |
aff, lang, mak,
wash, watch |
| <a> |
final in |
/a/ |
awa, twa, wha |
| <au> |
usually |
/a/4
In some areas the pronunciation /ɔ/ or
/ɑ/ may occur. The cluster <auld>
may be pronounced /ʌul(d)/. |
auld, haud, haund,
saul, saund, slauchter |
| <aw> |
usually final |
/a/4In
some areas the pronunciation /ɔ/ or /ɑ/
may occur. |
aw, blaw, caw,
draw, faw, gaw, gnaw,
haw, slaw, snaw, staw |
| <aw> |
occasional |
/a/4In
some areas the pronunciation /ɔ/ or /ɑ/
may occur. |
awn, awfu, bawbee,
bawsant |
| <ai> |
initial and medial |
/ɛ(:)/5In
west Shetland /e/ also occurs. In peripheral
areas it may be diphthongised. In parts of Orkney
before /p/, /t/, /k/, /ʧ/,
/f/, /s/ and /ʃ/, /æ:/
may occur as in aik, aiple,
ait, craitur. In Orkney /i/ may
occur. |
aiblins, aik,
aiple, ait, aith, braid,
craitur, fain, gaither,
graith, haimer, laim |
| <aCe> |
usually |
/e/6On
Whalsay after /k/ and /g/, /je/
may occur as in cake [kjek]. In Orkney
after /w/, /əi/ may occur as in
wame [wəim]. In some dialects <ane>
is pronounced /in/ as in alane, ane, bane,
gane, mane, nane and stane. In Orkney /i/ may
occur before other consonants. |
alane, ale, ane,
ance, bane, face, gane,
gate, hame, mane, nane,
Pace, stane |
| <ae> |
usually |
/e/7In
Orkney /i/ may occur. |
ae, brae, f(r)ae,
gae, sae, tae n., wae
|
| <ae> |
except in |
/ø/8The
pronunciation /Y/ also occurs.
Note /ø/ in daes, daesna
and daena.
On the island of Stronsay pronunciations similar to
those of Central Scots occur with /ɪ/
in abuin, abuise, bluid, bruit,
cuil, cuit, daes, daesna,
daena, duin, fruit, fuird,
guid, luif, luim, muin,
schuil, spuin, uise and Yuil
etc., and /e:/ in buird, dae,
fluir, muir, muisic, ruise,
shuir, tae v. and uiss. In Orkney
/(j)u/ may occur before /p/. |
adae, dae, shae,
tae v. |
| <ay> |
usually |
/e/ |
day, gray, lay |
| <ea> |
usually |
/i,
e/9Orkney
usually has /i/ but Shetland may have /ɪ/
or /e/. |
beast, cheap, deave,
east, heap, hear, meat,
ream, sea, tea |
| <ea, ee> |
before /k/
(Shetland) |
/ɛ/ |
breeks, leak, speak |
| <ee> |
usually |
/i/ |
dee, dree, eetem,
freet, jeely, keep, meet,
teeth, weel, weet |
| <ei> |
|
/i,
e/9Orkney
usually has /i/ but Shetland may have /ɪ/
or /e/. |
beir, deid, heid,
meidae, peir, spreid, teir,
threid |
<ie,
ei> |
usually |
/i/
|
bield, chield, eild,
scrieve, shielin |
| <ei> |
before /x/ |
/i/ |
dreich, heich, skeich |
| <e> |
usually |
/ɛ/10Before
/r/, /e/ may occurs in some areas. In
the outer isles diphthongisation may occur. |
bed, ebb, esh,
fecht, gled, gless, seck,
wecht |
| <i> |
usually |
/ɪ/11In
Orkney /i/ may occur before /g/, /k/
and /m/, and before /l/, /ɛ/
may occur. Before /x/ diphthongisation to /əi/
or /ae/ may occur as in nicht. A preceding
/k/ may be realised /kj/ sometimes also
/tʃ/. |
drink, in, inch,
licht, lift, pit, rin,
simmer, sin, stibble, whin,
whisper, whit, wid, wind,
wir, wird, wirm, wittins |
| <o(a)> |
usually |
/ɔ/12In
some areas the pronunciation /o/ also occurs
and on Yell before /x/, /əu/ may
occur as in brocht, loch, thocht. |
boat, boss, box,
coal, cod, common, dochter,
hoast, loch, on, rock,
thocht |
| <oo> |
usually |
/u/ |
aboot, coont, droop,
hoose, moose, oot, scoor,
soond |
| <ou> |
usually |
/u/ |
allou, bouk, broun,
couer, coum, doun, dout,
poupit, thoum |
| <uCe> |
usually |
/ø/ |
dule, hure |
| <u> |
usually |
/ʌ/ |
bund, burn, drunken,
fund, grund, truff, unce,
wund |
| <ui> |
usually |
/ø/8The
pronunciation /Y/ also occurs.
Note /ø/ in daes, daesna
and daena.
On the island of Stronsay pronunciations similar to
those of Central Scots occur with /ɪ/
in abuin, abuise, bluid, bruit,
cuil, cuit, daes, daesna,
daena, duin, fruit, fuird,
guid, luif, luim, muin,
schuil, spuin, uise and Yuil
etc., and /e:/ in buird, dae,
fluir, muir, muisic, ruise,
shuir, tae v. and uiss. In Orkney
/(j)u/ may occur before /p/. |
abuin, abuise, bluid,
bruit, buird, cuil, cuit,
duin, fluir, fruit, fuird,
guid, luif, luim, muin,
muir, muisic, ruise, schuil,
shuir, spuin, uise, uiss,
Yuil |
| <eu> |
usually |
/ø/13The
pronunciations /Y/ or /(j)u/
may also occur. |
beuch, beuk, eneuch,
heuk, leuch, leuk, neuk,
sheuch, teuch, teug |
| <ew> |
usually |
/ju/ |
dew, few, new,
spew |
<iCe,
yCe> |
usually |
/əi/ |
advice, bide, byle,
fine, fire, ile, rive,
tyne, wice, wyte |
| <ey> |
usually |
/əi/ |
eyntment, eyster |
| <y(e)> |
final in |
/ai/ |
cry, kye etc. |
| <oi, oy> |
usually |
/ɔe/ |
Boid, foy, noise,
ploy |
| <ow> |
initial and medial |
/ʌu/14In
some words the pronunciation /u/ may occur
in Shetland and /ɔ/ may occur in Orkney. |
bowt, cowp, cowt,
gowd, gowf, lowp, owsen |
| <owe> |
final |
/ʌu/14In
some words the pronunciation /u/ may occur
in Shetland and /ɔ/ may occur in Orkney. |
flowe, glowe, growe,
howe, knowe, lowe, rowe,
towe |
Suffixes |
| <ae> |
usually |
/ə/15The
pronunciations /ɔ/ and /u/ also
occur. |
Americae, airae, barrae,
nairae, swallae, windae |
| <ie> |
diminutive |
/i/ |
grannie, laddie, lassie,
shappie, wifie |
| <fu> |
usually |
/fu/ |
awfu, carefu, mensefu |
| <na> |
negative |
/nə/ |
daena, haesna, maunna,
winna, wisna |
<y,
ie> |
adverbial and adjectival |
/i/ |
reekie, sairy, stany,
stourie |
| <ly> |
adverbial |
/li/ |
brawly, feckly, fully,
geyly, likely, uncoly |
- Often pronounced /ʧ/.
- Now usually only among older speakers. In Shetland
<kn> may occasionally be pronounced /hn/.
- Syllable final <ld> and <nd> are often
pronounced /l/
and /n/.
- In some areas /ɔ/
and /æ/ may
also occur. In some areas <au> and <aw>
may also be pronounced /ɔ/
or /ɑ/. The
cluster <auld> may be pronounced /ʌul(d)/.
- In west Shetland /e/
also occurs. In peripheral areas it may be diphthongised.
In parts of Orkney before /p/,
/t/, /k/,
/ʧ/, /f/,
/s/ and /ʃ/,
/æ:/ may
occur as in aik, aiple, ait,
craitur. In Orkney /i/
may occur.
- On Whalsay after /k/
and /g/, /je/
may occur as in cake [kjek].
In Orkney after /w/,
/əi/ may
occur as in wame [wəim].
In some dialects <ane> is pronounced /in/
as in alane, ane, bane, gane, mane, nane and
stane. In Orkney /i/
may occur before other consonants.
- In Orkney /i/
may occur.
- The pronunciation /Y/
also occurs.
Note /ø/
in daes, daesna and daena.
On the island of Stronsay pronunciations similar to
those of Central Scots occur with /ɪ/
in abuin, abuise, bluid, bruit,
cuil, cuit, daes, daesna,
daena, duin, fruit, fuird,
guid, luif, luim, muin,
schuil, spuin, uise and Yuil
etc., and /e:/
in buird, dae, fluir, muir,
muisic, ruise, shuir, tae
v. and uiss. In Orkney /(j)u/
may occur before /p/.
- Orkney usually has /i/
but Shetland may have /ɪ/
or /e/.
- Before /r/,
/e/ may occurs
in some areas. In the outer isles diphthongisation may
occur.
- In Orkney /i/
may occur before /g/,
/k/ and /m/,
and before /l/,
/ɛ/ may occur.
Before /x/ diphthongisation
to /əi/ or
/ae/ may occur
as in nicht. A preceding /k/
may be realised /kj/
sometimes also /tʃ/.
- In some areas the pronunciation /o/
also occurs and on Yell before /x/,
/əu/
may occur as in brocht, loch, thocht.
- The pronunciations /Y/
or /(j)u/
may also occur.
- In some words the pronunciation /u/
may occur in Shetland and
/ɔ/ may occur in Orkney.
- The pronunciations /ɔ/ and /u/ also occur.
The perfect and past perfect tenses are formed with the
verb tae be rather than the verb tae hae
i.e.
I'm buin at da fyshin.
(A'm been at the fishin.)
A hae been at the fishin.
I have been fishing. |
Dey wir buin at da fyshin.
(Thay war been at the fishin.)
Thay haed been at the fishin.
They had been fishing. |
An excellent Shetlandic website is 
Imbuis ta Shaetlan
Examples of the Orkney dialect can be found at
Sigurd
Towrie's excellent website about the Orkneys
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