Shetland dialect

Common card · No. 261872

Shetland dialect (Shaetlan [ˈʃe̞tlən], also variously known as Shetland or Shetlandic) is a mixed language spoken in Shetland, an archipelago to the north of mainland Scotland. The exact number of speakers is not known, since it has to date never been included in any census. It emerged through the long-drawn and stable bilingualism of Norn (the language of the previous settlers) and Scots (mainly the varieties from Fife and Lothian) brought to Shetland from the early 15th century and onwards. Norn is an extinct North Germanic language, descended from Western Norse, which was spoken in Shetland until the late 19th century, though as of 2025, living memory reports the last known speaker to have died as late as 1925. This long-drawn contact situation resulted in a very distinct linguistic blend of Norn and Scots, with a noticeable contact influence of Low Germanic languages (Middle Dutch and Middle Low German). It has been recognised as a highly distinct variety for centuries. The language...

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