ABSTRACT
In the first section on vowels, a framework for the analysis of vowel variation in Scots dialects and subdialects with Shetland more specifically is presented, and subsequently applied in Chapters 6 and 7. The two most significant realizational processes for vowels, soft mutation and the Scottish Vowel Length Rule (SVLR), are accounted for, including the connection betweebn the SVLR and additional length contrasts found in the Shetland dialect. The next section is devoted to consonant features, including salient Shetland palatalization processes. Issues regarding segmental quantity are treated. Norn complementary quantity and its potential traces in today’s dialect are discussed, as well as arguments for contrastive vowel length in the current dialect. Subsequently, evidence for the occurrence of pulmonic ingressive speech in Shetland is provided, along with an extensive set of acoustic illustrations. Its purported status as a Nordic trace feature is evaluated. Closing the chapter is a discussion of practices, proposals, and debates concerning the orthography of the Shetland dialect and the conventions adopted in the present book.
