The traditional dialect spoken in the Shetland Isles, the northernmost
part of Scotland and Britain, is highly distinct. It displays distinct,
characteristic features on all linguistic levels and particularly in its
sound system, or its phonology. The dialect is one of the lesser- known
varieties of English within the Inner Circle. Increasing interest in the
lesser- known varieties of English in recent years has brought a
realization that there are still blanks on the map, even within the very
core of the Inner Circle. Sundkvist's comprehensive treatise draws upon
results from a three- year research project funded by the Bank of Sweden
Tercentenary Foundation, for which a phonological survey of the Shetland
dialect was carried out between 2010 and 2012. This book is a useful
resource for those working on historical linguistics and is intended to
serve as a comprehensive description and accessible reference source on
one of the most distinct lesser- known varieties of English within
Britain. It documents and offers a systematic account of the rich
regional variation as well as being a reference source for those
studying the historical formation and emergence of the Shetland dialect
and language variation and change in Shetland, as well as those within
the broader field of Germanic linguistics.
