Íslenskt mál og almenn málfræði - 01.01.2004, Qupperneq 79

Norn
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6. Concluding remarks
This paper has reviewed the history of and evidence for Norn, the one-
time Scandinavian language of Orkney and Shetland. As has often
been noted before, the available linguistic material has certain West
Scandinavian traits, most notably in the phonology but also to some
extent in the syntax. Because certain radical claims have been made in
the past about the reasons for and the date of the demise of Orkney and
Shetland Norn, its life and death is discussed at some length in section
4. The main conclusion is that the fundamental factor underlying the
language shift was “probably nothing more exotic than the proximity
of Orkney and Shetland to Scotland”. Some suggestions are offered
regarding the mechanics of this shift, based on historical evidence and
knowledge of patterns of language shift and language death else-
where.
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