Scandinavian features in Shetland phonology

Fil. dr Peter Sundkvist
Engelska institutionen
Stockholms universitet

2009-2014

1. The aim of the project
The overall aim of this project was to investigate a number of phonological aspects of the Shetland dialect, which have been discussed in relation to, and argued to reflect traces of, Shetland's Nordic substratum (Old Norse and subsequently Norn). The purpose was thus to ascertain to what extent these features are to be found in the sound system of the contemporary dialect, and what implications this may have for the typological classification of the dialect, with regard to Scots and the Nordic languages. Central issues regarding the vowel system and the prosodic system were to be addressed, including the existence of a set of additional length contrasts that do not appear in other Scottish dialects, front rounded vowels (whose quality corresponds roughly to Swedish 'ö' and 'y'), pairs of long and short vowels, and complementary quantity in stressed syllables. The aim was to assess these matters based on a regional survey of the Shetland Isles. Owing to the significant regional variation within Shetland, the aim was also to cover highly peripheral parts of the archipelago which have been left out in previous studies and may have retained a greater number of relevant features.


2. The three most important findings
The three most important results thus far are the following.

2.1 Additional length contrasts and front rounded vowels
The first set of results concerns additional length contrasts and front rounded vowels. As to the additional length contrasts, our results show that these exist. The results reveal that they are supported lexically, to varying extent, across Shetland. While they are supported by a somewhat limited number of lexical items, there is considerable inter-speaker agreement concerning the lexical items in question. These vowels or vowel contrasts, however, display contextual restrictions, which may be described with reference to a modified version of Aitken's law. The second issue concerns front rounded vowels. Apart from gaining further insight into their phonetic characteristics (primarily quality), we have been able to assess to what extent there is contrastive length among front rounded vowels. We have also been able to determine how much lexical support there appears to be for such contrasts, and what the contextual restrictions are.

2.2 Vowel inventory
The second finding concerns the Shetland vowel system as a whole and its regional variation. Based on the various types of data elicited in the survey, we have been able to establish how the vowel system varies depending on the regional provenance of the speaker. We have also managed to construct a classification and typology among the vowel systems found across Shetland.

2.3 Complementary quantity and regional variation
The third result relates to the issue of complementary quantity and regional variation in Shetland. Our results first of all support the presence a pattern of inverse correlation between vowel and consonant duration in stressed syllables, such that has previously been argued to constitute a present-day reflection of Norn complementary quantity. However, our results underscore the significance of regional variation in Shetland. Through the extensive geographic coverage of our survey, we uncovered great and systematic variation across regions concerning the strength of the inverse correlation. The strength of the pattern displays a general decline from north to south; while it is strong in the northernmost part of Shetland, in parts of southern Shetland it is considerably weaker and in fact no stronger than in the Orkney Isles (located halfway towards the Scottish mainland). Significantly, this trend is generally consistent with what is known about regional variation concerning the demise of Norn; available evidence suggests that it remained the longest in northern Shetland.

3. New research questions arising
The project has generated a number of new research questions, including the following two.

Pulmonic ingressive speech
Pulmonic ingressive speech, or speaking while breathing in, occurs frequently in Swedish and other Nordic languages, especially on short words representing 'yes' and 'no' within a conversation. However, this phenomenon is also reported for other parts of the world, and its areal distribution and typological status is a matter of current debate. It appears to be particularly common around the North Atlantic, for which a contact-induced explanation has been forwarded. It may have been transmitted from Scandinavia to Britain and continental Europe by Vikings, and subsequently to North America by British and Irish migrants. However, it has previously been difficult to make detailed comparisons across the North Atlantic region since, for many localities outside Scandinavia, it has proved challenging to elicit or document ingressive speech through sound recordings. We have detected a significant amount of ingressive speech in the data collected during the fieldwork undertaken for this project, which enables future comparisons between Shetland ingressives and, for instance, Swedish ones regarding phonetic characteristics, pragmatic functions etc.

Language change in rural Shetland
During the fieldwork we have gained further insight into the nature of current language change in Shetland, which has generated new research questions. Previous research has focussed on the process of dialect shift in Shetland's main town, Lerwick. Our experience, however, suggests that the change takes a somewhat different form in more remote, rural localities. Informal observation also indicates that many of the structural characteristics investigated in this project are not present, or much reduced, for younger speakers. An important future research topic is thus current change in rural Shetland, and how it affects the features investigated in the present study.

4. International connections
We have had the opportunity to discuss the project informally with international colleagues, especially from Scotland and the USA. Results from the project have been presented at international conferences (Sundkvist, P. & Gao, M. 2013. "Tracing syllable structure through time: Durational reflexes of complementary quantity in Shetland Scots". LASSO XLII Annual Meeting, New Brunswick, NJ. Sundkvist, P. & Gao, M. 2012. "On complementary quantity in Shetland Scots: results from a regional survey". 45th Annual Meeting of Societas Linguistica Europaea, Stockholm University, Stockholm). Throughout the project we have worked closely with the Shetland community, including the organisation 'Shetland Forwirds', which aims to strengthen the position of the Shetland dialect in Shetland society, culture and education. The two most important publications (see below) are submitted to international outlets.

5. Dissemination of information to the general public
The project was featured in a number of local newspapers in the Dalarna region 29-30 October, 2009, based on a press release issued by Högskolan Dalarna. Concerning the Shetland community, oral presentations of the project were given to the Whalsay History Group (9 August, 2010), as well as to the 'Shetland Forwirds' organisation (Lerwick, 7 June, 2011). The project, and especially the fieldwork, has received brief coverage in two articles in the magazine 'Shetland Life' (Stout, J. 'From the Isle', Shetland Life, no. 369, July 2011, p. 6; Blance, M. 'In good hert', Shetland Life, no. 369, July 2011, p. 41). Information about the project has also been published on 'Shetland Forwirds' website ('Swedish researchers investigate the sound of Shetland', published 9 September, 2010: http://www.shetlanddialect.org.uk/study-of-shetland-sounds). In Stockholm, the project was discussed in an oral presentation at the English Department Day (16 October, 2013).


6. Publication strategy and the two most significant publications
We deem a research monograph to be the most suitable publication form for this project, as it provides an opportunity to present and discuss the results in greater length. A contract for a monograph has been signed with an international academic publisher. A proposal for a second monograph, dealing with aspects not covered in the first book, is also under preparation for submission to Stockholm University Press. SUP ensures Open Access by making all titles freely available online. In addition to these we also aim to disseminate our results through journal articles, one of which is currently under review (see below).

The two most important publications stemming from the project are the following:

1. Monograph on the Shetland dialect (contracted, due in 2016)
Separate chapters will be devoted to aspects examined in the project, including regional variation regarding the vowel system and complementary quantity. Sound illustrations of the dialect and its regional variation will also be included. The book is due in 2016.

2. "A regional survey of the relationship between vowel and consonant duration in Shetland Scots" (article, currently under review for an SSCI-indexed journal)
This article provides a review of what is known about regional variation regarding the death of Norn and the Norn-to-Scots language shift, across Scotland's Northern Isles and within Shetland itself. Results are then presented from our regional survey of complementary vowel and consonant duration. A comparison is also offered with previously published data from the Orkney Isles. The results reveal significant regional variation across Shetland. The strength of the negative correlation displays a general north-to-south decline. In some of the southern localities the trend is no stronger than in Orkney. These results are discussed with regard to several factors, including the death of Norn.

Publications:

Monographs
1. Monograph on the Shetland dialect (John Benjamins, 2016)
2. Second research monograph (Proposal to be submitted to Stockholm University Press. This book deals with aspects not covered in monograph #1. SUP ensures Open Access by making all its titles freely available online)

Articles
1. “A regional survey of the relationship between vowel and consonant duration in Shetland Scots” (Under review for Folia Linguistica)
2. Additional articles in preparation