LL-L: "Language varieties" 01.JUL.2000 (01) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 01.JUL.2000 (01) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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From: John M. Tait [jmtait at altavista.net]
Subjecxt: LL-L: "Language varieties" 23.JUN.2000 (01) [E]

Criostoir wrote:

> Shetlandic, for example, can be
>seen as transitional between Orcadian and western
>Norwegian dialects

I don't think so. However Shetlandic and Orcadian are defined, they are
both in the same category - that is, they are both varieties of Scots upon
Norn substrata. Insofar as they may be regarded as transitional, it would
be between Norn and Scots - though the transition is now from that state to
English.

I think the idea of what is meant by 'transition' needs definition here.
Shetlandic and Orcadian, though being as I say varieties of Scots upon Norn
substrata (and therefore capable possibly of being defined as transitional
between Norn and Scots) were nevertheless relatively stable in that form
from the death of Norn as a language (time disputed) until the present. By
'stable' I don't mean absolutely stable of course - I mean that once the
rapid switch from Norn to a form of Scots had taken place, that form of
Scots became the language of Shetland, and might be regarded as Traditional
Shetlandic. The present language is arguably in rapid transition from
Traditional Shetlandic to Standard English. I think that it is useful to
regard periods of language death, such as the death of Norn, as transition
periods. Any relatively stable language which may result from such a
transition, such as traditional Shetlandic, I don't think is usefully
referred to as transitional - unless standard English could be regarded as
transitional from a Germanic to a Romance language on the basis of its
vocabulary.

John M. Tait.

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