An insightful route to deep thought 5

This volume covers the dialects spoken on the north-eastern Scottish mainland, Orkney and Shetland, and is a clear introduction to these varieties of Scots (including a discussion of whether they are forms of English, at all).

These varieties have all been affected by contact with Gaelic or Norse, or both, and this is addressed in the introduction and a chapter on the history of the varieties and change in progress. These chapters also consider the decline of traditional industries and the discovery of oil in the areas where the dialects are spoken. Other chapters discuss phonetics and phonology, morphosyntax and lexis.

Who is it for? Like all volumes that are part of the Dialects of English series, the book is aimed at both linguists and anyone else who would like to know more about particular dialects.

Presentation: Cleanly set out with diagrams (to help explain concepts in the history of the varieties), linguistic tables (to help explain grammatical and phonological systems) and maps.

Would you recommend it? Essential reading for students working on the varieties of English and Scots spoken in the area, and a good starting point for anyone interested in them.

Patrick Honeybone, lecturer in linguistics and English language at Edinburgh University.