The Norn Language of Orkney and Shetland

For some 950 years a Scandinavian language was spoken in Orkney and Shetland. It was introduced into the islands by Viking settlers and became the dominant form of speech there. Norroena, or Norn as it was later called, remained the chief medium of oral and written communication in the Northern Isles throughout the Viking Age for much of the Middle Ages. This book traces the history of Norn, describes its principal features and provides a selection of Scandinavian-language texts from the Northern Isles accompanied by English translation and commentary.