Shetland dialect (also variously known as Shetlandic; broad or auld Shetland or Shaetlan; and referred to as Modern Shetlandic Scots (MSS) by some linguists) is a dialect of Insular Scots spoken in Shetland, an archipelago to the north of mainland Scotland. It is derived from the Scots dialects brought to Shetland from the end of the fifteenth century by Lowland Scots, mainly from Fife and Lothian, with a degree of Norse influence from the Norn language, which is an extinct North Germanic language spoken on the islands until the late 18th century. Consequently Shetland dialect contains many words of Norn origin. Many of them, if they are not place-names, refer to e.g. seasons, weather, plants, animals, places, food, materials, tools, colours, parts of boats. Like Doric in North East Scotland, Shetland dialect retains a high degree of autonomy due to geography and isolation from southern dialects. It has a large amount of unique vocabulary but as there are no standard criteria for distinguishing languages from dialects, whether or not Shetland dialect is a separate language from Scots is much debated. Phonology "Shetland dialect speakers generally have a rather slow delivery, pitched low and with a somewhat level intonation". Consonants By and large, consonants are pronounced much as in other Modern Scots varieties. Exceptions are: The dental fricatives and may be realised as alveolar plosives and respectively, for example and rather than , or debuccalized and , (thing) and mither (mother) as in Central Scots. The qu in quick, queen and queer may be realised rather than , initial ch may be realised and the initial cluster wr may be realised or . Vowels The underlying vowel phonemes of Shetland dialect based on McColl Millar (2007) and Johnston P. (1997). The actual allophones may differ from place to place. Vowel 11 occurs stem final. Vowel 3 is often retracted or diphthongised or may sometimes be realised . Vowel 7 may be realised before and before and . Vowel 8 is generally merged with vowel 4, often realised or before . The realisation in the cluster ane may be as in Mid Northern Scots. Vowel 15 may be realised or diphthongised to before . Vowel 16 may be realised or . Vowel 17 often merges with vowel 12 before and . Vowel length is by and large determined by the Scottish Vowel Length Rule, although there are a few exceptions. Orthography To