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,[6] with a degree of Norse influence[7][8][9] from the Norn language, which is an extinct North Germanic language spoken on the islands until the late 18th century.

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.

[12] "Shetland dialect speakers generally have a rather slow delivery, pitched low and with a somewhat level intonation".

Exceptions are: The dental fricatives /ð/ and /θ/ may be realised as alveolar plosives [d] and [t] respectively,[14] for example [tɪŋ] and [ˈmɪdər] rather than [θɪŋ], or debuccalised [hɪŋ] and [hɪn], (thing) and [ˈmɪðər] mither (mother) as in Central Scots.

[33] Some nouns which are clearly considered neuter in English are masculine or feminine, such as spade (m), sun (m), mön (f), kirk (f).

As is usual in Scots, the relative pronoun is that,[40] also meaning who and which, pronounced [dat] or [ət], often written dat[41] or 'at in dialect writing,[42] as in da dog at bet me... – 'the dog that bit me...' As is usual in Scots, the past tense of weak verbs is formed by either adding -ed, -it, or -t,[43][44] as in spoot, spootit (move quickly).