Glossary · Term · language
Norn language
Norn was the North Germanic language spoken in Orkney, Shetland and Caithness, descended from the Old Norse of the Viking settlers. It remained the everyday language of the islands for centuries after they passed from Norway to Scotland in 1468 and 1469, but gave way to Scots and died out by the 18th century. Many of its words survive in local dialects and place names.

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Cite this entry
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Norn language. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/norn-language
- MLA
- “Norn language.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/norn-language. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Norn language.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/norn-language.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Norn language’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/norn-language (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻