Editing Shetland (section)

== Etymology ==
[[File:Shetland2022OSM.png|thumb|right|Detailed map of Shetland, labelling many place names]]
The name ''Shetland'' may derive from the [[Old Norse]] words {{lang|non|hjalt}} ('[[hilt]]'), and {{lang|non|land}} ('land'), the popular and traditional claim. Another possibility is that the first syllable is derived from the name of an ancient [[Celtic tribe]].<ref>[http://fetlaraerial.com/2014/08/hjaltland-shetland-yet-land-1871/ Hjaltland – Shetland – ‘yet, land!” – 1871] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141227010841/http://fetlaraerial.com/2014/08/hjaltland-shetland-yet-land-1871/ |date=27 December 2014 }}, Jakobsen, Jakob, fetlaraerial.com. Retrieved 14 May 2015</ref><ref name="å" /> Andrew Jennings has suggested a link with the [[Caledones]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Jennings |first=Andrew |date=2011 |title=Hjaltland Revisited: The Place-name Shetland and its Celtic Origin |url=https://www.academia.edu/40702190/The_etymology_of_the_name_Shetland_an_examination_of_possibilities |journal=NORNA-rapporter |volume=87}}</ref>

In AD 43, the Roman author [[Pomponius Mela]] made reference in his writing to seven islands he called the {{lang|la|Haemodae}}. In AD 77, [[Pliny the Elder]] called these same lands the {{lang|la|Acmodae}}. Scholars have inferred that both of these references are to islands in the Shetland group. Another possible early written reference to the islands is [[Tacitus]]' report in ''[[Agricola (book)|Agricola]]'' in AD 98. After he described the Roman discovery and conquest of Orkney, he added that the Roman fleet had seen "[[Thule]], too".{{#tag:ref|Watson (1926) is sure that Tacitus was referring to Shetland, although David Breeze (2002) is more sceptical. The name ''Thule'' was mentioned by [[Pytheas]] of [[Massilia]] when he described visiting Britain sometime between 322 and 285 BC, but it is unlikely he was referring to Shetland, because he also wrote that he believed Thule was a six-day sail north of Britain and a one-day sail from "the frozen sea".<ref name="Breeze">Breeze, David J. "The ancient geography of Scotland" in Smith and Banks (2002) pp. 11–13</ref><ref>Watson (1994) p. 7</ref>|group="Note"}} In [[Old Irish|early Irish]] literature, Shetland is referred to as {{lang|sga|Insi Catt}} — "the Isles of Cats" (meaning the island inhabited by the tribe called ''Cat''). This may have been the pre-Norse inhabitants' name for the islands. Cat was the name of a Pictish people who occupied parts of the northern Scottish mainland (see [[Kingdom of Cat]]); and their name survives in the names of the county of [[Caithness]] and in the Scottish Gaelic name for [[Sutherland]], {{lang|gd|Cataibh}}, which means "among the Cats".<ref>Watson (1994) p. 30</ref>

The oldest known version of the modern name Shetland is {{lang|la|Hetland}}; this may represent "Catland", the Germanic language softening the ''C-'' to ''H-'' according to [[Grimm's law]] (also coinciding with Jennings' hypothesis for the early sound shift necessary for descent from ''*kalid-'' to ''*halit-'', from ''Caledones''). It occurs in a letter written by Harald, earl of Orkney, Shetland and Caithness, in ca. 1190.<ref>Diplomatarium Norvegicum. p.2 [1190] {{lang|la|Dilectissimis amicis suis et hominibus Haraldus Orcardensis, Hetlandensis et Catanesie comes salutem.}} [https://archive.org/stream/diplomatariumno06bugggoog#page/n11/mode/2up/search/Hetlandensis archive.org]</ref> By 1431, the islands were being referred to as ''Hetland'', after various intermediate transformations. It is possible that the [[Picts|Pictish]] "cat" sound contributed to this [[Old Norse|Norse]] name. In the 16th century, Shetland was referred to as {{lang|nrn|Hjaltland}}.<ref name=G21>Gammeltoft (2010) p. 21-22</ref><ref name=S9>Sandnes (2010) p. 9</ref> {{#tag:ref|As with all western dialects of Norse, the stressed ''a'' shifts to ''e'' and so the ''ja'' became ''je'' as with Norse {{lang|non|hjalpa}} which became {{lang|non|hjelpa}}. Then the pronunciation changed through a process of [[lenition|reverse lenition]] of the initial {{IPA|/hj/}} to {{IPA|/ʃ/}}. This is also found in some Norwegian dialects, for example in the word hjå ("with") and the place names [[Hjerkinn]] and [[Sjoa]] (meaning from ''*Hjó''). Lastly, the ''l'' before the ''t'' disappeared.<ref name="å">[http://www.språkrådet.no/nb-no/Sprakhjelp/Leik/Ord_4/Stadnamn_paa_-a,_hjalt,_Leirv/ "Placenames with -a, hjalt, Leirvik"]{{dead link|date=May 2018|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}. Norwegian Language Council. (Norwegian). Retrieved 26 March 2011. Archived version [https://web.archive.org/web/20170303051652/http://archive-no.com/page/8779/2012-05-16/http://www.sprakrad.no/nb-NO/Sprakhjelp/Leik/Ord_4/Stadnamn_paa_-a,_hjalt,_Leirv/ here]</ref>|group="Note"}}

Gradually, the Scandinavian [[Norn language]] previously spoken by the inhabitants of the islands was replaced by the Shetland dialect of [[Scots language|Scots]] and {{lang|nrn|Hjaltland}} became {{lang|sco|Ȝetland}}. The initial letter is the [[Middle Scots]] letter, ''[[yogh]]'', the pronunciation of which is almost identical to the original Norn sound, {{IPA|/hj/}}. When the use of the letter yogh was discontinued, it was often replaced by the similar-looking letter [[z]] (which at the time was usually rendered with a curled tail: ⟨ʒ⟩) hence {{lang|sco|Zetland}}, the form used in the name of the pre-1975 [[traditional counties of Scotland|county council]].<ref>Jones (1997) p. 210</ref><ref>[http://shetlopedia.com/Zetland_County_Council "Zetland County Council"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110924222431/http://shetlopedia.com/Zetland_County_Council |date=24 September 2011}} shetlopedia.com. Retrieved 16 July 2009</ref> This is the source of the [[ZE postcode area|ZE postcode]] used for Shetland.

Most of the islands have [[Norse language|Norse]] names, although the derivations of some may be pre-Norse, [[Pictish language|Pictish]] or even pre-[[Celtic languages|Celtic]] names or elements.<ref>Gammeltoft (2010) p. 19</ref>