Norse shifta.  West Norse also shows change of k to ch before i where the k has been kept in East Scand., e.g., O. Ic. ekki = W.Norse (dial.) ikkje or intje, pron. ittje, intje, Dan. ikke (igge). I between sk and a dark vowel early became j in Norse, which then gave the preceding sk something of a palatal nature.  The development of O.N. skiol into shiel in Scotland and England may be explained in this way, as skiol > shul in Norway.  This is, however, to be understood in this way, that if an i or e followed the sk, this was in condition to become palatalized, not that it was at all palatal at the time of borrowing.  The sound was then distinctly guttural, and the guttural character of sk has in nearly every case been kept in Scand. loanwords in English, for palatalization of O.E. sc was completed before the period of borrowing.  This palatalization of sk was general in Scotland as well as in England, and such words in sk must be regarded as Scand. loanwords.

  13.  CONCLUSION AS TO THE TEST OF NON-PALATALIZATION.

As initial sk, corresponding to O.N. sk, O.E. sc, is due to Scand. influence, so, in general, medial and final sk may be also so regarded:  cp. here Sco. harsk, “harsh,” bask (adj.), mensk, forjeskit, etc.  The guttural character of g and k in Sco. is not to be regarded as due to Scand. influence.  Thus mirk, reek, steek, streek, breek, dik, rike, sark, kirn, lig, brig, rig, etc., are to be derived from the corresponding O. Nhb. words, not from O.N.  There is something of uncertainty in these words, however, as they all could come from the O.N.  O.N. hryggr, for instance, would become rig in Sco., just as would O. Nhb. rycg (rygg).  O.N. bryggia would become brig, just as well as O. Nhb. brycg (brygg).  The i after g in bryggia does not hinder this, since, as we know, the O.N. word was pronounced brygg-ia, not bryddja, as a later form would be.

  14.  OLD AND MIDDLE SCOTCH.

After Chaucer, Northumbrian English became a mere popular dialect no longer represented in literature.  But the form of Northumbrian spoken north of the Tweed, Lowland Scotch, has during the next three hundred years quite a different history.  From the Scottish war of Independence to the Union of the Crowns, Scotland had its own literary language.  It is customary to speak of three periods of Scottish language and literature as Old, Middle and New:  Old Scotch extending down to about 1450; Middle Scotch to the Union of the Crowns; and New Scotch covering the period after the Union.  This is, of course, simply a Northern and later form of the Northumbrian we have discussed above.