Issues in Scottish vowel quantity

"This book primarily provides a detailed description and interpretation of one of the most fascinating and poorly understood processes in English accentology, i.e. Aitken's Law, also known as the Scottish Vowel Length Rule by which vowel quantity in Scottish English is fully predictable, as opposed to the other regional accents of English speakers. The research also contributes to the understanding of the working of long-short vowel distinctions in the languages of the world and argues that all phenomena observed in connection with the presence and absence [of] vowel quantity contrasts are a direct consequence of the working of a relatively small set of universal and inviolable principles of grammar"--Publisher's description. p. [4] of dust jacket.