Structural influences on both the isotropic NMR chemical shift and resonance linewidth of 89Y are investigated by obtaining magic-angle spinning NMR spectra from a number of solid-state yttrium aluminate and silicate phases. These clearly show that the isotropic chemical shift for 89Y is dependent on the number of nearest neighbours and the nature of the next-nearest neighbours. However, unlike most other nuclei such as 29Si and 27Al, the shift ranges of different nearest-neighbour coordinations significantly overlap. In the silicates the 89Y spectrum becomes more shielded as the 29Si resonance becomes less shielded reflecting the reciprocity of the shifts. © 1988.