The Shetlands (what's your take on this term?)

[Fifi]

It all seems pretty pedantic to me. I am 100% sure that anyone referring to our delightful collection of islands as "the Shetlands", and whoever it was at BBC Scotland that was responsible for writing "on" instead of "in", was not cynically trying to do Shetland down.

I agree. While 'the Shetlands' just doesn't sound right to anyone living here, I suspect it's used by those outwith Shetland who don't realise the situation as more of an abbreviation for 'Shetland Islands' than anything else. In short, while it doesn't sound right, I'm not particularly bovvered! >

[Styles]

Listening to Jermey Vine on radio 2 and hes called it "the Shetlands" quite a few times, they are speaking about shetland banning cold callers.

[Rasmie]

I think it is something to do with the evolving (or degradation) of the English language as she is spoke souf of the border. They always try to shorten names - (Shetland) Island(s) becomes Shetlands? just laziness.

I find it annoying when most foreigners seem to refer to the entire UK as England, which is way off the mark.. I suppose we call the Netherlands Holland which probably annoys the Nederlanders who don't come from that particular part of their low flat country. Course we also call Deutschland - Germany...and so on. Inetersesting to find out how many foreigners we manage to get wrong!

[Yowe]

I was attempting to buy something on the internet yesterday and when I got to the address part I could't find Shetland in the list of areas. I was looking for either Shetland or The Shetland Isles. I almost went in a huff and gave up and then I spotted it..... Isle of Shetland! I emailed the company to point out the error and tell them I almost hadn't bought anything because I thought Shetland wasn't on the list. They prompty replied and said they would change it.

[Sparky]

Well speaking as someone who managed to call it the Shetlands in my first post on here I stand corrected from this point on

I certainly have no problem with being corrected as I would be most unhappy to remain blissfully ignorant and continue to do it unaware that some may find it an annoyance.

From now I will endeavour to use the term Shetland (although I can see me slipping up now and again )

I know that if I were talking to a visitor here in the UK and they referred to it as Englands (or even the UK being England as a whole) I would politely point out their error.

 

As a tenuously connected side-note, Do you all consider yourselves to be British as much as Shetlanders or do the Norwegian roots still hold sway?

[Ghostrider]

As a tenuously connected side-note, Do you all consider yourselves to be British as much as Shetlanders or do the Norwegian roots still hold sway?

 

I think you'll find it's very much a matter of personal choice/preference. My personal feelings on the subject, and for myself only, are Shetlander first, British second, and Scottish less than zero.

[Pooks]

You beat me to it. I have just replied to your previous post regarding the 'Shetlands'. Easy mistake to make.

[aWordinyourEar]

I've been interested to follow this thread. Being an ignorant migrant aussie I'd always known of your region as 'the Shetlands' (and your neighbour as 'the Orkneys'). Just recently an Australian traveller who'd enjoyed a visit your way corrected me and said you insist on being called the Shetland.

 

I did like the way during the 80s we started to specify different Australian aboriginal peoples, eg. Koori, Murray and Torres Strait Islanders. I see also the political significance in banishing Rhodesia, Bombay, and Burma to the footnotes of geographers.

 

I favour that argument offered earlier that it's a pedantic, sciolistic concern.

 

While I'm somewhat inspired by the fact of this debate, it does have the whiff of the parochial to me. Policing discourse in terms of what is correct and proper can be stultifying. I could see the point if there was a suggestion the use of Shetlands diminished your identity through negative associations but I don't see that happening.

 

I think I'll start using 'Shetland', in deference to the strong feelings expressed on this thread, but I wouldn't correct anyone that said 'Shetlands' to me.

[Ghostrider]

Oops!!....Seems our big white chief needs a little schooling himself, in the approrpiate terminology etiquette for referring to this far flung lesser corner of his realm.

 

Jack McConnell

 

6 September, 2006

 

CHILDREN in the Shetlands are now back at school and the first term of the year is well underway. Some have started school for the first time....

 

Full story, with his offence repeated, here....

 

http://www.shetland-news.co.uk/pages/news%20stories/09_2006/first_minister_speaks_about_schools.htm

[Rasmie]

Shetlander 1st, British 2nd and only Scottish when confronted by an angry mob in France

[Heimdal]

What does Jack McConnell know about anything He's from the Arrans.

[thekid]

jack turd.

[Fjool]

I dunna keen if dis comes up as a local issue as such, I juist kinda windered aboot fokk's opinions on dis...

 

Does it buddir onybody else when sooth fokk ca's dem 'Da Shetlands' an whin dey refer tae da dialect as 'Shetlandic', or am I juist ower reactin a bit here?

 

(** mod edit - moved from another thread **)

[Spinner72]

As a tenuously connected side-note, Do you all consider yourselves to be British as much as Shetlanders or do the Norwegian roots still hold sway?

 

I think you'll find it's very much a matter of personal choice/preference. My personal feelings on the subject, and for myself only, are Shetlander first, British second, and Scottish less than zero.

 

I agree 100% wi dat. Tae me "Shetlands" is just terrible grammer. Wid da same fok say dey lived in Britains?.

 

Tak it fur whit it is. Anybody who uses da term is at best simply an idiot, an at worst (fur dem) ill-informed/poorly-researched.

[motorleague]

Tak it fur whit it is. Anybody who uses da term is at best simply an idiot, an at worst (fur dem) ill-informed/poorly-researched.

 

Why is there an expectation that everybody should have taken the time to become educated about this, or that it should even have crossed their minds to research it?

 

Have you personally taken time to research the linguistic curiosities of every small island/regional community in the UK and beyond, just so you're not unwittingly putting anybody's nose out of joint?

 

I know I haven't bothered.

 

I'm lucky if most people round my way (in Northern England just for the record) know that Shetland is north of Scotland and not part of the Hebrides, and anything more about the culture of the place beyond assuming that we have an unhealthily keen interest in our own livestock. Once you get south of Aberdeen/Edinburgh or whatever, by and large Shetland just ain't that large or important in the grand scale of things to most people...