saanicboy

I mind readin' "North Star"; hit wis gret, bit ageen twartree year ago. A'm atween books eenoo - choost feeneeshed "The Fixer" by Bernard Malamud. No dat aisy da gjit a had o, bit a fine read.

Maracle - ta kas serious injury, as in "Boy, dunna wirk brukk, du'll maracle desel!" Onybody keen da origins o dis?

Perfect sense McMess, I agree wi da distinction but come ta be wan o da romantic wans at tink fokk spaekin Shaetlan could aspire ta ee day haein a regularly publeeshed dictionary at wirds wid hae ta win intae afore dey wir recognised. Dat wye we wid loss some o da malleability du mentions bit gain somethin much mair, weel, concrete

Fi fi - We widna hae dat problem if hit wisna fir wirkin wi da Ingleesh. You wid loss your cheenge an your boxers wid be slack, bit here here (ir is dat hear hear) da "loose" wird is wan o da maist annoyin tings I keen o in da virtual forum wirld, cheers tae de fir pointin yun oot.

I'm not sure I'd completely agree that Shaetlan is "not actually a proper language". Any language survives by evolving over time and adopting new words. The fact that Shaetlan is predominantly a spoken language may make this easier, but any language can subsume words into itself, however "proper". Now, when it comes to using the dialect in written form, I personally am of the opinion that it should be encouraged. I would have absolutely no problem whatsoever signing a contract written in Shaelan or a divorce (although I do hope I will never have to). As far as writing letters to the Shetland Times, I am perplexed and befuddled to understand why anyone would take offence at this. It's hardly an official decree, and I'm sure could be easily ignored. If Shetlan were to be used as a means of excluding anyone who had chosen to make Shetland their home, I would not countenance this in any way. I also think ANY child growing up in the Isles has a right to call themselves a Shetlander and be free from persecution over how their voice sounds or where their parents come from. Having said all that, I can see no way in which an incomer to a community can think that it is his or her place to attack the culture, way of life and traditions of their apparently chosen home. I have lived for six years in Glasgow and would not dream of behaving in such a way, so JDB, I hope your children enjoy the peace and quiet they would never be able to find down here and I hope you manage to fit in to the community, but geez a brek wee man, yer nippin ma heid

Ah'm ay hed a saft spot fir Fetlar mesel. Need at laest ee ferry

Ja, I doot I laek benkilt bettir. Cheers tae de.

Ah'm I med onybody paranoid? Onywye, Benkled Dis a Shaetlan wird?

Raman is readin on Thursday nyt troo here, da 8th dat'll be. Dey usually keek aff aboot seevin, hit's at da Glasgow School of Art, choost across da rod fae da main beeldin. Choost so's you aa keen if you kin win

My wird da day wid hae ta be lippen - "I wid nivver a lippened hir ta shaa up" De Pooperit, whit ells de breeks? His du no bön gjittin eneoch chocolate?

Ah'm readin "King of the World - Muhammad Ali and the Rise of an American Hero" by David Remnick. Hit's brally grippin, n dir's a lock o gear aboot Liston an idder boxers at preceded him as weel. Ex Isle, "The Master and Margerita" is an absolute beaut. Ah'll hae tae fin hit an read hit ageen noo

Weel den, Skyumpie, Ah'm blyd du wan. Hit certainly is a cross cultural piece, whit wi da spokkin Spanish athin hit as weel, an wir Spanish guitarist's a Swede, streechly eneoch

I hæ a lokk a'riespekt fir de as dominie, bit I doot no joost da sam as prophet. No'at eddir a'wis'll be aboot ta ken Weel if I play me cairds ryt dan firstly Ah'll choost aboot be still hingin on in dere, an I keen hit winna dee afore me! Ah'm no scholar bit I keen you baith ir, in fin eneoch itae da langweej tae hae an academic debate i da writtin wird at set's me hert rissin an me heid birlinn, an Lola B tae da smuck shop. Personally I dunna tink dat's da behavyir o a langweej at's on da wye oot

I doot whit I wid spaek wid be laek 'aa' is in aa wir coin 'bid' as in bid wir neebirs ower an dan da ee soond, if dat makks ony sense. Ah'm nivvir dat certain whaar me spaekin comes fae, bein a Yall boy wi a Nesteen feddir an a Scallawa mam. Hit's mibbe sum kindo bastardisation parteecilir tae wir eens Ah'm wi de, Lola B, tinkin aboot hit eenoo. I doot da Engleesh 'that' his twa senses, is in 'yun ting' an is in 'da bick at whalpit' Ah'm personally o da opeenyin dat somethin feelin ryt is paramount, eespeeshilly whin you hae da privilege at wi dae o wirkin wi a langweej ir dialekt ir whitivvir you want ta caa hit, ultimately a wye o spaekin, whaar da rules o scrievin hit ir saft laek da bens o a bairn, reddir is sturkinned laek da waa o a leisure centre. I mön raily try an makk a habit o pawstin on here i da moarneen whin me heid's no birlinn laek a wind turbine. Onywye, Ah'm gjaain tae bang on aboot dis play, Lorca's Shadow. Hit's on nixt week, fae daday, if you want me ta feel da fear, atil Setirdee at 7.30 it Diverse Attractions near da tap o da Mile on your left on da wye up. I dunna want tae hijack da tread bit Ah'll be recitin rendireens o Lorca an Neruda (kindo Neruda, hit's mair o an 'eftir' wan) itae da Shaetlin is weel is een o me ain, an da hail show is lookin kindo aaricht, an aa o you readin dis'll git mair fae hit din da Americans an da Japanese (I höp), so plaise win if you kin in ideally bring a Spaniard (in a hankie, be da wye, no tae blaa wir ain trumpet bit wir guinea pig daday cood o don wi wan). I hae tae go an sleep. Mony tanks fir readin dis faar tae ony een it's buddired, an look eftir your smucks

I doot dy smucks ir hed it, Lola B. Dir's naetheen laek settin your past alow tae focus whit coarn o wit wi aa hae. I doot Ah'm mibbe taen be da insomnia du wis spaekin aboot. I tink wan o da gret tings aboot bein athin dis peerie planticrub o Shaetlin is hit brings wir livin langweej itae da wirld o da twinty first century. Ah'm gjittin da pictir dat maest o wis on here ir oot o da Isles, an I winder if onybuidy haes ony towts on whit wye we yose hit, an if hit mibbe sudna hae mair eens dat spaek ta tongue whin dey by dir airnts? Tinks onybuidy dit a distance fae wir hem makks wis mair analytical aboot wir nettiril wye o a spaekin.

Filskat Cat - du's fair livin up tae dy nem tae come aa yun wye doon, virus ir no virus. Skyumpie - I doot wi'll shurely fin wan anidder, aabeit Milnes is I mind hit his sumtheen o da labyrinth aboot hit. I tink dy een'll be a peerie bit bettir is mine, keep dim scrippit fir lang yallo hair an du sanna ging faur wrang. Lola B - if du wears dy smucks a Tuesday den shürly nen o wis'll miss de? Noo, whit dis onybuidy tink? Ah'm ay scrieved aabuidy, onybuidy, naebuidy fir sic laek an wirds, an I dunna keen if I kin be døin bettir, fir dir's sometheen aboot da "ui" vowel dit choost doesna feel perfict. I doot maest o you eens ir fan wyes aroond dis, an if I choost red more hit widna be a budderation tae me. I wid be blyde o ony edukaeshin ony o you could gey me.

I nivver hiv gottin da wye o emotin, bit Ah'm wirkin on hit I wid höpfully be able tae win alang fir a peerie start, bit wid need tae be awa no lang eftir six, wi dis festival on kerry

Ah'll hae tae unfurl me mast here an say dat I tink aless fir mibbe page tree o dis treid Ah'm choost aboot med me wye troo da hail o dis blissid isle. Hit's been a rail education fir me readin troo dis da past day ir twa. Hit's gret tae see some academic wark gjaain on itae da midder tongue. Baet's wirkin onywye. Ex-Isle, whit wye no bid Lola B alang tae Lorca's Shadow, an ony o da idder Edinburgh eens here an wi kin aa hae a pynt. Hit wid be fine ta hae some Sheatlin spaekers ent hit.

Weel, Yun's a lock a gear tae coom oot a coontin fae wan tae ten, ir hooivver you wid scrieve hit. Ah'm joost gottin itae dis peerie neuk da day an tryin tae win trow as muckle as I kin manage wioot gjittin bellt oot o me wark. Ah'll höpfully see mair o you aa i da near future. Höp my spellin doesna offend fokk ower muckle (ir should dat be muckil?) Fir whit hit's wirt, I reckin dit da less ambiguity da bettir. If you speir it a wird in Spanish, den you keen exactly hoo tae say im. English doesna hae dat advantij. If coorse, wir no Spanish, bit whit wan o you nivver wore a Fair Isle ganzie whin you wir peerie?