Unst rambling.
Posted: Saturday, 18 February 2006 |
Comments
no need to be ashamed, being a Soothmoother is very acceptable these days. how long have you been one?
Scallowawife from Shetland
I beg your pardon, but I'm not a soothmoother - I was born in Lerwick and have spent most of my life in the islands!!
Far North from Unst
Yup, there's Far North.
Herman from Orkney
I ken for a fact that Scallowawife has true Shetland blood runnin thru her veins.
Ruthodanort from Unst
As the fresh-off-the-boat arrival replied to the snotty person who cast aspersions on the newcomer (incomer?): "I may not have come on the Mayflower, but I came as soon as I could!" Right!! That is America for you. I understand that things move rather more slowly on the islands....
mjc from NM,USA
ok - is Unst Rambling a soothmoother and/or is Far North and Unst Rambling one and the same? we need to be told! or are you just rambling....
scallowawife from shetland
Well said Scallowawife! Bein a Ferrylouper's joost as good a reason to hae a bit o pride!
Ruthodanort from Unst
Nope, Far North & Unst Rambling are not one and the same. They're different people altogether. And I agree, being a soothmoother or a ferrylouper is just as much a source of pride as being a Sheltie. Let's not go down the road of last year's Lerwick Up-Helly-Aa. Who cares where one's from it's what sort of person you are that counts.
Far North from Unst
We do live in exciting times!! I can already see volunteers assembling in Kirkwall after the next Ba for some fun raiding (using United Arab Emirates -no longer P&O by then - ferries, eh?) of Baltasound and Scalloway etc. to defend the honor of Orkneyans in foreign lands!! Fun, fun ahoy. Ferrylouper? Not in the OED. Someone who commutes to work using the ferry? Someone from Orkney who jumped off the ferry in Lerwick, hoping global warming has reached the Shetland shores?
mjc from NM, USA
To Scallowawife: mug shots (and all police records) to be placed adjacent to Bloggers' names? Can I vote?
mjc from NM,USA
Soothmother (NOT in the Norn dictionary, by the way): someone from the Orkney Islands? or south of Caithness? the Hadrian Wall? How long does a soothmother have to freeze and be blown all over the place in the Shetlands before s/he gets transformed into a "noothmother"? [Graham: I note all those non-English words are escaping your scalpel!! But then you are probably a "Norman" yourself, eh?!, who could not afford a ritoorn ticket down sooth?].
mjc from NM,USA
Unst, I have a contact in the Diplomatic corr, just let me know if you could use it.
GrannyE. DBE.RM from Auchenshuggle tryin to work out where weegie fits
Thanks for the many replies. I was beginning to wonder if there were any locals posting after visiting this site and Shetlink. In fact,after last years conference, I was hoping that there might be some introduction of dialect to blogging. To introduce myself. I am An Unst Travelled Yorkie. I arrived here in May 1970 at the age of 36 years six months and,if I live to my birthday in November,I will be 73 and able to claim,for one day only, to have lived half my life before Unst and half since. I will never be anything other than a Yorkie but I do love the dialect and would love to see it spreading rather than dying. Please keep the comments flowing.
Claudias from Unst
mjc. A soothmoother is so called because incomers would arrive in Lerwick on the ferry coming thru the 'sooth mooth' o the harbour. In Orkney, sooth folk are called ferryloupers because they would arrive on the ferry. (I think.) And one more point, joost tae keep you up-to-date and grammatically correct, an Orkney person is called an Orcadian.
Ruthodanort from Unst
Orcadian, of course! Thanks. I would love to learn the dialects and their variants, but I guess this is most efficiently done in situ, not from NM. Anyway, I guess that one way to move to the Shetlands and avoid being a soothmoother or a ferry louper is to fly in on Loganair, eh? How many dialects and variants thereof are there in the northern isles, and the western ones? At the risk of sounding harsh to Unst Rambling, perhaps I should note that the fanatics are often the converts. I know several languages, and have lived in many countries, but I would resent having to speak (for example) Quebecois rather than standard French when either visiting or living in Quebec Province (Canada). I certainly did not feel I had to learn Geordie (though it might have been fun) when getting my degree at Durham University. And I would not expect my daughter to develop an Oxford accent simply because she is reading for a degree there.
mjc from NM,USA
Ruthodanort, thanks for providing the definitions and correction. In writing a previous comment here, an expression to characterize Unst Rambling escaped me. So, I asked my wife and, being an erstwhile Methodist, she knew right away: "More Catholic than the Pope!" [Graham, the expression is standard, and my using it is kosher: I am an RC myself]. Being something, or loving something - that's one thing, but trying to stick it down others' throats is something else (not to mention asking for their identity card!!). AND, bear in mind please Unst Rambling, before dismissing me as a narrow minded ignoramus, I know several languages (and would love to know more) - have lived in several continents - and I am all for going "native" (though - as Evelyn Waugh would have said - only up to a point, Lord Unst).
mjc from NM,USA
mjc-you soond a bit perturbed by Unst Rambling's love o da local dialect. To explain a little, both Shetland & Orkney have suffered the loss of widespread dialect use, due mainly to Progress. Progress is a good thing, and most locals see it that way, and it has the effect of introducing a wide variety of characters into previously remote areas. It has also meant that islanders have had more opportunities of building lives elsewhere. However, this in effect, has watered down the traditions & dialects over decades, even centuries. Both Orkney & Shetland now actively encourage dialect use, & there are organisations promoting this. (Unst Rambling refers to last year's conference?) It effects everyone, and many soothmoothers & ferryloupers develop a real love for the dialect, even if they themselves don't use it. Unst Rambling clearly has a passion for the Shetland tongue, and is, in common with many other folk in these islands, promoting it.
Ruthodanort from Unst
To mjc. I feel that I must point out that this site is for island bloggers. You and I are only allowed in by invitation. Having great knowledge does not necessarily imply that one always has the wisdom to go with it.
Rachondarox from Lancs
Ok this mite be because im blonde bt could somebody tell me what a soothmoother is?
evil twinny from unstie
Yup. Very Blonde. Look up the comments & you'll see the definition.
RUthodanort from Unst
eviltwinny - joost gettin u back 4 your comment on my blog!
Ruthodanort from Unst
Rachondarox: point taken. I don't own a Northern Isles blog, as is proper. Anyone who starts ("owns") a blog and who wishes non-islanders (or me in particular) not to contribute, please say so. I certainly would honor any such request. As to great knowledge, and certainly wisdom, I would disclaim any possession of such. I am too old for such arrogance. Perhaps Unst Rambling might start a new blog using local dialect and that might be fun for many islanders. I know of one in the Western Isles who uses what I think is Gaelic [the Irish Christian Brothers and Loreto nuns taught us many things, but Gaelic was not one of them!]. Perhaps I took Unst Rambling original question/phrasing much too seriously. Professional defect, you might say. My reaction may well have been infused by the American experience, a land of (successive waves of) immigrants and characterized by (too much) mobility. The original question of U.R. is packed with implicit assumptions, and I wanted to question them, in the form of spirited contribution or rejoinder, and in the spirit underlying these BBC blogs. Of course, I have no objection at all to UR love of local dialect: on the contrary. What set me off doubtless was the question referring to "real Shetlanders." If I gave offence by being forthright and wielding the English language a little too fiercely, my apologies to UR and all. I SIGN OFF THIS TOPIC. When I come to the Shetlands later this year, I shall probably avoid being a (temporary) soothmoother or ferrylouper by flying Loganair. Thanks again to Ruthodanort for her contribution. Best regards.
mjc from NM,USA
I hoop you're gonna let wis ken when you're comin tae Unst, & we'll go along Springers for a pint or two!
Ruthodanort from Unst
mjc - we appreciate and welcome your comments, as we appreciate and welcome uncan fok intae wir hoose, or indeed in tae wir bosie. As I have never met you I wid draw the line at a smooriken. what we all have to remember is that Shetland (not the shetlands, not the islands, just 'Shetland') is what it is because of the people who live and work here, be they local or incomer. The dialect like the culture is continually evolving and changing - that might upset some but thats the way it is and thank goodness for progress. Last night I went to see a neighbour (one who tends to think incomer are a bad thing) and we were looking at a book - Alexander Fenton's 'The Northern Isles' I think its called - and there was a picture of a old Shetland wife (probably in her early forties) carrying a kishie full o peats AND knitting at the same time. that was her daily work. she was almost bent double, and we commented that the peats wid'na last very long i da fire. I said to my neighbour 'that could have been our lives'. Thank god for progress. We have to try to preserve our culture and heritage, but life marches on, and times change, and people change. Shetland isn't how it used to be - but what place is? I welcome the new things, the changes and i don't like when things disappear. But its progress and its evolving. As I type my son and his friend are glued to the computer (its a snow day off school) and are not talking in dialect to each other. but thatt's just how it is. I'm off to boil some mutton and make tattie soup and bannocks (the bairns want pizza and beans)
scallowawife from shetland
"mjc from NM,USA". You're interested in the Shetland language? You may want to take a look at <a href="http://www.shetlopedia.com/">www.shetlopedia.com</a> The Shetland Encylcopedia. They have an online Shetland Dictionary that all the users can edit. You can find it at <a href="http://www.shetlopedia.com/Shetland_Dictionary">www.shetlopedia.com/Shetland_Dictionary</a> I've added a couple of words there my self, but other people are way ahead of me. Plenty of words, a few rude ones too. My favourite (kinda rude) dictionary entry is 'dröltin tree'. I'd never heard of it myself, but it sounds interesting. They also talk about the Shetland language <a href="http://www.shetlopedia.com/Shetland_Language">http://www.shetlopedia.com/Shetland_Language</a> and explain the history of the Shetland language and its dialects and how it's a mixture of Scots and Norse. Bill
Billy oer dere from Shetland
GrannyE, weegies fit in absolutely everywhere because they are just such wunnerful wunnerful people. I was told to say that. Ooyah! Leammealane!
Flying Cat from Feline Family History Society
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