Shetland Dialect

We often speak of the different and various dialects of Irish, and how they may be mutually unintelligible. Well... English is not off the hook in this area! Try to figure out what Lorcan is saying in this YouTube video. He gives a couple good examples of Shetland English.

Da Shitlind Accent

Background: The Shetland accent is not just an accent. It is a separate and distinct sub-dialect of Scots English. It contains many words, and even grammar characteristics, from the extinct Scandinavian language called Norn, which was a variety of Norse spoken in the Shetlands and Orkneys before the islands were pawned to Scotland. The last speaker of Norn was said to have died in the 1850s. On top of the already diverse Scots dialect, the Norn influence places the Shetland dialect a few steps away from the Queen's English.

You can see more of Lorcan and his Shetland adventures here:

SteveTheSkorie

Thanks, Lorcan!

P.S.F.Y.I A skorie is a Shetland dialect word for a young seagull.