Page:An Etymological Dictionary of the Norn Language in Shetland Part I.pdf/113

Rh

āvə rɩg ri̇̄və mɔg skäᶅəna ri̇̄və dɩg nā tråtᶊə krabə jå‘nᶊa tråtᶊəlȯs or tråƫəlȯs.

From Unst comes: Crab, crab, come ashore! Nāgə trȯita, nāgə trȯita — I’m feared, du “rɩgraivs” me.

The original form was probably:

“Krabbi, krabbi, kom at landi!” “Crab, crab, come to the land (ashore)!"

“(Ek) efa(sk), at þú hrygghrífir mik.” “I am afraid that you will tear my back."

“Ek skal eigi hrífa þik.” “I will not tear you." “Nei, þrátt!” sagði krabbi, “(Hon er) svá trygðalaus.” ''“No, certainly not!" said the crab,'' “(she is) so faithless."

The form in the first line implies the dative form “landi”. must therefore be “kom at landi”.

in line 2, is efa,, commonly used in sense of to doubt. It has also been used in sense of to hesitate, or to have suspicion about something (efask, ifask), and in this sense must here be explained: to have a suspicion, to be afraid.

[mɔg], me. In variant (a) has been inserted, through misunderstanding, as the first word of the third line.

In line 3 the English (Scottish) “no” = not has replaced “eigi”. skaᶅəna = no, I shall not.  and, you.

In line 4 Lowland Scottish na, no, has replaced the older “nei” = no., þrátt, expresses a strengthening of the negative; see * in the Dictionary.

Whilst the first three lines are ordinary dialogue, the words in the fifth line do not appear to be the direct answer of the crab to the crow.

may be a corrupted form of “‘jon’ (hon?) er svá”, she is so. “hon”, she, may have changed to in Shetlandic in the same way as *hæns, a hen, has changed to in Foula. But one might almost suppose here to be  and English dialect yon.

can hardly be trottlaus, unsteady, in perseverance (force), which does not suit in this connection. It might be taken to be a “traustlauss” in the same sense as the útraustr, unreliable, but “traustlauss” in has a different
 * þróttlauss, because the root-meaning of this latter word is wanting