Page:An Etymological Dictionary of the Norn Language in Shetland Part I.pdf/35

Rh b) U$m$., Mid Unst, or U$ba$., Baltasound, c) U$e$. or U$c$., Colvidale in the east of Unst, south from Baltasound. d) Westing, or the westerly (west-south-west) Unst, here written U$wg$., while U$w$. denotes Unst west, in a wider sense, including the little village Widwick in the north. e) the south of Unst, U$s$., esp. the village of “Øjasund”, Uyeasound. Linguistically the little village of “Mooness” (U$mo$.), Muness, forms a special district in the east of Unst.

In the Yell dialects, several ramifications are to be distinguished: a) the north of Yell, Y$n$., in a narrower sense, with centres in “Kollivo” Cullivoe, Brecken and the northerly village Gloup. b) Bastavoe, Y$b$., which can be classed under Y$n$. in a wider sense. c) Mid Yell, Y$m$., on the east side of the island, d) de Herra, Y$h$., the district round Hwalfirth Voe, west and north-west from Y$m$. e) West Sandwick, on the west side of the island (Y$w$). f) the village West-Yell (Y$wy$.), south from W.Sw. g) the little district East Yell, Y$e$., in the south-east of the island, h) the south of Yell, Y$s$., with centre in Burravoe, and Hamnavoe.

In the case of the Fetlar dialects, a special distinction is made here between the easterly branch, Fe$e$., and the westerly, Fe$w$. Along with these are Fe$h$., de Herra, the central district, as well as Fe$f$., the village “Finni”, Funzie, on the east side of the island, a special sub-division of Fe$e$.

In Lerwick, I collected a good deal of information from people who had moved into the town from the country, and had retained their home-dialect. . Everything thus recorded I investigated and sifted later, during visits made to the districts or to the islands to which the people concerned belonged.

Among other methods employed during my visits to the various places, I made a point of getting into conversation with people who did not belong originally to the place, but had moved into it from another neighbourhood. These people quite naturally took particular notice of such words and expressions as differed from those used in their original homes. In that way I often obtained knowledge of differences in the vocabulary of the dialects, that otherwise might have escaped my observation; but of course, information about places obtained from people who were half-strangers in such places, had to be confirmed by people who were natives of the places concerned.

Old people who had good knowledge of the matters I wished to investigate, were often difficult to question, for, as a rule, they did not and could not have that comprehension of my undertaking which the younger people had, or quickly acquired. The older people were sometimes anxious lest what they said should be recorded, and were, on that account, at first apprehensive of unpleasant consequences. Further conversations, however, almost invariably dispelled such apprehensions. A certain intimacy of relation had to be established, before I could, with any real advantage, obtain replies to my numerous inquiries.

It was from the younger generation that I collected by far the greater part of the Shetland Norn vocabulary presented in this dictionary. The younger people were thoroughly interested in my work,