Modern Shetland dialect takes on many different forms across the islands but in its broadest sense is a mix of Old Scots with a strong Norn influence – a Scandinavian language brought to Shetland by the Vikings that’s still the basis for Faroese and Icelandic.
In the short video above, jewellery designer Karlin Anderson shares five of her favourite Shetland dialect words and what they mean. Karlin was born in Shetland and brought up in Tingwall. She began her career in Shetland, before moving to Glasgow to study jewellery design, manufacture and business management. She then went on to London in 2004 to pursue her career in Hatton Garden, the world famous jewellery quarter. She recently moved back to Shetland and has set up a design studio and workshop in Hoswick in the South Mainland.
For more on Shetland dialect and its history, visit Shetland For Wirds. You can also read more about the evolution of Shetland dialect in this previous blog by Alastair Hamilton.
To find out more about Karlin and her jewellery designs, visit the Karlin Anderson website.