A Shetland saying about hardship and insecurity; Shetland di...
Track Information
Original Track ID
SA1986.35.AF
Original Tape ID
Summary
A Shetland saying about hardship and insecurity; Shetland dialect; an example of its similarity to Norwegian.
According to an old saying, there were only two nights in the year when the Shetlander slept well: the night he paid his rent to the laird, so that he could not be evicted for rent arrears; and the night he had tekkit [thatched] his roof.
Venke Olsen compares Shetland tekkin [thatch] with the Norwegian word for the same thing, 'tekke'. Geordie Gear laments the demise of the Shetland dialect. Olsen would have been able to follow much of his grandmother's speech.
Recording Location
County - Shetland
Parish - Nesting
Island - Shetland Mainland
Village/Place - Eswick
Item Location
County - Shetland
Parish - Nesting
Island - Shetland Mainland
Language
English, Scots
Genre
Collection
Source Type
Reel to reel
Audio Quality
Good