Paperback version Shetland Words is the first new Shetland dictionary for many years. It is the result of almost three years painstaking research by Alastair and Adaline Christie-Johnston and contributing editor Neil Anderson, with help and input from many other Shetland dialect enthusiasts. The result is an easy to use and informative compilation of Shetland words, which for the first time, attempts to differentiate between words believed to be of Norn origin (printed in blue text) and others. Not since Jakob Jakobsen’s An Etymological Dictionary of the Norn Language in Shetland (1928) has so comprehensive a work been attempted. Whilst there remains a need for a new academic study of the etymology of dialect words, this dictionary is vastly more than a mere word list. It provides a useful starting point for those interested in the origin of Shetland words and offers comparisons with similar usage in other languages. Over 4,000 separate entries including an addenda of words once used by Shetland’s 19th century ‘haaf’, or deep sea, fishermen – and some quirky ‘modern’ additions to the dialect. The authors: Alastair & Adaline Christie-Johnston It is generally accepted that the Shetland dialect has survived best in the ‘fringe’ communities of Shetland. It will come as no surprise therefore to learn that the authors were born in Cullivoe, North Yell – a community where many of the old Norn words are still used in everyday conversation. Sharing a common love of the dialect and an enthusiastic determination to understand it more fully has been the catalyst to Alastair and Adaline’s mammoth undertaking in compiling this dictionary. In particular, Adaline’s prodigious memory, wide circle of friends and extended family, have provided a wealth of fertile material to work on. In addition their contributing editor, Neil Anderson, has brought a lifetime interest in the subject, coupled with an amazing knowledge of local flora and fauna, Shetland history, Scandinavian languages and more to provide the critical analysis that a work of this sort requires. Adaline, Alastair and Neil have other published work to their credit, mostly in the form of stories, poems and articles published in various Shetland magazines. Alastair also has previously published a novel, Nor Heard the Clock Strike (The Shetland Times: 2004) and a diary of reflections, Mountain View (Wellington Park Management Trust: 2008). Revised and enlarged edition
