Fróðskaparrit - 01.01.1964, Blaðsíða 31
Dialect Research in Orkney and Shetland after Jakobsen 39
used, and has been used with varying success in Orkney
and Shetland in an attempt to delimit dialect areas. An
early and elementary sketch of such a delimitation was
made for Orkney by using phonic phenomena shown in
familiar diminutive word endings.1) Thus, in Orphir Mary
was said to be »Merrick« and William »Wullock«, In Evie
and Rendall, »Merro« and »Willa«. In Utterstown (Strom* *
ness) »WilIa«, in Firth »Merroo«. The same sort of limited
observation could be made for Shetland by dividing it into
kw or hv areas (i. e. where words like »quite« and »white«
become homophonous, either with kw or hv. This would
also apply, incidentally, to dialect areas in Iceland). Phonic
phenomena, like the centralisation of some rounded back
vowels in Fair Isle, or the labialisation of velar fricatives
in Sanday and Shapinsay could also be used in this way.
Dr. Hugh Marwick, of course, included in his »Orkney
Norn«2) a valuable but necessarily sketchy synoptic tabu=
lation of some territorial differences in Orkney vowel distri*
butions. Jakobsen, for Shetland, gave a very brief statement
on »Dialect Differences of Pronunciation« in §42 of The
Dictionary. His introductory statement to Chapter V on
»Phonology« spoke of the confusion in the phonology of
Norn words due to »the strong Scottish influence . . which
has made the vowebsystems very diversified«. But his ana*
lysis of this follows the conventional formula: To O. N.
... corresponds Sh. ...
It is necessary to bear these considerations in mind, for
the dialects of Orkney and Shetland can each be divided
internally (generally into a North Isles Mainland division)
not necessarily by using phonic phenomena, or even phone*
identifying and delimiting dialects« »Anglo-Irish word Charts« »Ulster
Dialects« p. 148. He is not, of course, here comparing the heteroglosses
suggested by Kurath, but Phonology, Accidence, Syntax, Vocabulary.
cf. Gauchat »Gibt es Mundartgrenzen«. Arch. fiir neu. Sprach. 111 p. 377.
*) »Parish Dialects« Orkney and Shetland Miscellany vol. 1. p. 162.
2) p. 228.