WIKITONGUES: Christine speaking Shetlandic

Uploaded in Edinburgh, Scotland.

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[jbach]

I would pay good money just to have her read bedtime stories. She brings myths, magic, and legends to mind. Absolutely lovely.

[neilcronk]

I enjoyed the way she began sounding very English and, as she talked about her youth and language, gradually her language shifted maer and maer te theh dialeckt ev herr yeuth...

[kealani]

This woman should narrate children's books! What a wonderful, soothing and engaging way she has.

[DM-cuhp]

This woman is a prime example of someone who is soft-spoken but powerful in delivery. You hang onto every word, as it drifts so sweetly and pure from her voice. I wish she was able to be a professor of Shetlandic or given a job as a narrator for books & documentaries. She makes you want to hear everything she says!

[btfstranger]

I understood 99% of what she said, as bilingual Norwegian this mixture of English and Norse completely makes sense. How incredibly fascinating!

[AntoniusVladislavius]

Can someone give her a job as a narrator? This is just wonderful.

[highcotton]

I love how she points out that we cannot let history taint a language. Languages such as Shetlandic and Gaelic seem to be dying out and that makes me sad. So many parents, my parents included, came from other countries to the US and due to a strong need to assimilate, did not teach their children the language of their parents. Teach them the old and the new, they will be richer for it!

[hannaconcepcion]

She looks and sounds like a fae that disguises as a sweet granma.

[alliebean]

The way she speaks feels like the way a cat jumps - powerful and light, gentle and fierce, bright and alive. A beautiful woman speaking a beautiful dialect in a beautiful voice

[omggiiirl]

She's like the old granny you just want to visit all the time to eat sweet things, sit by her fireplace, with tea while she tells stories, fairytales and legends, her voice is lovely and magical and draws you in. I could just imagine her in a magical seaside cottage that's just cozy and warm, while the sea serenades in the background.

[elizabethprov]

It fascinates me how the “R” can be pronounced in such varied and unique ways in all the different languages. Same letter, very diverse sounds.

[jojocanon]

I'm just a country southern American woman. The way she speaks makes me tear up. So absolutely beautiful.

[damonturnbull]

My Nanna was born and raised in Shetland. This takes me back to a young boy watching her get ready to go to town. She would slip into Shetlandic while doing her hair and make up. This has brought it all back to me . What a proud Shetland lassie she was. Thank You 🙏🏼💐❤️

[Concetta]

I would love to share a cup of tea and a conversation with her. She seems like a lovely person.

[ogieogie]

I could listen to this gentle woman talk for hours.

[AnDivroer]

Totally got tricked here... I thought she was speaking Shetlandic from the first second. And it basically sounded like English with a Scottish accent, so I found it pretty funny when she said "we had to learn English, and be bilingual". I was about to laugh, a little bit. Then she switches very little by little to real Shetlandic, and suddenly I understand nothing at all and decide to shut my mouth. Very interesting experience.

[emilevenrud]

As a Norwegian who speaks english mostly fluently, shetlandic actually makes sence to me

[jkg]

She says "heim" instead of "home" and "meir" instead of "more"... I can hear the influence of Norn in her speech.

[HelenaBlack]

What a completely interesting accent. Mostly Scottish but there’s definitely Norwegian underneath (which isn’t surprising considering Shetland is geographically as close to Norway as it is Glasgow) it’s lovely because it’s like listening to an unknown language that you somehow understand. Flemish is very similar in that it’s understandable by English speakers due to its anthropology.

[Rick-ttyq]

She is so lovely...loving those rolling ‘r’s. This Canadian is smiling at you...beautiful.