Written by: Hannah Nicholson
Tags: British Drama Observational
pA young boy living in Shetland falls victim to his nosy but well-meaning neighbour after stepping in dog mess on his way home from school.p pA story I wrote for a creative writing class at university - I chose to write in my native dialect as the assignment was to write in a distinctive character voice. Most of it is just typical Scots, however please find enclosed a glossary of locally-used words.p brbsic’nb – suchbr brbfae soothb – this is Shetland’s general definition of anywhere below Orkneybr brbuncanb – strange foreign differentbr brbavab – at allbr brbfowerb – fourbr brbtirn faessb – frown, or concerned upset worried look.br brbKwitellsdeeb – onomatopoeic, the exact translation is ‘What ails you?’ but usually means ‘what’s wrong?’br brbGluffb – frightbr brbGutterb – dirt.br brbPeerie-wyseb – gentlybr brbCheucher upb – cheer up, brighten.br brbSharnb – dirt and or faecesbr brbHaetb – heat (noun), hot (adjective). In this case, the latter.br brbAbonb - abovebr brbFaab – fallbr brbFa’atb – faultbr brbFokkb – in some instances this means ‘parents’, rather than people in general.br brbBuitsb – boots, in this case, wellies.br pAdditionally the narrator mentions how the children in primary school are kept in separate classes depending on the age group they fall into – in the smaller primary schools in Shetland, some of which have as few as eighteen pupils, this is common practice.p
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Dey Spaek was added to Shortbread stories on Tuesday 10th November 2009, and has been accessed 396 times. It's been read online 20 times. It's been downloaded as a PDF 1 times. 0 members have added Dey Spaek to their favourites. 0 members have added Hannah Nicholson to their favourites.
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Reviews
| Editor's Pick › A story which is deeply steeped in Scottish dialect. This can prove somewhat of a challenge to read. However it is a very rewarding challenge. A delightful story which examines the idea of “incomers” into very rural parts of Scotland. Humorous and original. Well worth getting to grips with the glossary!
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Comments
Hugely enjoyable › I really enjoyed this story. The dialect really made the story come alive and I could really empathise with the storyteller and the mistake she made. A story with a moral but told in a very unmoralistic way - the best kind!
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Wonderful! › Very glad for the glossary, but still loved the story. Agree with everything the lovely Kate said, the conversational tone worked well and it is a great subject matter. I really enjoy the stories on Shortbread which are written in a colloquial manner. A gem which certainly picked up my spirits after reading more jarring material!
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excellent › Really enjoyed this - especially loved the conversational tone and use of Shetland dialect, and the subject matter ("incomers") is certainly a fascinating one, that I would like to read more about.
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