Shetland ForWirds

Shetlopedia - The Shetland Encyclopaedia that anyone can edit

Shetland ForWirds are a group, chaired by Mary Blance, formed after the Shetland Dialect convention at the North Atlantic Fisheries College, Scalloway in 2004, with the aim of ensuring the Shetland Dialect survives as a spoken and written tongue.

ACTION PLAN

OVERALL AIM

To promote the continued use of the Shetland dialect

OBJECTIVES - To achieve this we will:

1) establish and define a recognised body of words

2) raise the status and enhance the profile of the dialect

3) develop an educational role at all levels from pre-school to adult

ACTION POINTS

1) formally lobby Shetland Islands Council and other agencies to achieve the creation and implementation of a Shetland-wide dialect policy

2) develop links with linguistic groups outwith Shetland and add our voice to national campaigns

3) develop a website dedicated to the promotion of the dialect

4) research schools' requirements and develop, commission and create contemporary teaching materials for use at all educational levels, from pre-school to adult

5) continue to work towards establishing a comprehensive and practical English-Shetland vocabulary list

6) promote the public use of dialect through a series of initiatives

7) seek ways of working with the local print and speech media

8) assist in creating artistic/cultural projects which will help to further the objectives of the group

9) publicise the distinctive character of the Shetland dialect to visitors to Shetland as an integral part of cultural tourism

10) support and promote the establishment of a dialect study centre in Shetland to facilitate research and store archives