Place names in Shetland are largely of Norse origin though Scots forms can also be found throughout the islands. In this article Eileen Brooke-Freeman of the Shetland Place-names project discusses place name issues in modern Shetland.  

Spellings, sounds and signs

The perennial question of place name spelling and names on road signs is currently provoking much discussion.  The most recent catalyst is the process of putting Gaelic place names on road signs.  This important initiative increases the status of the language and validates the names used by the Gaelic speaking population, but it can provoke disgruntlement from Scots speakers asking why the signs are in English and Gaelic, but not Scots.  The new signs can be particularly galling in areas where there never has been a Gaelic version of the name, yet new Gaelic names are being created, rather than using a perfectly good Scots name.

An age-old debate rumbles on in Shetland too.  In 2002 a move to put Old Norse versions of place names on road signs was rightly thrown out by the Scottish Executive.  Unlike Welsh and Gaelic, Old Norse is a defunct language and not spoken in modern Shetland; Shetland dialect is another matter altogether.  The function of road signs is to give directions and therefore it is not the appropriate place to try and explore the history and evolvement of a name.  What has now appeared in Shetland are gateway signs, giving the Old Norse root word and meaning of the place name.  Whilst a good method of demonstrating the origins and recognising the value of place names, the signs can be problematic - the origins of some names are unclear and some need a more lengthy explanation than easily fits on a sign.  More effective options for educating locals and visitors alike are through interpretive panels, leaflets and by talking.  The gateway signs also fail to convey the local pronunciation, thus causing further concern - only an English and Old Norse version of the name are rendered.

Throughout the world when faced with a new word it is important to get beyond the spelling and learn how to pronounce it.  We all have a responsibility to pass on the right information and correct people where necessary.  Whilst living in Cheshire I quickly was put right on local names by colleagues so didn’t make a fool of myself by talking about Cholmondeley rather than Chumley and Peover rather than Peever.  For most Shetlanders it grates like mad to hear Saaness, Bressa and Waas (Sandness, Bressay and Walls) mis-pronounced, yet how many of us think to help the incomer learn the correct form?  

Depending on where we live we tackle some names differently.  Most folk apply their own local pronunciation to similar looking names elsewhere, but as a rule I try to use the local form be it Tanook, Shandrik or Ottersweek (Tangwick, Channerwick and Otterswick), yet to change all the spellings would be misleading.  How could we identify the common place name element and hence the meaning of the word?  As well as helping us find our way in the world, place names provide vital clues about the environment, history, geography, and the people who lived here in the past: where they came from, what language they spoke and how they used the land.  Many names have been modified through time and spelling changes often mask the true origins.  In these cases listening to the local pronunciation becomes crucial in identifying the root word and therefore unravelling the meaning.  

It is important to correct signs and map names that are clearly mispositioned or misnamed,  such as the Ordnance Survey record of High Knowe which is actually Hay Knowe (mis-recorded as High because of the local pronunciation), and the signage to Bannaminn Beach - the name of another beach entirely.  Once a name appears on a map and sign the error is perpetuated and mis-used by all, be it someone from another area, a tourist or anyone writing about the place.  I heard one tale of a canoeist about to paddle towards the wrong beach because they were directed to Bannaminn!  There is clearly much to do correcting maps, brochures and signs.

Yet there is so much more to place names than the name which appears on a map or road sign.  The Shetland Place Names Project is recording as much information as possible about place names – the exact geographic location, local pronunciation, root elements, changes through time and differences in names between villages, between land and sea . or official and unofficial names, and stories about the names.  The oral evidence is highly important and value is placed on local knowledge for locating the name, pronouncing it and understanding the meaning.  The sounds of names are more important than the spelling, but in terms of presenting data on maps and signs the spelling always becomes an issue which will continued to be discussed at length by generations.

Eileen Brooke-Freeman

Shetland Place Names Project