Sean - Glad to hear you'd like to visit Shetland.

I would recommend coming by boat, rather than flying, because Shetland has such a maritime culture that you get a much better feeling for the place if your first experience is sailing up the coast and docking in Lerwick harbour.

Visiting in summer is advisible unless darkness and extreme weather conditions are your idea of fun. In mid summer, it doesn't get dark at all.

@Jam - Oooh, I didn't know you were up there. I'd really like to go (was thinking of visiting when I do Lands End to John O'Groats) but its quite a way north!

@ orathaic, its spelt "independEnt" not "independAnt" (You may well be pronouncing it slightly wrongly too.

"not in the Atlantic" -- > "not in the Pacific"
my bad

About Shetland, Google Maps has some awsome images of the island group if you use the street view feature.

@TGM my spelling may be poor but i will argue that given the evolving nature of language there is no wrong pronounciation, words change in meaning and sound over time and place, though the internet and printing press may have helped standardize spelling quite a bit...

I did say Pacific? because i didn't know ... i will admit assuming that most of those 'british islands' are in the pacific because i never learned them all nor their locations (i didn't know about Reunion island until i worked with someone from there...)

La Réunion est le français

@diplomat61
Let's call the island that Eire and Northern Ireland share by its proper name(s). Either Ireland or Hibernia.

@orathaic, there is certainly incorrect pronunciation. To take it to the extreme, I can't imagine many people accepting that backslang is a legitimate English pronunciation.

@Gho: Down boy!
@patiz - Ireland, I think people are pretty well in agreement about that one.

@Patiz - thanks for demonstrating my point

@figles: yeah, most agree, except the republic (of ireland) is usually abreviated to Ireland, and Northern Ireland to 'the north'

Whereas in the North they will refer to the republic as 'the south' - this just means that when refering to Ireland in normal conversation it is not always clear whether you mean the island of ireland (Hibernia) or the republic of ireland (Eire).

@incorrect prnounciation - is it not fair to say that pronunciation varies with geographic region, and so does vocabulary. Infact variation in these two things is what leads to language diverging.

English pronunciation and, to a lesser extent, vocabulary definitely varies across the globe. I have had the pleasure of living and working in many countries, some where English is the main language but mostly not. Whilst I love the different accents I have encountered understanding the vocabulary is the most enjoyable part. Often it highlights subtleties in meaning that I, through familiarity, have never noticed.

@orathaic, yes, it does vary, but there are, to my mind, two sensible ways of looking at it:

1. Stating that some received pronunciation is correct.
2. Allowing some variations but not all.

You cannot just say "anything goes", because then "potato" might as well be pronounced "wibble"...

@Ghost: Don't be ridiculous. If you did that how would you pronounce wibble?

figlesquidge: "potahdo", duh.

Or as they say in Canada, via Stompin Tom 'bah-day-doe'

Or we could pronounce all words wibble, then most children could speak fluently by 3

@Ghost Sodapop, soda, pop, soft drink, which is wrong? Wibble might be correct, depending on where you live. Pronunciation is only part of the difference in reginal variations. To say your list of correctness is the only one is limiting.

Sodapop, Soda, pop, soft drink aren't the same word pronounced differently.

Unless you will agree with the statement that "wibble" is a legitimate way of pronouncing "potato", you must accept that there is such a think as mispronunciation.