Marjolein Robertson is a Shetlandic comedian, actor and storyteller. She was Scots Speaker of the Year in 2022, ranked number three in The List’s Hot 100 as one of the top Scottish cultural contributors. Hey 2023 Edinburgh Fringe show “Marj” also received award nominations and was one of the best reviewed show at the Fringe. Technically, Marjolein is this podcast’s second guest from Scotland, but same with every other island, Shetlanders see themselves as Shetlanders first and Scottish second.
The interview largely revolves the concept of “knapping”. The verb “to knap” for Shetlanders means to change the way you speak to accommodate the listener, as you do not expect the listener would understand your original way of talking. It is an equivalent to code-switching, but the process is probably more automatic when a Shetlander meets a non-Shetlander. It explains Marjolein’s accent shift as she performs and gets interviewed down south.
We also talk about how Marjolein weaves Shetland folktales into her comedy and takes advantage of general audience’s ignorance when it comes to her native island.
This is probably the episode with the densest discussion on linguistics and cultural identity to date; it is therefore slightly longer.
Marjolein is performing at Edinburgh Fringe this year! Her new show “O” is at Monkey Barrel The Hive at daily (except Aug 12th). Reserve your tickets here.
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Intro
On Shetland and islanders’ identities
How Shetland is indicated on a map
Marjolein’s comedy CV & her Wikipedia page
“Knapping” - a Shetlandic word meaning changing one’s way of speaking to make oneself better understand for the other person
Marjolein’s “American voice” v “Shetland voice”
How Marjolein’s accent shits on stage
New movement in Shetland - the “No Knapping” badge———
Shetland’s extinct old tongue “Norn”
“Scots” as a language tangled with Scottish independence
How A Faroese man - Jakob Jacobsen - helped preserve evidence of the old Norm language
Audience in England knows Shetland even less than Scottish audience
Marjolein plays with people’s ignorance when it comes to Shetland
On her Shetlandic not being “broad” enough for some fellow Shetland’s
A Storyteller
Marjolein’s 2024 Edinburgh Fringe show “O”
A poem in Shetlandic
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Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
