Knappin and kn-

To knap in Shaetlan means to speak English (in an affected manner). The word knap originally meant 'to strike, knock' in both Middle English and Old Scots. But it has been used with the meaning of "to speak in an affected manner" since at least 1581.

It is pronounced /knap/ with the <kn> sounded out as k- + -n-. In fact, there are a fair few regions in Shetland where <kn> is fully sounded out, so that knife, knowe ('hillock'), knee, knot etc are pronounced /knaif/, /knau/, /kni:/ and /knɒt/ (not /nʌɪf/, /ni:/, /nɒt/ as in StE, where the k- is silent). This is similar to other Germanic languages, where both the k- and the -n- are sounded out, like in German Knie (/kni:/) and Swedish knä (/knæ:/), 'knee'. The k- in such words as knife, knight and knee became silent around the 16C in the English varieties, but in the Scots varieties that change happened later. By now kn- pronunciations are obsolete in most Scots varieties. It is possible that Shaetlan has kept this pronunciation through reinforcement from the Scandinavian substrate.

App: Pink Trombone by Neil Thapen

Caption reads: "The mouth of a Shetlander trying to speak English"