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Origin of the term - "Soothmoother"


Malachy
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[mod]title changed to 'Origin of the term - "Soothmoother"' from 'Soothmoothers' to better reflect his particular thread and the direction it is intended to take 22/10/2009[/mod]

 


I'm doing some research on the word "soothmoother" and I'm trying to gather together some information and opinions on its origins and its use.

From what I've been able to gather, the word doesn't seem to be particularly old. I'd be interested to know if any older Shetlinkers remember hearing it before, say, 1960?

I'm also keen to hear about its use, either as a description or as an insult. I'd like to hear any anecdotes about how you've heard it used (I heard the phrase 'soothmooth Shetlander' for the first time yesterday, and I'm not even sure quite what that means). Any stories or thoughts would be interesting.

(Mods, I know there's a soothmoother thread already but I thought since this query refers to specific research I'm doing, it would be better to separate it. If you disagree, feel free to act accordingly).

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I'm doing some research on the word "soothmoother" and I'm trying to gather together some information and opinions on its origins and its use.

Interesting. I look forward to hearing your results.

From what I've been able to gather, the word doesn't seem to be particularly old. I'd be interested to know if any older Shetlinkers remember hearing it before, say, 1960?

Well, personally I can't attest to hearing it before then as I am not old enough, but I was of the opinion that it is much older. Certainly both parents maintained that it went way back.

 

With respect to its usage as a pejorative term, I've stressed before and do again, it is not ill meant on its own. When used disparagingly it is invariably combined with whatever insult is deemed appropriate (e.g. "soothmooth eediat"). Obviously such use is more common than similar combinations with positive meaning (e.g. one is not likely to hear the term "southmooth genius"), but neutral usage of the term is certainly common.

 

As for the "mooth" bit. My understanding is that it was from the south mouth of the harbour alone, and interpretations involving speaking with a southern mouth are from later (sort of like a backronym formation).

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Thanks. The geographical origin (ie sooth mooth of the harbour) is almost undoubtedly correct, though it has certainly expanded in its reference since then.

 

I suspect, though it's very difficult to be sure, that it had limited use, particularly outside Lerwick, until the 1970s. Once oil arrived and immigration increased, it was very widely used. I'm keen to know if I'm on the right lines with that though.

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It was a term virtually exclusive to the town before the very late 70's/early 80's in my experience, it remains still pretty much that in the 40/50+ generation.

 

I was first around the toon much in '76, and I'd never heard the term "soothmoother" before that. It took me a bit to get used to it and learn the meaning. While I might well use it when talking with a toonie native, or someone younger than myself, I avoid using it when talking with non-toonies and those older than myself, the chance I'd get a funny look or a snide "du needna cum yun Lerrikified wye wi me" comment is high.

 

At home the terms used were "sooth fok" or "sooth eens" or "fae sooth", which were used in exactly the same way, whether they were simply descriptive/neutral/benign, disparaging or complimentary, like descriptive terms for folk from any part within Shetland relied entirely upon the the context and accompanying rhetoric.

 

The ease or travel between the town and other areas, more commuting to work in the town, and an increase in pupils transferring to the AHS, all of which have taken giant leaps forward since the 70's have no doubt contributed to the wider usage of the "soothmoother" term today though. The old saying that the average toonie had never seen the world beyond the top of the Soond Brae still had a lot of truth in it in the 70's, and although there were plenty of folk from outside the town coming in and out regularly for work etc, most would not have used toonie words they'd encountered when speaking when they were back home.

 

The only way someone might see the term as a stand alone insult as far as I can see, would be that its use could suggest a level of non-acceptance/non-inclusion by identifying the person concerned as "different". But anyone doing so, is IMHO being paranoid and/or over-sensitive, and is ignorant of the older Shetland mentailty. Back in the day such terminology came down to a township level, and even today you'll still hear similar terminology applied to one district by natives of an adjoining one.

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It was a term virtually exclusive to the town before the very late 70's/early 80's in my experience, it remains still pretty much that in the 40/50+ generation.

To some extent that's the impression I get, yes.

There was a PhD written after research in Cunningsburgh from '77 to '79 and 'soothmoother' seems to have been very widely used there at that time. So much so that the American author uses it herself as a synonym for incomer (though she is also writing about the negative connotations of the word).

  

The only way someone might see the term as a stand alone insult as far as I can see, would be that its use could suggest a level of non-acceptance/non-inclusion by identifying the person concerned as "different". But anyone doing so, is IMHO being paranoid and/or over-sensitive, and is ignorant of the older Shetland mentailty.

 

This is actually a pretty complex subject. I can personally attest to the word being used as an insult (ie "f**king soothmoother), sometimes in my direction. That strikes me not just as an expression of difference - there is clearly the suggestion that there is something negative about being a 'soothmoother' (whatever you might define one of those as) otherwise that phrase doesn't make sense.

 

But...I have to say that, at the moment, I'm less interested in going over this particular part of the discussion (it's covered quite well in the already existing thread). I'm more keen to hear about origins, uses, and unusual uses of the word. Perhaps also specific definitions (this seems also to be controversial). A newcomer is far more likely to be called a soothmoother than a well-integrated incomer, yes?

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This is actually a pretty complex subject. I can personally attest to the word being used as an insult (ie "f**king soothmoother), sometimes in my direction.

 

In your example though "soothmoother" could be exchanged for any other term denoting the status or origins of the individual concerned, and have the same meaning to them. The way I'd see it is that "f**king" is the insult part of the phrase, and "soothmoother" is the descriptive term for the individual it is applied to. No different to someone calling me a "f**king Ness man" or me calling someone a "f**king Lerrik man" etc.

 

"Ness man" or "Lerrik man" by themselves are not usually considered derogatory, neither is "soothmoother" by itself, in my mind.

 

The origins of "soothmoother" as far as I'm aware were in the town, I was told by toonies when I asked where it came from back in the 70's, as has already been noted, that it denoted incomers as they had usually arrived via the Sooth Mooth. The term sooth mooth had very little relevance to anything for anyone outwith Lerwick, so few could really appreciate the relevance or importance of the term. It was just yet one more piece of water around the isles, whereas to a Lerwegian it was, in the past at least, probably the singularly most important asset the town had, so held significant importance to them.

 

A newcomer will almost always be referred to as a soothmoother or some similar term, how quickly folk stop using the term when referring to them tends in my experience to depend on how quickly folk forget that the person in question is an incomer. The passing of time and the level of integration both play a part in how soon it happens.

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The way I'd see it is that "f**king" is the insult part of the phrase, and "soothmoother" is the descriptive term for the individual it is applied to. No different to someone calling me a "f**king Ness man" or me calling someone a "f**king Lerrik man" etc.

 

Hmm, as I say, I don't want to get into a t*t for tat about this right now because I know it's impossible to get a consensus on it, but...

I see what you're saying: "F**king Ness man" sounds like an insult, but it's a bit confusing unless you understand the connotations. It sounds a bit odd. Likewise, if you take a neutral description: "F**king brown haired person", it sounds ridiculous because there's no clear context for the insult. It would be hard to be insulted by it. But if you say "F**king black person" or "F**king Jew" then the context is obvious - you are relying on pre-existing prejudices and widely-understood connotations as the context. And the fact is that, in Shetland, particularly in the immediate post-oil period, there were significant anti-incomer feelings being voiced. And those feelings provide the context for the potentially insulting use of the word soothmoother.

 

[The ludicrous censorship here is due to Shetlink's swear filter - "t*t for tat" appeared as "moomin for tat", which was very confusing]

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A newcomer will almost always be referred to as a soothmoother or some similar term, how quickly folk stop using the term when referring to them tends in my experience to depend on how quickly folk forget that the person in question is an incomer. The passing of time and the level of integration both play a part in how soon it happens.

Very true. I think usage is mostly related to situations involving "ignorance" rather than "stupidity" (and in my opinion people who think those words mean the same are in the latter category). So, for example, one hears things like "yes, but remember he's a soothmoother." This doesn't mean the person is stupid, but rather that allowance should be made as they are not likely to have got the hang of living here yet, and all that means in terms of weather, etc.

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I think usage is mostly related to situations involving "ignorance" rather than "stupidity" (and in my opinion people who think those words mean the same are in the latter category). So, for example, one hears things like "yes, but remember he's a soothmoother." This doesn't mean the person is stupid, but rather that allowance should be made as they are not likely to have got the hang of living here yet, and all that means in terms of weather, etc.

 

That's interesting - a positive use of the word.

How about distinguishing between similar terms. Would you say there was a difference in meaning between "he's a soothmoother" and "he's fae sooth"? Even a subtle one?

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From what I remember from some of my more elder relatives, sooth moother was not only a derogitory term but also to explain some sort of ignorance. It all depended on what the target had done.

I do also remember my granny and Grandad coining the phrase, if alive would now be nearly 100 years old.

I remember too some yunguns calling me that when I used to come up in the summer for 4/5 weeks, it went after a week or so, but you could hear it sometimes after that.

As everyone else said the explanation was anyone who came through the south end of the harbour, which could make the phase pre-date the air travel boom perhaps.

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Would you say there was a difference in meaning between "he's a soothmoother" and "he's fae sooth"? Even a subtle one?

 

None with me, but then again "he's fae sooth" is my preferred term to use, I was in my teens before I ever heard "soothmoother".

 

Illogical as it may seem, "fae sooth" means "Caucasian people from just about anywhere else". Only Scandinavians/Northern Europeans, who are usually referred to by nationality (He's a Norski, Russki, Finn....etc), and folk who are visibly of another race wouldn't be included.

 

I've known of French, German, Austrian, Falklander, Canadian and Amercian folk who've settled in Shetland all being described as "fae sooth".

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Illogical as it may seem, "fae sooth" means "Caucasian people from just about anywhere else". Only Scandinavians/Northern Europeans, who are usually referred to by nationality (He's a Norski, Russki, Finn....etc), and folk who are visibly of another race wouldn't be included.

 

So a black Glaswegian or Londoner is not a soothmoother? That I didn't know.

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Illogical as it may seem, "fae sooth" means "Caucasian people from just about anywhere else". Only Scandinavians/Northern Europeans, who are usually referred to by nationality (He's a Norski, Russki, Finn....etc), and folk who are visibly of another race wouldn't be included.

 

So a black Glaswegian or Londoner is not a soothmoother? That I didn't know.

 

Hmm.....I wouldn't know whether soothmoother applied or not, but certainly for those of us who's first choice of phrase is "fae sooth" rather than soothmoother, a black person from within the UK would not normally be described as "fae sooth", but in terminology that was appropriate to their racial appearance. The nearest it would get, and only once it was common knowledge that they were someone who'd been in the UK for a long time, and I'll give an example of how a real person I know is spoken of, would be "he's a wast Indian fae sooth".

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