LL-L: "Survey" [E] LOWLANDS-L, 03.AUG.1999 (04)

Tue Aug 3 19:40:27 UTC 1999

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 03.AUG.1999 (04) * ISSN 1089-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
 Posting Address: <lowlands-l at listserv.linguistlist.org>
 Web Site: <http://www.geocities.com/~sassisch/rhahn/lowlands/>
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 A=Afrikaans, Ap=Appalachean, D=Dutch, E=English, F=Frisian, L=Limburgish
 LS=Low Saxon (Low German), S=Scots, Sh=Shetlandic
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From: R. F. Hahn [sassisch at hahoo.com]
Subject: Survey

Dear Lowlanders,

Below please find a request for participation in a language study project.  The
languages Afrikaans, Dutch, Frisian and Scots are mentioned, not the other
officially recognized Lowlands languages Limburgian and Low Saxon (Low German),
so I assume the latter two have already been covered, unless they are being
ignored.

If you want to respond, please send your mail directly to Ms. Ussher at
flusher at dial.pipex.com.

Best regards,

Reinhard/Ron

****

From: flusher at dial.pipex.com (Felicity Ussher)
Subject: world language forum

Dear editors of Lowlands-L,

I run an electronic language forum for linguists around the world to
discuss how ideas are expressed differently, in the various languages.
I'm looking for fluent speakers of Afrikaans, Dutch, Frisian and/or Scots,
and I wonder if you could help me.

Do you know anyone who speaks these languages, who may be interested in
taking part? Alternatively, would you be able to post this request on
your Web site?

"Fluent speakers of Afrikaans, Dutch, Frisian and Scots sought for
academic language project. The World Language Forum - an email-based newsletter
-
compares how ideas are expressed in different languages around the
world. We need speakers of Afrikaans, Dutch, Frisian and Scots to give
feedback on monthly topics, and suggest new ones. 30 different languages
represented so far, all by native speakers fluent in English.  Unique project.
Will
only take approx. one hour each month of your time. For more details,
contact Felicity Ussher, co-ordinator, at flusher at dial.pipex.com"

I'm also enclosing the first issue of the newsletter (from last month),
so you can see what it's like.

Thanks very much for your help,

Felicity Ussher
Co-ordinator, World Language Forum
London

WLF/1 23 July 1999

Just comment on the topics you're interested in, and send in some of
your own ideas for feedback. I'll put them all together in a new issue, and
send it out to everybody every few weeks.

1 Very often and randomly
Submitted by: Felicity Ussher (English)

There is no single word in English to describe something that happens
both "very often" and "randomly." I don't know why not. Do any other
languages express this concept in a single word? What does the concept tend to
be
used for?

2 How language conveys social distance
Submitted by: Koichiro Fukasawa (Japanese)

When I speak in Japanese I am always aware of the social distance
between myself and the person I am speaking to, according to which I
consciously and carefully choose the most appropriate honorific form. Whereas in

English, this social distance factor is there but plays a much less important
role than is the case in Japanese. (Therefore I feel much more relaxed speaking
English.) In other words, it is almost impossible to say anything in Japanese
which is not sociolinguistically marked!

3 Vocabulary differences between generations
Submitted by: Rastislav Durman (Serbo-Croat, living in Slovakia)

My boy (13) simply does not know words like "snuff", "ember" or "brand"
neither in his native language, nor in Slovak. Why? They are completely out
of his experience. He saw open fire only for a few times in his life, when
we were going to have a picnic. Vocabulary of a generation could be an
interesting thing to think about.

4 Political Rhetoric since the end of the Cold War
Submitted by: Felicity Ussher (English)

I am trying to identify new political and economic concepts which have been
created since the end of the Cold War, as a way of exploring the new political
climate. Here are three broad concepts I have identified in English. I welcome
comparison and contrast with other languages.

Concept I: "The Third Way"
Since 1989,political rhetoric in English has changed. In the UK, there used
to be a political spectrum ranging from right-wing (Margaret Thatcher's
Conservative Party) to left-wing (Labour Party). The scale suited the Cold
War climate, where Communists were presented as the danger at the extreme
left of the scale. But now - after the Cold War - there is no scale. We have a
Labour
party in power, implementing right-wing policies for health and welfare.
The new rhetoric is about finding "The Third Way" - which I believe is a
concept also used by French and US politicians. No-one knows precisely what "The
Third Way" is, although it is to do with social welfare policies. But
politicians gain status if they persuade
other politicians to follow their "third way".

My questions are:

 Have any other languages moved beyond the political rhetoric of
"right-wing" and "left-wing"?

 Do they have the concept of a "Third Way"?

 Any ideas what it means?!

Concept II: "The Global Village"
1990's words like "globalisation" and "global village" have gained
credibility from the growing significance of technology and the
Internet.  But I have a suspician that US and UK politicians use these the
phrase
"global village" to pretend that all countries compete as equals in the
international market-place. They want to disguise the fact that a new form
of economic imperialism is emerging, which goes against free market
ideals.

US and Western Europe politicians dare not admit that the "free market"
model is not perfect, because that would be like admitting that the
Communist ideals of the Cold War were partly correct. But at the same
time, they are realising that they need to subsidise their national
industries - or else lose them to foreign competition. And they persuade/force
weaker countries to provide them with cheap raw materials, rather than compete
with them. So "Globalisation" and "Global Village" stress the need for economic
co-operation between countries, but let people assume - incorrectly - that
the co-operation is voluntary and based on equality, like in a real
village.

My questions are:

 Does this sound like an accurate explanation?

 Is the concept "global village" used in other languages?

 What words and phrases do other languages use to describe the international
economy?

 What do they mean, literally?

 Do any languages use the word "imperialism"?

 What connotations does it have?

Concept III: "The Statesman".
In English, if a politician is invited to help negotiate conflicts in
another country, he changes from a "politician" to a "statesman". This
gives him the ultimate status. My guess is that politicians need much more
personal status these days, because power is not judged (entirely) by
the size of a nuclear arsenal, and the world map is no longer clearly
divided into two camps - capitalist and communist. Likewise, a bad politician
is one who makes personal mistakes to do with "sleaze" - such as sexual
infidelity or perversity.

My questions are:

 Do other languages distinguish between "politician" and "statesman"?

 What words are used to show high status and low status in a politician?

 Are they entirely personal?

That's all for now, but mail me your comments and suggestions for new
topics in the next issue!

PS - I've devoted the past few weeks to researching translation
services, potential sponsors, minority languages, mailing list technologies and
the latest linguistic issues. Let me know if you want more information on
them now, otherwise I'll wait until the discussions get going. And, course,
all suggestions are more than welcome.

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