LL-L: "Standardization" LOWLANDS-L, 02.AUG.2000 (04) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 02.AUG.2000 (04) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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From: Henry Pijffers [hpijffers at home.nl]
Subject: LL-L: "Standardization" (was "Software localization")
LOWLANDS-L,        02.AUG.2000 (02) [E]

Ron hef schreven:
>
> But we have been through this several times before.  I realize that it is
> difficult to accept for people who grew up with the English spelling system
> (using "system" loosely) because it's what they know and feel safe with.
> People who started off with other systems have a different perspective, and I
> have yet to meet one of those who would agree that English orthography is
> superior.  It is a realy pain to them, given that English is the international
> lingua franca.
>
Sorry Ron, but I guess you met one. I actually like English ortography.
Like I said in my last message, I really can't spell in Dutch, although I've
had
12 years of training in it, and of course 27 years of experience speaking it.
Yet
I haven't got much problems spelling English, while I've only had 6 years of
training in it, and much less than 27 years of experience with it. Sometimes I
can even point out spelling errors in what native English speakers write
(read: "Americans" (sorry...)) What I really like about English is that for
example
"o" can be pronounced in a multitude of ways. You have "word", "pork", "done"
(just naming some), they all use only "o" for the vowel, yet all three are
pronounced differently. At least for me, that makes spelling somewhat easier,
because I don't have to learn when to use "o", "ö", or whatever people think
of.
I don't know whether this would be applicable to Low-Saxon though.

Something completely different. If anyone is going to work on a standard (or
guidelines if you wish...), who would that have to be? Is it reserved for
linguistic
experts, or can other people make an input? By that I mean people like me,
whom may not be experts, but have a good knowledge of their own dialect and
have a healthy set of brains to think about something, instead of digging a
trench immediately, sticking to what they know best.

Is there any authoritative body that could govern this? Should be an institute
or
something that is willing to make the effort in a short amount of time, and
willing
to possibly make some radical changes (else we'll get nowhere again).

If not, is this the right place to start, or should I take it someplace else?
(trying to get something going here, instead of just dreaming about it...)

grooten,
Henry

---------

From: R. F. Hahn [sassisch at yahoo.com]
Subject: Standardization

Henry wrote:

> Sorry Ron, but I guess you met one. I actually like English ortography.

Uh-oh!  Rats!  It was bound to happen sooner or later I guess!  Well, it takes
all sorts.  ;)

All I can say is "Look out, Saxons far and wide! Beware the reign of Henry the
Standardizer!"  ;)

By the way, formal, official language planning committees do tend to be
composed of appointed linguists, ideally with a sprinkling of writers and
"ordinary" (or should I say "real"?) people, besides the occasional
bureaucrat.  Of course, getting support from some institute or other (such as
the Institut für niederdeutsche Sprache in Bremen
[http://www.is-bremen.de/ins/]) would help.  However, convincing them may be a
difficult undertaking, especially considering that many established Low Saxon
(Low German) specialists in Germany seem to go along with the view or at least
don't openly oppose the view that the language abruptly ends east of the
German-Netherlands border and that whatever lives on the other side is some
other creature of the Hollandoid persuasion.

Take a look here:
http://www.geocities.com/sassisch/rhahn/low-saxon/plattewelt.htm
... and go through the list under "Low Saxon / Low German Language and Culture
in Europe".

Best regards and wishes,
Reinhard/Ron

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