LL-L: "Plautdietsch" 04.JUL.2000 (02) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

 ======================================================================
 L O W L A N D S - L * 04.JUL.2000 (02) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
 Posting Address: <lowlands-l at listserv.linguistlist.org>
 Web Site: <http://www.geocities.com/sassisch/rhahn/lowlands/>
 User's Manual: <http://www.lsoft.com/manuals/1.8c/userindex.html>
 Archive: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/archives/lowlands-l.html>
 =======================================================================
 A=Afrikaans, Ap=Appalachean, D=Dutch, E=English, F=Frisian, L=Limburgish
 LS=Low Saxon (Low German), S=Scots, Sh=Shetlandic
 =======================================================================

From: Criostoir O Ciardha [paada_please at yahoo.co.uk]
Subject: LL-L: "Plautdietsch" 03.JUL.2000 (02) [E]

Dear all,

George wrote:

> Ron mentioned in a mail that speaker of Plautdietsch
> live again also in
> Germany.
> I did not know that.
> Could me tell anybody more?
> Do they come from Russia?
> How many, is there a centre where they are
> concentrated?

I have heard conflicting reports of the linguistic
influence of the influx of Central Asian Germans from
Kyrgyzstan, Kazakstan and other areas of their
'exile'.

I recall vaguely a brief article in the Economist some
time ago that mentioned the arrivals spoke "an archaic
dialect of German" and mentioned that most of them
were descended from Anabaptists, Hussites and other
Protestant groups. Now, considering that the Economist
ids well disposed to make inaccurate, offensively
generalised statements, it is likely that the article
was referring to Plautdietsch, and that it meant that
a substantial cross-section of the group knew their
'ancestral' language. The point the article was trying
to make was that their language was anachronistic or
rustic, and, given the Economist's penchant for
innacurate and prejudiced reportage, they may have
been describing Plautdietsch.

However, there was an excellent report on the BBC's
Correspondent political programme a few months ago
that focused on Central Asian German teenagers in
Germany and the difficulties they were having
integrating into German society. Although I can't
remember the report perfectly, it made clear that the
youths spoke little German (or Plautdietsch) and were,
to all intents and purposes, Russians who spoke only
Russian. There was the inntimation, however, that
their parents - who would mostly be in their 40s or
50s now - were bilingual in both what I presume to be
Plautdietsch and Russian, but had not passed the
language on fully to their children. I recall that the
teenagers had what was described as an "anthem", which
was a Russian-language song apparently about angst and
dislocation.

It seemed sad to me because I remember that one of the
group said, "In Kazakstan and Kyrgyzstan we were
treated as Germans, and they hated Germans. Then we
came here, and we were treated as Russians, and they
hate Russians here."

However, I should point out that everything above is
drawn from memory, and very probably paraphrased or
otherwise mutilated.

Criostoir.

==================================END===================================
 You have received this because your account has been subscribed upon
 request. To unsubscribe, please send the command "signoff lowlands-l"
 as message text from the same account to
 <listserv at listserv.linguistlist.org> or sign off at
 <http://linguistlist.org/subscribing/sub-lowlands-l.html>.
 =======================================================================
 * Please submit contributions to <lowlands-l at listserv.linguistlist.org>.
 * Contributions will be displayed unedited in digest form.
 * Please display only the relevant parts of quotes in your replies.
 * Commands for automated functions (including "signoff lowlands-l") are
   to be sent to <listserv at listserv.linguistlist.org> or at
   <http://linguistlist.org/subscribing/sub-lowlands-l.html>.
 * Please use only Plain Text format, not Rich Text (HTML) or any other
   type of format, in your submissions
 =======================================================================