LL-L: "Literature" LOWLANDS-L, 27.NOV.2000 (01) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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  L O W L A N D S - L * 27.NOV.2000 (01) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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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, Z=Zeelandic (Zeeuws)
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From: y-waki at pf6.so-net.ne.jp
Subject: LL-L "literature"

Dear Lowlanders,

Ron Hahn writes as follows:

"I am womdering about the language of "Von dem Fischer un syne Fru",
because it does not seem
particularly Pmeranian to me ........".

When I read an English translation of Grimms Maerchen "Jacob and Wilhelm
Grimm  Selected Tales, Penguin Classics (This tale was translated into
Scots, title: THE FISHER AN HIS GWEEDWIFE, in the Notes I read that
ontributed by Philipp Otto Runge ..., originally in Pomeranian dialect; a
later
text , revised by Runge's brother to approximate to Hamburg dialect, was
used in the final edition.

Then, according to the above descriptions, the Grimm's version should be
written in
"Niedersaechsisch" in Hamburg. So, as R. F. Hahn wrote, the text should be
not in Pomeranian
dialect, I think.

That's all for today.

Yasuji Waki
E-mail: y-waki at pf6.so-net.ne.jp
Addr: 1-2-6-104, Midoridai, Funabshi,
Chiba Pref. Japan

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

Dear Yasuji,

Thank you very much for the clarification you provided above.

Indeed, this would explain the nature of the language of the text.  It
seems to me that the result is something of a neutral, unified written
Eastern + Northern Low Saxon (Low German) language variety.  I find neither
strikingly Pomeranian dialect features nor strikingly Lower Elbe dialect
features in it.  Can anyone else?  As I said, the feature of
(sporadically?) unrounding /öö/ to /ee/ (written _ä_ or _ää_), as in _övel_
> _ävel_ ~ _äwel_ 'evil', 'bad' or _över_ > _äver_ ~ _äwer_ 'over',
'across', had apparently been adopted (apparently from Eastern dialects)
into the higher sociolects in a large area for a time and thus ought not
necessarily be considered an Eastern feature.

It is interesting to see that in the early nineteenth century the old
grapheme _y_ was still used to represent /ii/.

Does anyone know anything about the origin of the other Low Saxon (Low
German) tales in the Grimm collection?

Thanks and regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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