LL-L: "Etymology" LOWLANDS-L, 11.SEP.2000 (04) [D/E]

[Lowlands-L]

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  L O W L A N D S - L * 11.SEP.2000 (04) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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From: Henry Pijffers [hpijffers at home.nl]
Subject: LL-L: "Etymology" LOWLANDS-L, 11.SEP.2000 (03) [E]

Ron wrote:
>
>The verb _nölen_ [nø:ln] is used in the Low Saxon (Low German) dialects in

>Northern Germany as well.  A dialectal variant is _nödeln_ [nø:dln].  the
>verb has a whole range of meanings, including the ones you gave above: 'to

>hesitate', 'to dawdle', 'to drag oneself along', 'to act slowly and
>grudgingly', 'to be grumpy', 'to complain', 'to nag', 'to nit-pick', 'to
>whine' (American), 'to whinge' (Australian), etc.  The adjective/adverb
>_nölig_ ['nø:lIC] means things like 'dawdling', 'slowly and grudgingly',
>sometimes 'dissatisfied', 'grumpy', 'nagging', 'complaining', etc.
>
Yes, we have all those meanings as well, I just named a few to explain.
We don't have "nölig", but "nölderig", with the same meaning.

grooten,
Henry

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From: Henk Wolf [henkwolf at altavista.com]
Subject: LL-L: "Etymology"

Henry schreef:

> A friend of mine recently noticed that I use the Low-Saxon word "nölen"
> (zeuren (D),
> to nag/to complain (E)) a lot when I speak Dutch. This started me
> wondering. Is it
> known and used in other Low-Saxon variants than just mine (Twentsch), and

Het Westerlauwers Fries kent _neule_, met varianten _neulje_, _neuje_,
_neuelje_, _neutelje_, _nulle_. Halbertsma legt een link met IJslands
_nötra_ ('klapperen', 'trillen') en met Nederlands/Nedersaksisch/Fries
_neuke(n)_ ('stoten').

Ron schreef:

> hesitate', 'to dawdle', 'to drag oneself along', 'to act slowly and
> grudgingly', 'to be grumpy', 'to complain', 'to nag', 'to nit-pick', 'to
> whine' (American), 'to whinge' (Australian), etc.  The adjective/adverb
> _nölig_ ['nø:lIC] means things like 'dawdling', 'slowly and grudgingly',
> sometimes 'dissatisfied', 'grumpy', 'nagging', 'complaining', etc.

Al deze betekenissen komen ook in de Friese varianten terug. De Vries en
Tollenaere geven onder _neutelen_ nog een verwante vorm in het Elzassisch:
_nuttelen_. Overigens voorzien zij voor het Nederlands _neutelen_ van het
label (dial.) zonder verdere geografische specificatie.

Groet,
Henk Wolf

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From: Niels Winther [niels.winther at dfds.dk]
Subject: Etymology

Ron wrote

  However, I know that _nölen_ has a relative in Danish: _at nøle_ 'to
  hesitate', 'to dawdle', _nølen_ 'hesitation', _nøleri_ 'continuous
  hesitation/dawdling', _nølevorn_ 'slow', 'dragging'.  It is pretty much
the
  same in Dano-Norwegian (Bokmål), as far as I know.  I am not aware of
  a cognate in Neo-Norwegian (Nynorsk), Swedish, Islandic and Faeroese
  and am thus inclined to assume that we are dealing with a Low Saxon
  loanword in Danish and in extension in Dano-Norwegian.  Or is it?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Nøle_ is known in Norwegian, Danish and Jutish.
Admiral Tordenskjold, born 1691 in Trondhjem Norway, used it.
The meaning is always, as described, that of a dragging hesitating delay.
The noun _nøl_ has got a very specific contemporary usage in referring to
the offence of delaying the play, not trying an active attack, in handball.

I agree with Ron that it is most probably a Low-Saxon loan.

Van Dale Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal:
neulen( onovergankelijk; neulde, h. geneuld)
(1847 vermoedelijk < Neder-Duits nölen, klanknabootsend gevormd)
(gewestelijk) 1 binnensmonds brommen 2 zaniken, zeuren.

rgds
niels

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

Niels, you wrote above:

> The noun _nøl_ has got a very specific contemporary usage in referring to

> the offence of delaying the play, not trying an active attack, in
handball.
>
> I agree with Ron that it is most probably a Low-Saxon loan.

I don't know the noun in Low Saxon (Low German) and am wondering if Danish
and/or South Jutish have preserved an imported nominal form (while the
donor language itself has lost it) or if they developed it as a more recent
derivation from the verb _at nøle_.  Any idea?

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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