LL-L: "Semantics" LOWLANDS-L, 21.APR.2001 (04) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 21.APR.2001 (04) * 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: R. F. Hahn [sassisch at yahoo.com]
Subject: Semantics

Dear Lowlanders,

Please allow me to present to you what to me seems like an interesting case of
semantic specialization.

In Low Saxon (Low German), the verb _folgen_ [fO.lg=N] started off with the
semantic range that its various cognates still have (e.g., English _follow_,
Scots _fallow_ ~ _follae_, Dutch _volgen_, Afrikaans _volg_, W. Frisian
_folgje_, German _folgen_, Yiddish _(nokh)folgn_, Danish _følge_, Swedish
_följa_, Icelandic _fylgja_).  In many Low Saxon dialects, certainly many North
Saxon ones of Northern Germany, it has undergone partial or full semantic
specialization to 'to follow a coffin' > 'to constitute or be part of a funeral
procession' > 'to attend a funeral'.  You use the preposition _bi_ [bi:] 'at',
'with', 'by', if you mention whose the funeral is; e.g., _Wi schullen bi us
Hans-Ohm folgen_ ("We should at our Hans-Uncle follow" =) 'We were supposed to
attend the funeral of (our) Uncle John'.

Apparently, in some dialects this is the only way _folgen_ can be used, as some
older native speakers have told me.  Depending on context, other verbs are now
used to express the idea of 'to follow'; e.g., _(achter) nagahn_
[('?axt3)'nQ:gQ:n] ("to go behind (after)"), _(achter) nakamen_
[('?axt3)'nQ:k`Q:m:] ("to come behind (after)"), _achterangaan_
[?axt3'ra.NgQ:n] ("to go after on"), _achterherlopen_ [?axt3'he:3loUp=m] ("to
walk after"), _mitgahn_ ['mItgQ:n] ("to go with"), and _mitkamen_ ['mItkQ:m:]
("to come with").

This seems to have affected Missingsch, namely German dialects on Low Saxon
substrates.  In fact, in my own native Hamburg Missingsch I feel that the
expected verb _folgen_ [fO.Ig=N] (vs Standard [fOlg at n]) is absent, where
_folgen_ 'to follow' belongs to a higher register, namely Standard German or
approximate varieties.  'To follow' tends to expressed not unlike the way it is
in Low Saxon (_hinterhergehen_, _nachlaufen_ etc.).  However, I am not aware of
Missingsch speakers using _folgen_ in the sense of 'to attend a funeral'.
(This would be expressed as _bei 'ne Beerdigunk (dabei) sein_ or the like.)
Does anyone else know of Missingsch speakers using _folgen_ that way?

Here are my other questions:

(1) Do you think the case of Low Saxon _folgen_ is one in which tabooizing
    played a role?

(2) Is _folgen_ ~ _volgen_ specialized in this fashion outside the North
    Saxon dialect group as well?

(3) Are there any other Lowlands language varieties in which 'to follow'
    or its equivalents are used to mean 'to attend a funeral'?

(4) Are there any other examples of verbs undergoing similar semantic
    narrowing?

Any other input would be appreciated also.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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