LL-L: "Language varieties" (was "Morphology") LOWLANDS-L, 14.JAN.2001 (02) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

 ======================================================================
  L O W L A N D S - L * 14.JAN.2001 (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, Z=Zeelandic (Zeeuws)
  =======================================================================

From: Keith Kennetz [k_kennetz at hotmail.com]
Subject: LL-L: "Morphology" (was "Etymology") LOWLANDS-L,
11.JAN.2001 (03) [E]

From: Keith Kennetz (K_Kennetz at hotmail.com)
Subject: Morphology (?)

Barbara Rentsch-Buschkoetter wrote on Jan.11,2001:

>At a time where the confederation of all the
>German countries and counties needed an official German standard for
>international communication they decided to declare one of all the
>regional dialects to be the official German language. Today they say >the
>people in the Hannover area speak the purest German, but that is >only
>because they declared that dialect to be the German standard. >That must
>have been because the king of Hannover was of of cultural >or political
>importance at that time. Another explanation is that the >good obidient
>German people has always done what the governments told >them to do.

Dear Barbara and Lowlanders,

I was very interested in the comments made above. The idea that the
population in and around Hanover speak the 'purest' German seems to be
quite
widespread and widely believed among Germans - how did this myth get
started? In my conversations concerning language this 'fact' is often
mentioned by friends and neighbors. As I became more and more interested in

German dialects and linguistics, I wanted to uncover whether 1. this was
actually based on scientific evidence or linguistic fact, and 2. whether
there were any historical reasons for this belief (you mentioned in your
mail the influence of king as perhaps one reason). After leisurely
researching the topic over several months, I have found very little in the
way of a believable explanation (one source even offered as an explanation
that a majority of the teachers who taught German in Germany and abroad
were
from Hanover, thereby spreading their accent to the masses!). Although I
have never been to Hanover to hear the German spoken there (something I
will
have to do in the near future!), I would find it difficult to believe that
the German used there is not influenced to some degree by a northern
vernacular and/or an original city variety/dialect. Was not the basis for
modern High German taken from the writings of Martin Luther and the variety

used by the Saxon Chancellery? I have come across nothing that mentions the

city government or population of Hanover playing a role in the development
of the standard language. I did find, however, a source (Leben und Macht
der
Mundart in Niedersachsen, Oldenburg 1943) that mentions the population of
Hanover area as being one of the first regions of substantial size that in
the 19th century made a wholesale transition from the original Low Saxon
dialect to a spoken language resembling High German. The population was
actually taught High German as a second language in schools with result
being a German (at least in comparison to southern German dialects)that had

very close resemblance to the developed written standard or Schriftsprache.

Maybe this information might, at least partially, account for the basis of
'pure' German coming from Hanover. Personally, I have come to the
conclusion
that this notion is a stubborn urban myth that is used to spread a High
German 'standard language ideology' within Germany. I would also speculate
that this ideology is somewhat stronger in the northern regions of Germany
than in the southern regions where regional varieties seem to still enjoy
local and regional prestige.

>From the same source listed above:
>Today they say the people in the Hannover area speak the purest >German,
>but that is only because they declared that dialect to be the >German
>standard.

When you wrote 'they' in the above sentence, who were you referring to
(perhaps the answer was in the original mail and I missed it)? Has anyone
ever 'officially'(government or otherwise) declared the Hanover variety as
the standard? Did you mean with 'they' that the people of Hanover declared
themselves the 'purest German' speakers? If that is the case, maybe I
should
get a petition started in my home town that would have Chicago declared
'Home of the Best English'! I am sure other English-speaking peoples around

the world would be similarly horrified!   :=)

The 'Hanover Standard Language' Syndrome is a mystery for which I have been

unable to uncover a plausible answer ... your comments/thoughts would be
much appreciated.

Keith Kennetz
K_Kennetz at hotmail.com
Bamberg, Germany

==================================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
  =====================================================================