LL-L: "Help needed" LOWLANDS-L, 27.MAY.2001 (01) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 27.MAY.2001 (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: Roberta Cooper <robscoe49 at earthlink.net>
Subject: translation

Could somebody who knows Plautdietsch please give me the translation for
this phrase?
I encountered it among some family genealogical records.

It was entered as a quote from another letter; "Wallum, treppe schisse."
Does this refer
to someone named William? Is this Plautdietsch, or some Germanic
dialect? (It was
represented by the writer as being a phrase in "Low German".)

I was told by my late father that those of our ancestors who came from
Germany could
not read or speak "High German". but instead communicated in "Low
German", and that
the original family Bible (in the possession of another relative) was
written in this language.

Moreover, he was always insistent that our surname be pronounced
"Cooper" with the
short double vowel of "book", and never with the long-double-vowel of
"loop". (It angered
him greatly when other people did not respect this condition, and
instead, blithely mispro-
nounced the name.)

Since there is a Plautdietsch surname "Kupper", with the same
pronunciation and meaning
as ours, I can only assume that this was the original family surname,
and that he was correct
concerning the "Low German" origins of the family.

However, since I do not know Plautdietsch, and cannot access a
dictionary in the language,
this phrase has always mystified me. Any help in resolving this mystery
will be greatly appre-
ciated.

Sincerely,

Roberta Cooper

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