LL-L "Etymology" 2002.06.16 (05) [E/F]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 16.JUN.2002 (05) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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 A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian 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: "Stella en Henno" <stellahenno at hetnet.nl>
Subject: Etymology

Ron wrote:
> >As far as I know, _leeg_ ([lE.IC], which should really be spelled _leyg_
> >or _leig_) is a cognate of Dutch _laag_, English _low_, etc.  It's
> >predominant meaning now is 'bad' or 'inferior', can be translated from
> >German _schlecht_ in most contexts, including "feeling bad," "looking
> >bad," etc.  In most contexts I would translate 'ugly' (Dutch _lelijk_)
> >as Low Saxon (Low German) _wanschapen_ ['va.nSQ:pm=].
> >
> >Regards,
> >Reinhard/Ron

From: globalmoose at t-online.de (Global Moose Translations)
Subject: LL-L "Names" 2002.06.14 (05) [E/LS]

Am I right in assuming, then, that the currently predominate meaning of
"leeg" is related to the Dutch "lelijk", which meens "ugly"?

Regards,
Gabriele Kahn

--------------------

Yn reaksje hjirop: Der is wer gjin _etymologyske_ rilllaasje tusken
_leeg_ en Nl _lelijk_. Dit le^ste is nammentlik o^flaat fan _leed +
lijk_
(ferlykje : kwalijk < kwaad + lijk), we^r't _leed_ stiet foar "min".
Ek Aldfrysk le^th + li^k, dat laat hat ta "lilk" yn it Westerlauwersk
Frysk,
mar dit betsjut "angry". "ugly" soe ik oersette as "u^nsjuch", bygelyks,
en
dit wurd hat paralellen yn Nedersaksyske dialekten (onzuug, of soks).

Yn ferba^n mei _kwaad_: Westerl. F. hat ek _kwea_, as haadwurd (nomen):
"evil" (it kwea) en as eigenskipswurd (adjektyf), ek yn 'e spesjale
betsjutting
"out"=bu^ten de linen by it keatsen..

Samar wer wat opmerkingen..
Groetnis allegearre!

Henno Brandsma

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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Etymology

Dear Lowlanders,

Henno wrote above:

> Yn reaksje hjirop: Der is wer gjin _etymologyske_ rilllaasje tusken
> _leeg_ en Nl _lelijk_. Dit le^ste is nammentlik o^flaat fan _leed +
> lijk_ (ferlykje : kwalijk < kwaad + lijk), we^r't _leed_ stiet foar
> "min".

So that would be *_leedlig_ (leed+lig "suffer+like") in Low Saxon (Low
German) if it existed, which apparently it doesn't.  German has
_leidlich_, which, however, means something quite different from 'ugly':
'tolerable', '(barely) acceptable'.

As for Low Saxon (Low German) _Siedland_ or _Leegland_ for 'Lowland(s)',
as discussed under "Names," perhaps a look at our northernmost and most
conservative Germanic cousin (Modern) Icelandic will help.

síður [si:Dyr], síð [si:D], sítt [si:(h)t] (< *síðt) 'long', 'low
   (down)'

síga [si:Ga], síg [si:G], seig [sei:G], sigum ['sI:GYm], siginn
   ['sIi:jIn] 'to fall', 'to sink', 'to drain'

sigtibrauð ['sIx.tIbr9y:D] ("sieved/strained bread") 'bread made from
   strained/sieved rye and wheat'

síki ['si:k(j)(h)I] 'streamlet', 'rill flowing through marshy ground'

Cf. Danish _sid_ 'low(-lying)', Low Saxon _sied_ 'low(-lying)',
   _Siedland_ 'low-lying marshland', Dutch _zijgen_ 'to strain',
   'to filter', lit./arch. 'to sink', Scots _side_ 'hanging down (low)',
   _sythe_ ~ _sye_ 'to strain', 'to filter', _syke_ ~ _sike_ 'small
   stream in a hollow', German _sickern_ 'to seep', 'to drain',
   _seicht_ 'shallow' (< 'swampy', 'wet', cf. Old English _sîhte_;
   Middle (High) German _sîht(e)_ 'shallow part in water'),
   _seihen_ (< _sîhan, Old English _sîon_, Old Norse _sía_) 'flow
   out', ~ arch. _seigen_ (Middle German _sîgen_, Old English _sîgan_
   'to drip').

lágur ['lau:(G)Yr], lág [lau:(G)] 'low(-lying)'

lág [lau:(G)] 'hollow', 'depression'

láglendi ['lau:(G)lEndI] 'lowland(s)'

neðan ['nE:Dan] '(from) below'

neðar ['nE:Dar] 'farther down'

undir ['YndIr] 'under', 'below'

undirlendi ['YndIrlEndI] 'lowland(s)', as in Suðurlandsundirlendi
   ['sY:DYrlans,YndIrlEndI] ("south-land's-under-lands/region") denoting
   the lowlands in the south of Iceland

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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