LL-L "Language contacts" 2002.05.14 (06) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 14.MAY.2002 (06) * 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: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Language contacts

Lowlanders,

I wrote in response to Sandy Fleming's mention of Scots _clifty_ as a
possible Low Saxon (Low German) or Dutch loan:

> > clifty    - "skillful"
>
> Low Saxon _kluftig_ ~ _klüftig_ ['klUftIC] ~ ['klYftIc] 'clever',
> 'sharp', 'quick on the uptake'
>    (from _Kluft_ 'cleave', 'split' (from a sharp instrument?)?)
> (= Dutch _kluchtig_ 'funny', 'droll' < _klucht_ 'farce'?)

< Middle Dutch _cluchtich_ 'capable' (> 'quick-witted'?)

If this (as also Early Modern English _clifty_) is indeed a Lowlandic
loanword in Scots, it would be only fair to assume that it is derived
from Middle Low Saxon _kluftich_ on account of the /f/.

Notes:

(1)
Dutch often has (/x/) _ch_ where Low Saxon has (/f/) _f_ (and these tend
to be derived from the voiced counterparts /g/ and /v/ respectively).
However, it is not clear-cut as all that.  Within Low Saxon itself there
is dialectal variation (pretty much on a west-to-east continuum) between
/x/ and /f/, as in _Lucht_ [lUxt] ~ _Luft_ [lUft] 'air' (Dutch _lucht_;
cf. W. Frisian _lucht_ 'air', Scots _laft_ ~ _loft_, English "loft,"
"lofty" and "aloft"), _Gracht_ [xraxt] ~ [graxt] ~ _Graft_ [draft]
(Dutch _gracht_ '(excavated) canal' < /graav-/ 'to dig'; cf. W. Frisian
_grêft_ 'canal', English "grave"), and _Kracht_ [kraxt] ~ _Kraft_
[kraft] 'power', 'strength' (Dutch _kracht_; cf. W. Frisian _krêft_,
English "craft").  This alternation thus exists on a larger scale
between Low Saxon, Dutch, Frisian, English and Scots, considering also
Low Saxon and Dutch /lax-/ _lachen_ 'to laugh', W. Frisian _laitsje_ (<
*_lagke_?) 'id.', Scots _lauch_ [lQx] ~ _lach_ [lax] 'id.', _lauchter_
['lQxt at r] ~ _lachter_ ['laxt at r] 'laughter', and English "to laugh"
[lQ:f] ~ [la(:)f] ~ [læ(:)f] and "laughter" ['lQ:ft@(r)] ~
['la(:)ft@(r)] ~ ['læ(:)ft@(r)].  Cf. Old English _loft_ (<Norse) 'loft'
vs. _lyft_ 'air', _græf_, _cræft_, _hlæhhan- ~ _hliehhan_, and Old Saxon
_lucht_ ~ _luft_, _graf(t)_, _craft_, _hlahhian_ respectively.  Also
note Scots and English "shift" versus Low Saxon _Schicht_.

(2)
What I usually write as the Low Saxon adjectival/adverbial suffix
_-(l)ig_ is pronounced [(l)Ix] ~ [(l)IC] pretty much in a west-to-east
continuum.  However, please make a mental note of the fact that in some
dialects it is _-(l)i_ [(l)lI] ~ [(l)i], I think mostly in the extreme
north (Schleswig-Holstein, thus close to Danish, which spells _-(l)ig_
but pronounces [(l)i]).  (These Low Saxon dialects have undergone the
same process that changed Old English _-(l)ice_ to Modern English
_-(l)y_ and Modern Scots _-(l)y_ ~ _-(l)ie_, unless it can be shown that
Southern Jutish or Danish contacts have caused this shift.)  This is
only to let you know that _kluftig_ ~ _klüftig_ can also be written and
pronounced _klufti_ ~ _klüfti_.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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