LL-L "Language survival" 2002.10.31 (07) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 31.OCT.2002 (07) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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 A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian B=Brabantish D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian
 L=Limburgish LS=Lowlands Saxon (Low German) S=Scots Sh=Shetlandic
               V=(West)Flemish Z=Zeelandic (Zeêuws)
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From: Browne, Kevin at Astronaut <BrowneK at brevard.k12.fl.us>
Subject: language survival

Hello,

Marco wrote:
That's great to hear. Lynden is one of the few
places with a largely Dutch population that I
did not know of yet. The fact that Dutch is still
spoken there sets it apart from a lot of other
Dutch American communities.

I was just in Lynden in June and was hard pressed to find anyone
who spoke Dutch. The people I did speak to only knew a very little
or told me that a relative spoke it. It seems to be dying out quickly
there.

On the other hand, when I was in Solvang, California, I met several
people who still spoke Danish fluently. But even there, there were
many who had no knowledge of Danish.

Kevin Browne

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From: George M Gibault <gmg at direct.ca>
Subject: LL-L "Language survival" 2002.10.31 (01) [E]

>Hi!

Does anyone know where I can get some information on Albany Dutch? One of
my Loyalist/Tory ancestral lines from New Brunswick (Canada) includes about
40 ancestors from Beverwijk, Albany, and Poughkipsie in colonial New
Netherlands/New York.

I too have heard Dutch in Lynden/Lyndon? Washington. Both Dutch and German
are spoken by farrm families in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia
between Langley and Hope - particularly German by the large Mennonite
community at Clearbrook, in Abbotsford, and in Sumas - just across the line
from Lynden. Lynden is also the cleanest little town I have ever been in -
with the most churches per acre as well. In the Kootenay Boundary country -
between Grand Forks and Nelson - the Doukhobors (anarchist vegetarian
pacifist communalist Christians) preserve their own archaic Russian
dialect. I have heard that the Hutterites in Alberta have their own German
dialect, and that there is also a lot of German still in the Rhineland
district of southwestern Manitoba, while Kashubian (language or Polish
dialect) from the Pomeranian /Polish border region was spoken in the Ottawa
Valley - and may still survive to some extent, as with German on the
Lunenberg stretch of Nova Scotia's east coast. There is a bit of Gaelic
left in the Margaree valley of western Cape Breton Island Nova Scotia. This
latter has had some revival with younger learners - almost entirely because
of the discovery of its wonderful musical and singing tradition. Language
preservationists take note - get the kids singing it and writing their own
songs in it and it might have a shot!

Good luck!                              George

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

Last time I was in Lynden, the place was swarming with young Mennonites that
were on a bus tour from across the border.  They were wearing traditional
costume.  I was desperate to hear them talk, but they talked very little and
very softly, and I was afraid they would have me arrested for stalking them
if I got any closer.  Ah, well.

But I did hear Dutch spoken here and there.

George, Kashubian (Cassubian) presence in North America is not negligible,
and Kashubian is often used here in its own right, independently from
Polish.

http://www.feefhs.org/kana/frg-kana.html
http://www.ka-na.org/
http://www.kaszuby.com.pl/
http://modraglina.republika.pl/kaszlink.html

What is interesting about Kashubian (which is considered by many the
surviving eastern branch of Pomeranian, replaced by LS on what is now the
German side of the border) is that it has a lot of Lowlands Saxon (Low
German) influences, traditionally referred to as "German" influences.  This
and the fact that some Kashubians are or used to be Lutherans caused some
Poles to refer to them as Germanized Poles.  I understand that, like
Lowlands Saxon in Germany, Kashubian is losing speakers in Poland, though
Kashubian cultural loyalty is still fairly strong among young people.

http://odur.let.rug.nl/lic/abs/toby.html

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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From: Henry Baron <baro at calvin.edu>
Subject: LL-L "Language survival" 2002.10.31 (06) [E]

As one who grew up in Lynden, WA, I can attest to the fact that Lowlands
languages are still heard around town and church, particularly Frisian.
This is
even more the case in Grand Rapdis, MI, where I now live.  Years ago there
was a
large Frisian society here, named after Gysbert Japiks.  Now some twenty of
us
get together regularly for lunch, practicing the Westlauersk Frisian tongue.
A
Frisian church service once a year still draws some hundred people.

A number of folk still use Grunnigs and Dutch as well.  Some of these are
second-generation who learned the mother tongue at home.  But yes, in the
not
too-distant future, that too will have passed.

Henry

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