LL-L "Names" 2003.04.21 (02) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 21.APR.2003 (02) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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 A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian B=Brabantish D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian
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From: Jorge Potter <jorgepot at prtc.net>
Subject: New subject

Dear Lowlanders,

Recently I have been looking up one of the founding fathers of Puerto Rico,
Federico Degetau y González. Born in Ponce, PR, in 1862 to a Puerto Rican
mother and a father from Hamburg, who died 8 months later. Federico died in
1914.

His surname is pronounced according to Spanish rules as if it were spelled
"Degetó" and evertbody says that is because it's a French name, which seems
highly unlikely.

Would it be Low Saxon?

Jorge Potter

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

Jorge,

Degetau could very well be a Lowlands Saxon (Low German) surname.  To me it
suggests an origin in a phrase that is hard to render in English.  Literally
translated into German it would be _tüchtig zu_ or _ordentlich zu_.  Most
modern LS dialects have lost the actual adjective/adverb _dege_ ~ _däge_ ~
_deeg'_ ~ _dääg'_, but they retain the derivations _deegt_ ~ _däägt_ ~
_deger(n)_ ~ _däger(n)_ 'with all one's might', 'hard-working',
'strong(ly)', 'hard', 'liberal(ly)', 'courageous(ly)', 'brave(ly)', 'good',
'well', 'very'.  _Tau_ corresponds _to_ ([t_hoU]) 'to' in other dialects.
(Spanish <Degetó> is thus not far off.)

_Dege tau_ ~ _dege to_ (modern _deegt/deger(n) tau/to_ "hard to") could have
occurred in phrases such as _Lang (man) dege to!_ 'Helps yourself
(liberally/unabashedly (to food))!', _Se schirrwarkt dege to_ 'She works
hard doing her chores', or just _Dege to!_ (modern _Nu man deger(n) to!_)
'Go at it!', "Give it all you have!'  (much like Japanese _ganbatte!_).  I
can well imagine that this could have been used as a nickname for someone
who was known as a hard worker or eater, and nicknames often ended up
becoming surnames.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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