LL-L "Morphology" 2003.01.06 (07) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 06.JAN.2003 (07) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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From: Holger Weigelt <platt at holger-weigelt.de>
Subject: LL-L "Morphology" 2003.01.05 (15) [E]

> From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Morphology
>
> Dear Lowlanders,
>
> In the area of morphology, one of my pet subjects is diminutive derivation
> (denoting small or cute creatures or things, such as “bit” > “bitty”,
“babe”
> > “baby”) and, augmentative derivation, its opposite.
>
> It is striking to me that in the language branch known as “Low German”
> (i.e., Frankish- and Saxon-based language varieties of the continental
North
> European Lowlands) diminutive derivation is, on the whole, more strongly
> developed in the Lowlands Frankish varieties than in the Lowlands Saxon
> varieties.  Older Lowlands Saxon texts seem to prove that diminutives used
> to be used more freely than they are now.
>
> Question 1:
> Does anyone have any clue why there has been such a decline?
>
> Among the Lowlands Frankish varieties, diminutive derivation is not
confined
> to nouns; it can be used in adverbs as well, intensifying notions such as
> “gently” or “lightly”.  For instance, Dutch has _zacht_, an adjective or
> adverb, ‘gentle’, ‘gently’, ‘soft(ly)’, ‘slow(ly)’.  Its diminutive
> derivative is _zachtjes_ (with the diminutive suffix _-je_ and the
adverbial
> suffix _-s_) ‘nice and gently’, ‘slowly and softly’, etc.
>
Just these few words for today:

We use _sâcht_/_sachtjes_ [zaXj at s] = 'slowly, softly' in Eastern Friesland
LS as well. Probably it's a Dutch loan. But we also have _söytjes_[zΛytj at s]
= 'very sweet (a little child or a pet behaving or looking), talking in a
sweet manner' (see quote below) and possibly more.

And what about words like _bītje(t)_ = 'a little bit' or _lütjet_ = 'small,
little' ?

Regards

Holger

> The only true adverbial diminutive I can think of in North German Lowlands
> Saxon is _suutje_ ['zu:tje] ‘very carefully’, ‘very deliberately’, ‘nice
and
> easy’, etc.  Native speakers do not analyze it as an adverbial
diminutive....
>As I have explained on an earlier
> occasion, _zuutje_ must be a Dutch loanword.  It corresponds to Dutch
> _zoetjes_ ['zu(:)tj at s] with the same meaning, and this Dutch adverb is
> derived from Dutch _zoet_ [zu(:)t] ‘sweet’ (cf. French _doux_ ~ _douce_
> 'sweet' > _doucement_ 'gently', 'softly') in the same way _zachtjes_ is
> derived from _zacht_.  If Lowlands Saxon had an analog form, it would have
> to be *_söötje(s)_ ~ *_seutje(s)_, from _sööt_ [zœIt] ~ _seut_ [zOIt]
‘sweet
> ’.
> Thanks,
> Reinhard/Ron

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