LL-L "Language varieties" 2003.05.16 (02) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 16.May.2003 (02) * 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) N=Northumbrian
S=Scots Sh=Shetlandic V=(West)Flemish Z=Zeelandic (Zeêuws)
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From: "Ben J. Bloomgren" <godsquad at cox.net>
Subject: Highlands of Scotland

Hello, Tieflanders, how does Lallands Scots compare with that of the
Highlands area, such as Inverness? Thanks,
Ben

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From: William Parker <William.Parker at three.co.uk>
Subject: Morphology

Ron

Thank you Jim Rader for correcting me.  I was aware that Caxton was the
first to publish Chaucer's work in the UK - including Troilus and
Criseyde -
since it is generally considered that he set up the first English
movable
printing press in the 1470s, and I had simply assumed that the web
quotation
was from a first or early printing of Chaucer's own work, completely
forgetting that as well as a printer / publisher Caxton was also a
linguist
and undertook many of the translation too for the books published by his
business.

The extract also goes to show now variable the spelling was in these
early
printings with inconsistencies even within the quoted passage when no
"standard" written form of the language had developed in the population
at
large.  At the Royal Court scribes and secretarial "clerks" - of which
Chaucer was himself one given his diplomatic role at court - had started
to
develop some standard spelling conventions with the transition to the
use of
English for parliament & courts (form the 1350's onwards and the Court
and
royal documents from 1377 following the accession of Richard II - Latin
and
Anglo Norman French having been the (increasingly irrelevant) norm
previously, but these courtly standards only slowly were adopted, and it
was
the impact of printing that accelerated the development of a standard.

But this just goes to prove the old maxim, Festina lente, and when in
doubt
check and check again.

Thanks again
William Parker

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From: From: William Parker <William.Parker at three.co.uk>
Subject: "Morphology"

Subject: Plurals in English
>
> Ron
>
> Picking up Luc's comments about the old West Vlaams use of s for
> plurals
> reminds me of the reverse situation for Kentish speech - which
> historically
> was based on Jutish patterns. Local dialect used to use en plurals up
> until
> c1900 eg Housen [houses], eyren [eggs].  Today this form of plural
> found
> in
> a few examples - children, brethren, etc.

>  William Parker

Hello Ron, William and Luc
This is very interesting. I do not have the reference at hand, but I
remember reading an old "British Empire" Australian history book  of
circa 1930's. It listed Jutish tribes settling Kent and
eventually pushing the Celtic peoples to the west. It seems the "Saxons
and Saxon Jutes" over the next few hundreds of years (from about the
year 440) pushed northwards and westward
towards Wales.The book also mentioned Frisian encampments/ towns along
the Thames River almost as far as London within the first 2 centuries
AD. There were also Dutch settlements
nearer the mouth of the Thames . This may be a far fetched reason of the
Dutch plural en being picked up and used by the Kentish. Perhaps there
was more Celt/Saxon intermingling on the
island than is generally recorded historically. Saxons only seem to
become a historical issue in Briton when the power structure begins to
change.
There is also a story of 2 Jut brothers called Hengis and Horsa (both
names for Horse - Saxon Folklore???) around the year 450 AD arriving in
Kent to help King Vortigern and local peoples
fight off northern invaders (I presume Scots and Picts). The Jutish
brothers like the area so begin settling and spreading by sending for
more Saxon family tribes from their homelands. You
probably already know all this already but humour my excitement of
discovery.
Cheers
Peter Snepvangers

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