LL-L "Lexicon" 2004.04.25 (05) [A/E]

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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: Ruth & Mark Dreyer <mrdreyer at lantic.net>
Subject: LL-L "Lexicon" 2004.04.22 (09) [E]

Liewe Elsie:
    Laat ek 'n bietjie byvoeg oor die stoep, en sy oorsprong in die
Kaaps-Hollands boukunde.
   Dear All:
    The stoep is hard to miss in Cape Dutch architecture. This applies in
both the rural & the urban styles. In both the almost invariable feature is
a raised platform in front of the house, reached from the street. This makes
good sense when you bear in mind the dust of our unpaved, seldom metalled
roads. The building therefore had a measure of protection from the filth (&
the noise) of the street. In those days tyres were of steel, & traffic was
noisy, too! in front of the houses of the sick, the municipality would lay
fresh straw, & sprinkle water daily, to give the convalescent rest from the
noise & dust.
    When the only available roofing material was reed thatch, you did not
roof the stoep over. That would be provocation, bearing in mind our
hard-smoking nation. However, a pergola supporting grapevines often served
instead, & great store was set by trees planted in every street, for shade.
    This stoep, however, was not often used in the day (by the
householders); it might provoke talk of pretensions to 'gentility'. But it
was THE place for grand arrivals & histrionic farewells. Only the
irredeemable & spoilt 'jonker' (young man) would ride his horse up there.
    The real gathering place in the household was the kitchen (it still is,
on many farms), which our sailorly origins moved us to call the 'kombuis'
(caboose, to non-Dutch speakers), & to which all, high & low, master &
servant, forgathered in idleness or for business, or just gossip. The
Voorkamer was reserved for the dominee, on his pastoral visits.
    Whether covered or not, there were seats built into the wall at either
end of the stoep, which my Grandmother told me were traditionally for the
use of the (usually Cape Malay, in the early days) grooms & mounted
messengers, waiting to be called back to their duties.
    I believe the stoep served a multitude of practical & social functions,
& something similar will be found in all Western Colonial architecture, & in
Europe too wherever the space allows. Look at the Stately Homes of England.
    Yrs sincerely.
Mark.

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From: Allison Turner-Hansen <hallison at gte.net>
Subject: LL-L "Lexicon" 2004.04.23 (03) [E]

Dear Lowlanders,
    In reference to Sam's remarks below, why, I grew up with "front stoop"
as the preferred way to refer to the front porch.  And I grew up mostly in
Georgia, though a few years were spent in Richmond, Va.  It is true that we
have New York/New Jersey  Dutch ancestry, but my forefathers left that area
more than a hundred years ago.  I think most people around the country are
quite familiar with this usage even if they don't say it themselves.
Take Care,
Allison Turner-Hansen
hallison at verizon.net

> From: sam s claire <gamlhs at juno.com>
> Subject: LL-L "Lexicon" 2004.04.22 (05) [E]
>
> "Stoop" is a bonafide word but is more or less confined to the NYC area
> (obviously where there was the strong Dutch influence) .  When I moved
> from NY to Baltimore, the locals considered that word as almost a
> barbarism.
>   Sam in Baltimore

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