LL-L "Language varieties" 2004.08.09 (03) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 09.AUG.2004 (03) * 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: LL-L "Language varieties" 2004.08.08 (02) [E]

"Because of Lutherism"...

Hi, all, how well can people today understand the Luther Bibel? Is it the
same distinctions that speakers of English make between Shakespeare's
English and today's English? Upon which dialect or dialects did Luther base
his translation?
Ben

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

Hi, Ben!

I'm sure others will have more to say ab out this than I am able to say.
Let me just say that Luther based his translation on *German* dialects, that
is those that nowadays tend to be called "Upper German" and "Central/Middle
German" (_Oberdeutsch_ and _Mitteldeutsch_), and his translation served as a
rough basis for the creation of "High German," a German standard lingua
franca.  As far as I am aware, he did not (consciously) use "Low German"
(Lowlands Saxon) elements.  Those elements that do look like Lowlands Saxon
tend to be "Middle German," i.e., from German dialects used in what amounts
to a buffer zone between Lowlands Saxon and German.

As you know, German is not officially within the range of topics of this
list, although we consider it peripherally whenever there is a link with the
Lowlands.

Luther seems to have considered Lowlands Saxon a language separate from
German.  At the very least, he was aware of mutual comprehension being
mediocre to poor at the time.  This is why he urged Johannes Bugenhagen, his
Pomeranian Saxon comrade in arms and close friends (who tended to Luther's
family after the latter's death), whom he nicknamed "Doctorus Pomeranus," to
provide a similar translation for the Saxons in their own language.  (This
was before the time the names "Saxony" and "Saxon" were usurped by the
non-Saxon, German-speaking area that is now a German state.)  Unfortunately,
Bugenhagen did not translate the Bible from Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek like
Luther had done, but he based it mostly on Luther's German translation.  On
top of this, in his attempt to create an interregional variety he was
strongly influenced by German.  As a result, his translation was not a great
success, was not universally embraced.

About Bugenhagen:
http://alt.wittenberg.de/e/seiten/personen/bugen.html (German, English,
Dutch,
   Swedish, Hungarian, Polish, Finnish)
http://people.freenet.de/seamanstory/bugenhagen.htm (German)
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/lutheranism/14784 (English)
http://100.1911encyclopedia.org/B/BU/BUGENHAGEN.htm (English)
http://www.proel.org/traductores/bugenhagen.htm (Spanish)

Bugenhagen's necrologue for Luther in English translation with facsimiles of
the original German text.
http://chaucer.library.emory.edu/luther/luther_site/luther_text.html

Luther links:
http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/wittenberg/wittenberg-luther.html
(English)
http://www.greatsite.com/timeline-english-bible-history/martin-luther.html
(English)

Luther's Bible translation:
http://www.hti.umich.edu/l/luther/

Luther and the German language:
http://www.luther.de/en/sprache.html (English)
http://www.luther.de/kontext/sprache.html (German)
http://www.luther.de/nl/sprache.html (Dutch)
http://www.luther.de/hu/sprache.html (Hungarian)
http://www.luther.de/es/kontext/sprache.html (Spanish)
http://www.luther.de/fi/kontext/sprache.html (Finnish)

Luther as one of the foremost, outspoken antisemites of his age:
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/anti-semitism/Luther_on_Jews.html
(English)
http://www.pastornet.net.au/jmm/articles/11977.htm (English)
http://kevin.davnet.org/articles/lutherjew.html (English)
http://www.etrend.ch/fundgrube/win_zitate/luther.htm (German)
http://www.kirchenopfer.de/plaintext/506466950a1202c08/50254294c6127e80a/
(German)

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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