LL-L "Language varieties" 2004.09.11 (02) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 11.SEP.2004 (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: john feather <johnfeather at sceptic1.freeserve.co.uk>
Subject: Language varieties

Luc wrote concerning the "birdsnest" sentence, the oldest text in
WestVlaams:
> . my point was that some scholars believe that the languages in Kent and
Flanders in that particular time, were almost identical. There was a lot of
trading in this part of Western Europe ...<

The inference is that trade has levelled differences between the languages.
Obvious questions are whether trade was particularly heavy between Kent and
Flanders (or in Kent and Flemish bottoms) and what was being traded. What
proportion of the populations was involved? How did Frisian survive under
the same pressures?
"Almost identical"? We know very little about OWestVlaams and there are two
major differences from OE in just 13 words - "olla" and "hinase" - besides
(presumably) the difference in pronunciation of "ic" ("ik" and "itch"). What
is the evidence? What are the criteria?

I asked: > - If the languages were very close how do we know that the text
is not in Kentish? <
Mark Dreyer replied: > Well, 'hinase' is a giveaway, & . the double 'U' for
'W', instead of the 'ween' rune, as an insular Anglo-Saxon would write -.<
Nice try, but the transliteration of Oswulf's charter (Kentish, ca 805)
contains both "w" and "uu", presumably reflecting the two forms in the
original, as well as "tuegen" for "twegen". The Early Northumbrian texts,
also in _Sweet's Anglo-Saxon Reader_, all have "uu" and/or "u" but not "w".

Mark wrote: >Regarding that sentence, let me try something.
>Old Flemish
'hebban olla vogala nestas hagunnan hinase hi(c) (e)de thu uu(at)
(u)nbida(n) (uu)e nu.'
Old English
"hebben aella fugolas nesta onginnan buton ic end thu hwaet abidan we nu."
& just for fun, Afrikaans
(Het alle voëls beginne nes buitens ek en jy, waarvoor wag ons nou?)
>'u', 'uu', 'v', 'w' & 'f' in the different orthographies make the words
appear to differ more than is in fact the case. See how close they are!<

You can find images of the text on the internet. The transcriptions of the
word taken to mean "await" are very odd. For Mark's "(u)nbida(n)" I have
seen "umbidan". But in the best image I've found (at www.xs4all.nl) it looks
like "anbadan" with no doubt at all about the second "a".

 My OE is rusty but if the first word is the indic pl of "habban" (have)
then the normalised WSaxon form is "habbath". But could it be a subjunctive
indicating "if"? ("Hebben" is the subjunctive of "hebban" [raise, lift] but
perhaps the vowel was different in WVlaams). I think "aella" should be
"ealla", and "ic end thu" "me and the" (or "inc" if the dual is appropriate
here) - dative after "buton". But perhaps Mark is more of a scholar than he
admits and these are Kentish forms.

Though Mark sees close similarities between Afrikaans and all old varieties
of English (I am impressed by his ability to make sense of the peace treaty
of 886, which established the Danelaw) it is interesting that there are 5
major differences between his Afrikaans and OE.

John Feather johnfeather at sceptic1.freeserve.co.uk

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