LL-L "Intelligibility" 2005.03.03 (07) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 03.MAR.2005 (07) * 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: Peter Snepvangers <snepvangers at optushome.com.au>
Subject: Names


From: Sandy Fleming
From: Ron Hahn
Another famous James Fleming was the sole survivor of Custer's regiment at
the Battle of the Little Big Horn. He was a messenger that Custer sent back
with a message before the battle.

To let my mind wander on that topic, I was reading an interesting article in
a magazine recently that said that Custer's defeat at Little Big Horn might
have been due to a language error.

It seems that Custer and his wife spent some time at a school for deaf
children and there Custer learned to communicate with the children in sign
language. Unfortunately he made the very common mistake of thinking that
sign language is universal and that this would help him to communnicate with
his Indian Scouts.

Hoi Laag Landeren,
when I read this mail It reminded me of a joke so I thought I might share it
with you all...SMOKE RINGS..
A Dutch immigrant travelling through the prairies of the USA stopped at a
small town and went to a bar. He stood at the end of the bar, ordered a
drink, and lit up a cigar. As he sipped his drink, he stood there quietly
blowing smoke rings.
After he blew nine or ten smoke rings into the air, an angry American Indian
stomped up to him and said,
"One more remark like that and I'll smash your face in!"
Cheers
Peter Snepvangers
snepvangers at optushome.com.au

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From: Ruth & Mark Dreyer <mrdreyer at lantic.net>
Subject: LL-L "Intelligibility" 2005.03.01 (10) [E]

Dear Ben & Ron

Subject: Intelligibility

Ben
> Hallo, list, I was wondering. Has anyone done intelligibility studies on
the
> Lowlands languages? Ron, the way in which people talk on those pages that
> you provide in the links section say that there is one main language with
> many dialects. How mutual is intelligibility between speakers? Does it
need
> to be separated into the major groups? Which dialect did the Hanseatic
> League use at its trade language?

Ron
> (1) Intelligibility differs from person to person.
> (2) Etymological awareness and skills are useful in cross-language
> intelligibility.

If I may enlarge on this thread, without differing in any degree with what
Ron has said; Ben, I agree with you that there is a significant degree of
intelligability accross the Lowlands dialects/languages, & this is at many
levels too:
a.    Mere understanding is better at first hearing than between other
language groups, even, for example the Bantu languages.
b.    Intelligibility improves quickly with exposure, since the differences
are most often a result of language laws like Grimm's; consistant enough to
extrapolate for the purposes of speaking as well as understanding. In Bantu
languages on the other hand a serious pitfall is the extent of change
brought about by naming practise & terminology between otherwise closely
related dialects.
c.    Study allows formidable advantage in even previously strange
languages. I cite this as a bad example of something good: The late
Professor Abercrombie of Edinburgh university greeted & spoke with me on our
first meeting in very pure Afrikaans. He confessed only (and demonstrated) a
formidable knowledge of Cape wines, but soon after I found a thin, small &
very superficial handbook lying around; 'Afrikaans in Kort Bestek'. A
receipt slip in the book from a local bookshop dated to a day before my
arrival, but that was enough for him. He was, of course, a boffin.

Yrs,
Mark

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