LL-L "Language varieties" 2006.02.10 (01) [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 (Zeeuws)
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10 February 2006 * Volume 01
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From: Luc Hellinckx <luc.hellinckx at gmail.com>
Subject: LL-L "Language varieties"

Beste liëglanners,

Frankly speaking, all this chitchat about shady scientists trying to "steal" 
linguistic information from other people (and not returning anything) is 
getting to my nerves a little.

Suppose a linguist is going to a pub...the pub mainly has local customers, 
speaking true dialect...the linguist first keeps a low profile...then 
socializes...but keeps his ears wide open at the same time...

On a different note...a stranger is taking a photograph of you...out in the 
streets...

Are these truly cases of "stealing information" of somebody???

Personally, I don't think so...even though I'm not a totally non-animistic 
human being...and I'm fully aware of the Heisenberg uncertainty principle.

Classifying this as theft, would seriously hamper the progress of science in 
my opinion...as curiosity is the mother of all science.

Greetings,

Luc Hellinckx

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

Hi, Luc!

I have an "on the one hand ... and on the other hand ..." for your (but no 
"on the third hand ...").

On the one hand ...

... taking someone's photograph without their permissions *is* a misdemeanor 
or even crime in some countries, most importantly in the People's Republic 
of China.  This tends to be waived in the case of tourists in China these 
days, obviously because enforcing it would be too labor-intensive and would 
have a detrimental effect on the now very important tourism business.  When 
I lived in China (before and after the onset of the business craze) this law 
was regularly pointed out to foreign visitors and residents, and I saw it 
enforced on two occasions.  It was explained as protective of individuals' 
right to privacy, which seemed to me and others in stark, unexplainable 
contrast to virtually no right to privacy in other respects, at least as 
seen from the "West."

On the other hand ...

... until our recent discussion, the only cases of linguistic secrecy I had 
been aware of where those in which this secrecy goes hand in hand with 
cultural and social secrecy and or with fear of reprisal and the like.  The 
reasons of which I am aware are (1) fear of spiritual pollution (not just in 
the form of unwanted cultural influences), such as in the case of Roma, (2) 
covers for hiding illicit or unwanted activities, such as in the case of 
Rotwelsch, also some Roma and Irish Travelers*, and (3) fear of being 
exposed as a speaker of languages that are regarded as having low prestige, 
especially where the speakers themselves hold the language in that regard 
and in cases in which being found out to be a speaker carries a certain 
amount of risk or danger.

I have observed cases in which languages are held in high regard by their 
speakers but are hidden by them out of fear.  The most important one was 
that of Chinese "dialects" (in this case Min, Yue and Mandarin) in 
Indonesia.  I heard them spoken loudly only when non-Chinese Indonesians 
were definitely not around, and in international hotels (as types of safe 
islands) even if non-Chinese Indonesians were around.  In restaurants I 
overheard people whisper in Chinese and immediately switch to Indonesian 
whenever a non-Chinese Indonesian came anywhere near earshot.  Anti-Chinese 
sentiments are rife, come with restrictions, discrimination and often 
chicanery (all observed by me) and in past times led to massacres.  Ethnic 
Chinese are expected to become "real" Indonesians, and by speaking their own 
languages they are seen as defiant, obstinate and arrogant.  Unless the law 
has been changed since my travels, public display of Chinese script is 
prohibited, though not that of other scripts or languages.  In safe 
situations and in a number or towns and cities, I talked with local Chinese 
Indonesians about this (in Chinese so as to reduce the risk of being 
suspected as a government spy).  The stories were consistent everywhere I 
went, so I assume that ithere s much truth to them.  This includes the 
highly risky running of underground Chinese language schools, usually only 
spoken Mandarin due to insufficient time for teaching written Chinese.

Until recently, the only cases I was aware of Low Saxon being a "closet 
language" have been those in which the speakers feared for their image, 
damage to their social standing.  This goes back to the time in which the 
language was considered of low prestige.  In the case of Hamburg this was 
the case until the late 1970s.  In some of these cases the speakers 
themselves considered the language inferior to "High" German.  I had never 
come across entire Low Saxon dialects being communally hidden.  I still 
doubt this is the case, but I am open to consider evidence to prove that it 
is.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron 

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