LL-L "Lexicon" 2007.12.01 (04) [E]

[Lowlands-L List]

L O W L A N D S - L  -  01 December 2007 - Volume 04
Song Contest: lowlands-l.net/contest/ (- 31 Dec. 2007)
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From: Heiko Evermann <privat at evermann.de>
Subject: LL-L: Lexikon

Hi everyone,

what is LS for "Erfolg", "Erfolg haben", "erfolgreich sein"?

* Sass suggests: Spood (f!!)
* Harte says: Spood (f) "je gröter Hast je minner Spood"

But in the LS wikipedia one user said that "Hörrt aber sonst nicht to mien
Spraakgebruuk". So far we do not have alternatives.

So my questions:
* What would you use for "Erfolg", "Erfolg haben", "erfolgreich sein"?
* Are there alternatives to "Spood"?
* Is "Spood" well attested? (I have not found it in Lübben's Middle Low
Saxon
dictionary.)
* What is the etymology of "Spood"?

Hartlich Gröten,

Heiko

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

Hi, Heiko!

Let me kick it off ...

*Spood'* is most definitely the closest and most authentic equivalent of
German *Erfolg* and English "success," though I realize it is one of the
many authentic words that has gone missing from many German-oriented or
German-dependent dialects (i.e., dialects whose speakers believe(d) in
closeness to German, i.e., in throwing out whatever doesn't directly
correspond to German expressions).

*Spood' *has feminine gender. Its earlier form *Spode* is still used in some
dialects. Monosyllabic variants thus have super-length or drawling tone:
[spo:U(d)], hence the spellings *Spood' *and *Spoo*. Dialects with /au/ and
/ai/ diphthongs have *Spaude* ~ *Spaud'* *~ Spau* instead. (I write all of
them *spoude ~ spoud'* in the ANS spelling.)

The origin involves the idea of "good, speedy progress," and it may also
denote 'hurry,' 'speed,' 'ardor,' 'eagerness,' etc. Its earlier meaning
seems to have been 'speed,' and it seems to be related to English "speed" as
well as to German *sich sputen* 'to hurry', which is related to Low Saxon *sik
spoden ~ sik spauden* 'to hurry'. Consider also Dutch *spoed* 'speed',
'haste', 'hurry', 'immediate', and *spoedig* 'speedy', 'soon',
'immediately'.

For me, *Spood' *is the only means of authentically expressing 'success' as
a noun. You can also say *wunnen Spääl* ("won game") which comes with the
connotation of victoriousness (say, after some struggle).

Verb equivalents of 'to be successful' from the actor's point of view would
be *Spood' hebben*, *wunnen Spääl hebben*, or *an'n Drücker kamen* ("to get
to the handle") 'to succeed'. For an object or action to be successful, you
could say something like *bottern* ("to turn to butter") or *slumpen*, e.g.,
*Dat hett nich bottert* or *Dat hett nich slumpt* 'It was unsuccessful', 'It
was no success', 'It failed', so something like German *Es ist nicht
geglückt*. *Slumpen* can also connote 'to be profitable' (so in this case
'It came to nothing' both in the sense of success and profit or winnings).
It is related to another authentic word not known to many: *Slump* 'luck',
'fortune', 'profit'. I assume it's related to Jutish *slump* 'heap', 'bunch'
as in the Southern Jutish dance floor song "Go jaften, go jaften, tesames i
e slump!" ("Good evening, good evening, everyone ("together in a bunch")!").

A similar connotation of 'success' and 'profit' (not necessarily monetary
profit) comes with *ruutsuern* ("to sour = ferment out"); e.g., *Daar suert
nix bi ruut* 'That/It won't end in success', 'Nothing will come of that/it',
a bit like slangish German *Das bringt nichts* (which I have heard literally
and unauthentically translated as *Dat bringt nix*).

This takes us into the realm of authentic detail, of true idiomatic
know-how. I encourage you to keep it alive with the language.

Kumpelmenten!

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron
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