LL-L 'Language varieties' 2007.02.03 (02) [E]

[Lowlands-L List]

L O W L A N D S - L - 02 February 2007 - Volume 02

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From: Paul Finlow-Bates <wolf_thunder51 at yahoo.co.uk>
Subject: LL-L 'Language varieties' 2007.02.03 (01) [E/Italian]

From: Global Moose Translations < globalmoose at t-online.de>
Subject: LL-L 'Grammar' 2007.02.02 (06) [E]

Ben wrote:
>Where is the Hessian area? The little Hessian I've heard sounds very close
to "Standard German". >Where is the area(s) whose dialect(s) are closest to
Hochdeutsch?

Hessen is more than just an area, it is one of the 16 German Bundesländer
(comparable to American states). Here's some info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hesse

Spoken Hessian is quite different from High German; one telltale feature is
that they always pronounce "-ich" as "ish", and "ss" becomes a soft "zz"
sound. They also use a slightly different grammar (and the genders of
certain nouns are different from standard German). Many Germans are fooled
into thinking they know what a Hessian dialect sounds like, until they hear
Hessians speak to their families and friends, and suddenly don't understand
a word, because what they had heard before was only High German with a
Hessian accent - pretty much like the difference between Scottish English
and actual Scots.

The area that is supposedly closest to Hochdeutsch (Oxford German,
so-to-speak)lies around Hannover and southern Lower Saxony, i. e. the region
I come from. Still, I can always tell who's from this region by their
accents...

Gabriele Kahn

***
Hi Gabriele, What sort of status as a language does Hessian have? Could I
buy a "Teach Yourself Hessian" for example? I mean as a serious language
book; many English dialects will have books supposedly teaching local
dialect ("Learn thisen Yarkshir", and for my local East Midlands dialect
"Eyup Miduck") but these are largely tongue-in-cheek spoofs.

Paul Finlow-Bates

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

Paul,

My first name ain't Gabriele, but my last name is almost Kahn. So I'll throw
a couple of old-currency Pfennigs worth of comments into the ring.

There's a fair bit of variety in Hessian German.  Much depends on if you are
referring to "Hessian" as a type of dialect or as all language varieties
that happen to be used in the German state of Hesse (Hessen).

In the very north of the state there are a few communities that speak Low
Saxon (Low German), and this is where we find some relevance to this list.
Just south of that area there's a narrow band of dialects that qualify as
"Central German" (i.e., transitional varieties" or "contact varieties,"
depending on your personal bias). South of that is where you find the
"actual" Hessian German dialects, and this includes the traditional dialect
of Frankfurt on Main.

Gabriele already mentioned a couple of phonological characteristics of
Hessian, and I'll generalize that and add a couple of items.

   1. What in Standard German is [ç] (/x/ ch after front vowels) is
   pronounced like German sch and English "sh"; e.g., Standard Ich
   fürchte mich = Hessian Isch fihscht misch 'I'm afraid'.

   2. Voiceless consonants are voiced between vowels and/or voiced
   consonants; e.g., Standard Hessen = Hessian Hesse ['hEze] 'Hesse',
   Standard Betten = Hessian Bedde 'beds', Standard Hexe = Hessian Hegze'witch'.

   3. Front rounded vowels are unrounded in most dialects; Standard Möchtest
   du dünner werden? = Hessian Mescht du dinneh wehde? 'Do you want to
   get thinner (slimmer)?'

   4. -r is "dropped," actually assimilated to the preceding vowel,
   resulting in a lengthened vowel; e.g., Standard werden = Hessian
wehde'to become', Standard
   besser = Hessian besseh ['bEze:] 'better'.

   5. -en is pronounced as [e]; e.g., Standard essen = Hessian
esse['?Eze:] 'to eat', Standard
   wetten = Hessian wedde 'to bet', Standard hüpfen = Hessian hibwe 'to
   hop'.

Quite a few of these characteristics are found in "typical" Central German
dialects, which leads me to favor allocating most, if not all, Hessian
dialects to that category.

A Hessian textbook?  I'd be very surprised to come across one.  Hessian is
not and is not perceived as a separate language but is a group of German
dialects, and most German speakers find it easy to understand them.  If in
cases like these there are textbooks and the like, I would expect them to be
tongue in cheek, if not outrightly poking fun.

And another point of relevance to the Lowlands:

Hessian dialects used to be spoken in 18th-century Northeastern America,
namely by mercenaries hired by Britain to help supress anti-colonialist
American endeavors.  Some of them stayed after the war and came to be
absorbed into various communities. Others came to be transferred to Ireland
to help the British forces fight the rebellion there.

As most of you probably know, there are some legends and spooky stories
about Hessians in New York State and thereabouts, such as the horrible
headless Hessian haunting Sleepy Hollow, a community founded by settlers
from the Netherlands ...  Huuuu ... Isch fihscht misch!

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron
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