LL-L "Language politics" 2007.07.07 (04) [E]

[Lowlands-L List]

L O W L A N D S - L  -  05 July 2007 - Volume 04

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

It seems to me that in many contexts this French use of patois is similar to
that of welsch, walsch, wals, wels etc. in older German (Old German walha <
walhisk). Originally it denoted the (Celticized) Romance language varieties
of the Romanized peoples with which German speakers had contacts, before
that a Germanic name specifically for the Celtic Volcae of Southern France
(today's Occitan-speaking area).  Welsch is still used in Swiss Alemannic
for "romance-speaking (of Switzerland)." Then it took on the meaning of
"stranger" in general and spread to other areas, such as Wales, Cornwall,
Wallachia (Vlach) and Wallonia. German then developed it to mean "gibberish"
or "babble," as in the name Rotwelsch (a now extinct thieves' cant, the name
containing native rot = German Rotte 'mob') and Kauderwelsch (from
*kudern'to coo' > 'to babble') 'gibberish', 'babble'.

Similarly, the Irish word for "English (language)" is Béarla (< Old Irish *
bélre*) > Scottish Gaelic Beurla, Manx Baarle, originally meaning something
like 'gibberish' or 'babble' (literally probably "mouthing": *bél+re*).
There's also the Slavonic word for "German": *němec (originally something
like "someone who can't communicate").  However, these names don't seem to
have been generalized.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron
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