LL-L "Etymology" 2007.06.24 (05) [E]

[Lowlands-L List]

L O W L A N D S - L  -  24 June 2007 - Volume 05

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From: Reuben Epp <reuben at uniserve.com>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2007.06.24 (03) [E]

From: Elsie Zinsser < ezinsser at icon.co.za>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2007.06.23 (07) [E]

Hi all,
It has puzzled me too why, in Mennonite Plautdietsch, the devil would be
called "jäl Tän".
I suspect there is a deeper meaning for the colour "yellow".
Perhaps the connotative meaning of yellow is that of 'falsehood' as one
finds in the given
meanings ' übertrieben' and 'prahlerisch'?
What I'd like to know is the cultural history behind these connotations and
how old it is.
Does 'yellow' not also mean 'cowardice'? Why is a coward not just plain
blue?
Regards,
Elsie Zinsser
> Does anyone know the story behind the Low Saxon use of geel (gääl)
> "yellow" as "("High") German" (or as "Germanized Low Saxon")?

From Reuben Epp <reuben @uniserve.com>
Subject: Etymology

Dear Elsie and All,

Although I try to keep informed of Plautdietsch vocabulary, the
term"Jäältähn" is not particularly well-known to all of its speakers. Of
course, lack of familiarity does not add clarification to the term
"Jäältähn," questioned by Elsie.  I looked into two well-known Plautdietsch
dictionaries for possible answers. Jack Thiessen's Dictionary of
Plautdietsch provides the following:

"Jältähn f. Gelbzahn: Schreckgestalt; bogeyman, yellow tooth, ghoul in
folklore." May this be of some help toward definition and etymology.

Reuben Epp
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