LL-L "Language varieties" 2007.05.19 (02) [E]

Sat May 19 19:58:57 UTC 2007

L O W L A N D S - L  -  18 May 2007 - Volume 02

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From: Tomoki Minohara <mino_engelachtig at yahoo.com>
Subject: Grammar

Dear Reinhard,

I'm interested in the varieties of the Frisian language, too.
Two years ago, as it were before joining this list, I searched
for my curiosity several websites about the North Frisian.
As you wrote, North Frisian is influenced by Danish,
Jutish and German. North Frisian borrowed some letters
from these languages.

Letters from German: ä (pronounced "e"), ö (u) and ü (ú).
Letters from Danish: å (o), åå (ô), ää (ê), öö (eu) and äi (ij).
I also found a word of North Frisian (Mooring dialect) which
is similar to that of Low German.
Verb "snååken" - snacken (speak in English).

I extract some examples of gender from a website (original text in Frisian).
I also add each words of Frisian, Dutch, German and English.

"in" is used to indicate a masculine, feminine and neuter word
in singular form.
The masculine definite article:
de hün (de hûn - Frisian, de hond - Dutch,
der Hund - German, the dog - English).

The feminine definite article:
jü kåt (de kat - Frisian, de kat - Dutch,
die Katze - German, the cat - English).

The neuter definite article:
dåt toorp (it doarp - Frisian, het dorp - Dutch,
das Dorf - German, the village - English).

Shortened form "e" is often used instead of
the articles above. For examples:
di hün - e hün
jü kåt - e kåt
dåt toorp - et toorp
da bjarne (de bern - Frisian, the children) - e bjarne

From my book I extract an example of a verb conjugation
of North Frisian (Sölring dialect) "fraagi" (freegje - West Frisian,
vragen - Dutch, fragen - German, ask - English).

ik frügi, dü frügest, hi / jü / hat früget, wü / i / ja frügi.

Here are some websites about North Frisian which I found in the past.

http://www.hum.au.dk/engelsk/engosb/fering.html
Phonetic documentation of Fering.

http://www.jswis.de/Foehr/
Information about Fering.

http://www1.fa.knaw.nl/noardfrysk/
Introduction to North Frisian (Mooring dialect).

http://www.angelfire.com/ultra/amrum/kurs/homepage.htm
Introduction to North Frisian (Amrum).

I am not an expert in North Frisian but I hope that
my answer will interest you. I'm planning to continue
my research about the language varieties.

Best regards,

Tomoki

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

Hi, Tomoki!  It's good to hear from you again.

Yes, Northern Frisian is very interesting, isn't it?  Unfortunately, easily
accessible material about it is scarce, partly because few people really
speak it (well) now, and partly because research about it is very
centralized (mostly the Noordfriisk Instituut) and their web publications
seem to be more concerned about other things these days.

As far as I am concerned, we are really talking about several languages in
this case: the insular languages of Sylt, Amrum, Föhr and Heligoland, and
the (later introduced) language of the mainland with the dialects of
Wiedingharde, Horning, Mooring and the Tideland Islands (Halligen).

Omniglot (www.omniglot.com/, an excellent site) has a brief sample text in
these varieties.  They have mislabeled and misspelled the varieties,
though.  I am correcting it below, also the term "dialect" in the case of
the insular varieties

Mainland North Frisian dialects:

   - Wiedingharde dialect (freesk):
   Ale mänskene sän fri, likwjarti än mä däsjilwe rochte toläid. Jä hääwe
   ferstand än gewääten mäfingen än skuulin enoor äs broorne oonmuittreere.
   - Mooring/Böökingharde dialect (frasch):
   Åle manschne san fri, likwjardi än ma daseelwie ruchte tuläid. Ja
   hääwe ferstånd än gewääten mafüngen än schönj enouder as brouderne
   önjtiinjtreese.
   - Hoorning dialect (fräisch):
   - Ale mänschne sän fri, glikweerti än mä däseelwie rochte tolaid. Jä
   hääwe ferstand än gewääten mäfüngen än schouln enår as bråre ounjintree'e.
   - Halligen (Tideland Island) (freesk):
   Ale mänskene sän frai, glikweerti än mä de sälefste rochte tolaid. Jä
   hääwe ferstand än gewääten mäfungen än sköön nöör as bröörne ööntiantree'e.

Insular North Frisian languages:

   - Sylt (söl'ring):
   - Ali Mensken sen frii, likwertig en me disalev Rochten beren. Ja haa
   Forstant en Giweeten mefingen en skul arküder üs Brödern öntöögentreer.
   - Föhr (fering):
   Ale mensken san frei, likwäärtig an mä dönsalew rochten bäären. Jo haa
   ferstant an geweeten mäfingen an skul enöler üüs breler uunjintreed.
   - Amrum (öömrang):
   Ale minsken san frei, likwäärtag an mä josalew rochten bäären. Jo haa
   ferstant an geweeten mäfüngen an skul enööder üs breder uunjintreed.
   - Helgoland (halunder)
   Alle Mensken sen frai, likwörti en med de sallowski Rechten geboorn.
   Djo hoa Ferstant en Geweeten medfin'n en skul arker as Bruurs uundjintreed.

In comparison:

Saterland East Frisian Language (Seeltersk):

   - Roomelse dialect:
   - Aal do Moanskene sunt fräi un gliek in Wöide un Gjuchte gebooren.
   Joo hääbe Fernunft un Gewieten meekriegen un schällen sik eenuur as Bruure
   ferhoolde.
   - Strukelje dialect:
   - Aal do Maanskene sunt fräi un gliek in Wöide un Gjuchte gebooren. Jo
   hääbe Fernunft un Gewieten meekriegen un schällen sik eenour as Broure
   ferhoolde.
   - Schäddel dialect:
   - Aal do Maanskene sunt fräi un gliek in Wöide un Gjuchte gebooren. Jo
   hääbe Fernunft un Gewieten meekriegen un schällen sik eenuur as Bruure
   ferhoolde.

West (Westerlauwer) Frisia Language (frysk):

   - Alle minsken wurde frij en gelyk yn weardigens en rjochten berne.
   Hja hawwe ferstân en gewisse meikrigen en hearre har foar inoar oer yn in
   geast fan bruorskip te hâlden en te dragen.

English:

   - All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They
   are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in
   a spirit of brotherhood.

Japanese:

   - すべての人間は、生まれながらにして自由であり、かつ、尊厳と権利と について平等である。人間は、理性と良心とを授けられており、互いに同
   胞の精神をもって行動しなければならない。

*(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)*

By the way, Tomoki, the letter "å" is used in the Low Saxon dialects of
Schleswig and parts of Holstein as well.  As in the case of North Frisian,
it may be a token of Scandinavian affiliation or at least Scandinavian exposure
in the wake of Danish rule.  In any case, it is quite redundant because all
it stands for is the (long) /aa/ which in all of the mentioned varieties is
pronounced half-rounded.  Because the pronunciation of /aa/ is different
from that of the corresponding phoneme in German, people feel compelled to
spell it differently.  People tell me that they do so to give the language
its "own look" that is not German.  What they don't realize is that in
actual fact they let German dictate the spelling in that they react to
German spelling rather than analyze their language varieties within their
own contexts.  But most people don't seem to understand this argument.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron
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