LL-L "Etymology" 2007.11.29 (03) [E/LS]

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L O W L A N D S - L  -  28 November 2007 - Volume 03
Song Contest: lowlands-l.net/contest/ (- 31 Dec. 2007)
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From: Soenke Dibbern <s_dibbern at web.de>
Subject: LL-L "Lexicon" 2007.11.28 (07) [E/LS]

An'n Mi., den 28. Nov.'07, hett Ron dit Klock 23.00 schreven:

>> From: Heiko Evermann <heiko.evermann at gmx.de>
>> Subject: LL-L: Lexikon
>>
>> Moin tosamen,
>> noch een Fraag ut de plattdüütsche Wikipedia:
>> gifft dat en plattdüütsch Woort för den "Wellensittich"?
>>
>> Hartlich Gröten,
>> Heiko Evermann
>
> ----------
>
> From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Lexicon
>
> Moin, Heiko!
>
> Bi mi is heet dat "Buttjer" or "Buttje".

Hi Ron, Heiko, and all,
that bird is a "Buttje", also in my book, but a "Buttjer" is an
affectionate name for a little boy. "Na mien Buttjer, wo wullt du denn so
gau opdaal?" ("Hey little lad, whereto are you going so fast?"). There's
also a verb "(rüm-)buttjern" meaning "to stroll about, walk aimlessly",
possibly related to the staggering walk of little children.

Hoolt sik,
Sönke

----------

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

Hi, Sönke, and thanks for the input! It's really interesting in that it puts
a new spin on it for me and for others that remember a discussion about *
butje* in the distant past.

I personally say *butje* (*Buttje*), though I hear others say *butjer* (*
Buttjer*). I've always assumed it was a case of dialectical distribution.

Furthermore, I tend to say *butje* (*Buttje*) in *both* cases: (1)
'budgerigar' (parakeet), and (2) 'little boy'. I am a *Hamborger Buttje*, as
native males of/from Hamburg are called. (The female equivalent is *Hamborger
Diern*, *Diern* (/deirn/) being 'girl'.)

The most frequently heard (folk?) etymology connects the word *Buttje* in
the diminutive with *but* (*Butt*) 'flatfish', 'but(t)' (e.g., halibut).

Now that you pointed out a possible connection with the verb /butjer-/ *
(rüm-)butjern* it brings to mind the noun *but* (*Butt*) in the sense of
'boot', which we also use in Missingsch and in Miussingsch-colored German,
such as *Gummibutten* for 'rubber boots', 'wellingtons'. Right now I can't
find this word in any dictionary. This makes me wonder if it's a
Hamburg-specific word, if it began as an English loan, and if in the sense
of 'little Hamburg boy' it was inspired by this locally specific word. So
it's this comical image of a little boy that stomps about with his large
boots on (*lütt(j)en jung mit grote butten*/*butjes an*), in other words *'n
lütten butjer* that "butjers" about. This makes so much more sense to me!

If this holds any water, it would be very similar to the nickname of Emperor
Gaius Iulius Caesar Germanicus (CE 12-41): *Caligula *"Little Boot" because
as a little tyke (before he developed into the poor, mentally ill piece of
work that fascinates people to this day) he stomped around in military
leather half-boots called *caligae* (plural of *caliga*,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caligae).

Back to the focus! I now suspect that in some dialects *butje* 'budgerigar'
and *butjer* 'little boy' fused; both came to be called one or the other.

Good one, Sönke!

Kumpelmenten!

Reinhard/Ron
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