LL-L "Etymology" 2007.09.11 (02) [E]

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 A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian B=Brabantish D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian
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L O W L A N D S - L  -  10 September 2007 - Volume 02
Song Contest: lowlands-l.net/contest/ (- 31 Dec. 2007)
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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Etymology

Lowlanders,

Here's an etymological note with a question at the end.

Low Saxon has the word dol (doll < dolle) which originally meant  'crazy',
'crazed', 'raging' and now also (and in some dialects only) means
'strongly', 'very much', 'very'. Dutch dol still means 'crazy', 'crazed',
'raging'.  They are clearly related to English "dull".  (How's that for
semantic divergence?)

Low Saxon doll ended up in Missingsch and then in casual Northern German
with the meaning 'strongly', 'very much', 'very'.  Its German cognate is
toll (d > t, t > ts), originally meaning 'crazy', 'crazed', 'raging' but
nowadays being used more in the extended sense of 'great' (!).  This is how
doll and toll came to coexist in the same language varieties.

Has doll spread to Southern German varieties in the meantime?

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

•

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