LL-L "Culture" 2008.06.25 (02) [E/LS]

[Lowlands-L List]

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L O W L A N D S - L  - 25 June 2008 - Volume 02
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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com
Subject: Language varieties

Dear Lowlanders,

Marcus wrote the other day:

Denn dor mööt wi vun utgahn, dat Selbstbild hängt kuum vun de Realität af.
Wat een glöövt, wat een is. Wüllt man blot an de Lüüd ut Pomerode in
Brasilien denken. De kemen ut Pommern. Aver in Brasilien weren se mank de
Brasilianers de 'Düütschen'. Un 'Düütsche' fiert Oktoberfest, dat weet doch
de ganze Welt. Un so hebbt de Lüüd ut Pomerode anfungen, Oktoberfest to
fiern. Ok wenn dat in Pommern wohrschienlich bet op den hüdigen Dag noch
keen Oktoberfest geven hett.

Essentially, he says that self-identification of enclaves of transplanted
ethnic minorities often changes due to internalizing or owning initially
alien broad, stereotypical expectations. He gives the adaptation of the
people of Pomerode in Brazil to stereotypical "German," actually Bavarian,
symbolism such as celebrating Oktoberfest, which does not belong to the
traditional North German culture of their Pomeranian ancestors.

This is most certainly true. In English-speaking countries outside Europe
this can be seen in people with Scottish heritage, mostly of Lowlands
heritage, celebrating Gàidhealtachd culture, thus Highlands culture. Most of
them, like most people of non-Scottish backgrounds, aren't the wiser,
assuming that anything Gaelic is more Scottish than anything else, because
it's Celtic (even though Gaelic is not the original Celtic language of
Scotland).

Much of this phenomenon has to do with the general practice of ignoring
regional features while thinking only in terms of countries. American media
created and still perpetuate the association of "German" with "Bavarian,"
and this has spread around the world. Anyone from Germany is thus expected
to be some type of Bavarian. (I wish I had a dollar for every time I was
asked what I was planning to do for Oktoberfest and for Fasching, and people
quickly change the topic when I explain that those are not part of my
heritage. No details please!) In the process of culture loss, descendants of
immigrants from Germany, *anywhere* in Germany, acquire these false cultural
attributes if they feel inclined to do what they think is preserving their
heritage. Much of this has to do with their parents and grandparents not
teaching them better and/or the local community of immigrants from their
ancestral region being too small or being non-assertive.

This is what typically happens in the case of Low Saxon language and
culture, unless they are predominant in an area (such as in some communities
in the US Midwest). People from Northern Germany and from the Eastern
Netherlands typically integrate into the German and Dutch immigrant
communities respectively, and they tend to join German and Dutch
associations respectively, if they join any. Since they are bilingual to
begin with, they typically lose their Low Saxon proficiency with the next
generation, and their ancestral culture is rarely or never featured in any
activities. People of North German background then start wearing *Lederhosen
* and *Dirndl*, dancing the *Schuhplattler *and celebrating Oktoberfest.

The few Low Saxon clubs that there are are typically sub-organizations of
German associations. While their members came from Germany or are
descendants of such, too close an association with, and certainly
integration in German associations seems to be the beginning of the end.
Before you know it, Bayuvarianization or at least loss of Low Saxon heritage
is a *fait accompli*. I know of such subordinate associations in two
American cities, and hardly any member can actually speak or even read Low
Saxon, and some wouldn't know *Matjes* from *Weißwurst *if their lives
depended on it.

Preservation thus seems to require separation (which does not mean that
people can't be members of both associations.) In my opinion, it would make
a lot more sense if Low Saxon speakers from Germany and the Netherlands and
their descendants banded together. Among other things, this is the result of
thinking in terms of countries instead of linguistic and cultural regions
when it comes to minorities. When it comes to majorities, however,
international associations are commonplace, such as German, Austrian and
Swiss immigrants coming together in German language associations. Why can't
the same be done in cases of languages that do not have national status?

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron
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