LL-L "Language diversity" 2009.02.22 (05) [E]

[Lowlands-L List]

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L O W L A N D S - L - 22 February 2009 - Volume 05
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From: James Wilson <jawi2300 at gmail.com>
Subject: LL-L "Language diversity" 2009.02.22 (01) [E]


Hi Paul,

'...don't switch from standard to regional forms...' Paul Finlow-Bates

'Speakers of Northumbrian are not very bothered about whether their speech
is regarded as a language or a dialect, because it can be both.'
www.northumbriana.org.uk

'...some Geordie words are of more recent origin or are corruptions or words
borrowed from other regions, but often the similarities between Anglo-Saxon
and Geordie can be quite surprising. ' www.northeastengland.talktalk.net

'Many Scots who speak English do so with a Scottish accent.'
www.scots-online.org

To say that people with a regional dialect/language do not switch between a
regional to *standard *(surely you mean RP ;) form is just not correct. That
is precisely what we have to do in order to communicate with anyone from
outside the area!!  I already stated this in my previous response.  Also,
when people come to area we also use, to the best of our ability,
*standard*English, with an accent as the Scots do.  This is of course,
an absolute
necessity on our behalf (Scots, Northumbrian, Cornish, Welsh, etc.).
Personally I have no great difficulty with Scots but the others; if they and
I did not speak English, there would be no communication.

My second reference (similarities between Anglo-Saxon and Geordie) is merely
to show that some words that Northumbrians use are also English words but we
use them differently. 'Te larn' = 'to learn' or 'to teach' and 'te can' =
'to be able' are just simple examples (in Danish 'at lære' and 'at kunne').
Instead of 'teaching' you Northumbrian I would 'larn' you and instead of
'You'll have to be able to speak Northumbrian...', 'Ye'll he te c'n
Northumbrian...'. [The Danish verbs are included to emphasise the
similarities to other Lowland languages other than English.  For example in
Danish it would be acceptable to say 'Du skal kunne Northumbrian...' and
drop the verb 'at tale' = 'to speak' as it would be in sometimes in Geordie
but not in English].  Or 'te ax' = 'to ask'; my sister would always use the
Northumbrian as in 'Ax wor kid' to which I would reply 'I would, if I had
one!'.  My point is to show, once again, that if we had be taught both
Northumbrian and English, *we as Nothumbrians* could better switch between
the two.

Again you refer to Geordie violence and my answer is still the same; I would
not, my family and friends have never done so and I do not believe the many
websites promoting Georde have been created merely to *con *non-Geordies, so
that we can beat them up.  If you wish to continue this particular aspect of
this thread, then it will not be with me.

Regards

James
Copenhagen

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