LL-L "Grammar" 2011.06.12 (01) [EN]

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L O W L A N D S - L - 12 June 2011 - Volume 02
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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Grammar

Hello, Lowlanders!

As many of you are no doubt aware, Northern German dialects are variously
influenced by Low Saxon, owing to Low Saxon substrata in a region in which
Low Saxon used to be used by practically everyone when German encroached.
Some of these influences made it into general Standard German.

I was thinking of this when I mulled over what I consider now widely
ingrained "confusion" of German *als* in the sense of "than" and German *wie
* in the sense of "as". Low Saxon uses *as* in both instances.

I am old enough to remember being taught to distinguish in German as follows
(probably because our teachers were aware of our local "weakness"):

   - *Er ist so alt wie ich.*
   He is as old *as *me.
   Dutch: *Hij is zo oud als ik.
   *Afrikaans: ***Hy is so oud soos (< so as) my.*
   - *Er ist älter als ich.*
   He is older *than *me.
   Dutch: *Hij is ouder dan ik**.*
   Afrikaans: ***Hy is ouer as ek.***

Low Saxon:

   - *He is so old as ik (dat bün).*
   He is as old *as *me.
   - *He is **öller **as ik (dat bün).*
   He is older *than *me.

In Northern German, and lately increasingly in Standard German, I mostly
hear sentences like this:

   - *Er ist älter wie **ich.*
   He is older *than *me.

According to the older prescriptive grammar this would have the following
meaning:

   - *Er ist älter, wie **(auch) ich.*
   - *He is öller, as ik (dat [ook] bün).*
   He is older, *as *am I.
   Dutch: *Hij is ouder als ik**.* (?)
   Afrikaans: *Hy is ouer soos ek.* (?)*
   *

I am wondering if within comparatives generalization of German *wie* and *
als* to *wie* is due to the influence of general *as* in Low Saxon.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron
Seattle, USA

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