LL-L "Language varieties" 2011.06.19 (04) [EN]

[Lowlands-L List]

====================================================
 L O W L A N D S - L - 19 June 2011 - Volume 04
lowlands.list at gmail.com - http://lowlands-l.net/
Posting: lowlands-l at listserv.linguistlist.org
Archive: http://listserv.linguistlist.org/archives/lowlands-l.html
 Encoding: Unicode (UTF-08)
Language Codes: lowlands-l.net/codes.php
=====================================================

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

Dear Lowlanders,
Every once in a while we get lucky in that a non-LL-L
fellow-language-enthusiast out there in the wide world volunteers to add to
our Anniversary Site (http://lowlands-l.net/anniversary/). This happened
recently when Nataly Balamut (Belarusian *Наталля Баламут*, Russian *Наталия
Баламут*) in Grodno, Belarus, sent me an audio file for the Belarusian
version of the Wren Story (
http://lowlands-l.net/anniversary/bielaruskaja.php). Clearly a very nice and
enthusiastic person, Nataly more recently sent me a translation and audio
file in Trasianka a few days ago, and I just installed them (
http://lowlands-l.net/anniversary/trasianka.php). *Вялікае дзякуй, Наталля!*

Now, Trasianka (Trasjanka, *Трасянка*) is a very interesting group of
language varieties in that it is clearly a Slavic counterpart of our
Lowlands' Missingsch (German on Low Saxon substrata) and Stadfrys (Dutch on
West Frisian substrata). Specifically, I consider it Russian on Belarusian
substrata.

The pattern seems to be this: a community of speakers of Language X
endeavors to adopt more prestigious, imported Language Y, a language that is
fairly closely related to Language X. In what in many cases is a
transitional period, Language Y used by such a community is based on some,
if not all, foundations of ancestral Language X. The result is what in
popular opinion is regarded as being a low-prestige language hybrid,
considered inferior with regard to both the original language of the land
and the encroaching (power) language.

I would love to become acquainted with other equivalent cases.

Apparently there is a Ukrainian equivalent: Russian on Ukrainian substrata,
called Surzhyk (*суржик*). Does any of you have access to someone that could
add a Surzhyk translation? I realize that it is hard to recruit people to
making such contributions, since there is shame or embarrassment attached
with such perceptibly low-prestige language varieties.

Are there any other Lowlands equivalents? Is Scottish English or a precursor
of it an equivalent (between Scots and English)?
*
Trasianka*:
http://lowlands-l.net/anniversary/trasianka-info.php
http://lowlands-l.net/anniversary/trasianka.php

*Missingsch*:
http://lowlands-l.net/anniversary/missingsch-info.php
http://lowlands-l.net/anniversary/missingsch-bremen1.php
http://lowlands-l.net/anniversary/missingsch-hamburg1.php
http://lowlands-l.net/anniversary/missingsch-wilhelmshaven.php

*Stadfrys*:
http://lowlands-l.net/anniversary/stadsfrys-info.php
http://lowlands-l.net/anniversary/stadsfrys-liwwarders.php

Clearly, most, if not all, languages have substrata from earlier languages,
be they related to them or not. It is only that in most cases we do not have
the data to identify the particulars. In some cases we make assumptions on
the basis of historical knowledge. For example, we know that at the time of
the Roman (Latin) invasion earlier inhabitants of most regions of what are
now France and Southern Belgium spoke Gaulic (Gallic), a Celtic language of
the Goidelic branch, which is related to Irish and Scottish Gaelic as well
as to Manx. On the basis of such knowledge we assume that whatever makes
French <http://lowlands-l.net/anniversary/francais-info.php> and the other
Oïl languages (e.g.
Norman<http://lowlands-l.net/anniversary/norman-intro.php>and
Walloon <http://lowlands-l.net/anniversary/walon-intro.php>) special is due
to Gaulic substrata. But we also know that Celtic languages used to be used
in the Alpine region and in what are now the Iberian Peninsula and Turkey
(to name but a few places). I dare say that Celtic substrata played
important roles in the formation of fundamentally Germanic English as well.

While national and ethnic prejudices are easily identified and thus are more
frequently discussed, linguistically based prejudices tend to fly below the
radar. Linguistically based prejudices relate to international, national,
ethnic and socioeconomic stratification, in some cases also religious
divisions.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron
Seattle, USA

=========================================================
Send posting submissions to lowlands-l at listserv.linguistlist.org.
Please display only the relevant parts of quotes in your replies.
Send commands (including "signoff lowlands-l") to
listserv at listserv.linguistlist.org or lowlands.list at gmail.com
http://linguistlist.org/subscribing/sub-lowlands-l.html .
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/group.php?gid=118916521473498
===============================================================
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/lowlands-l/attachments/20110619/cbba819f/attachment.htm>