LL-L "Phonology" 2012.02.19 (02) [EN]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L - 19 February 2012 - Volume 02
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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Phonology

Ingmar *et al.*,

A postscript seems to be in order, since sometimes I forget to mention what
to me seems quite obvious.

Not only did the earliest Mennonites come from virtually all parts of what
are now the Netherlands, Belgium and also Low-Frankish-speaking parts of
what is now Germany, but the eastern lands to which they migrated had been
attracting Low-Frankish-speaking migrants since the high Middle Ages. "Dutch"
or "Flemish" settlers could be found anywhere from today's Lower Saxony and
Schleswig-Holstein to Eastern Prussia, an area of northeastern Poland and
now Russian Kaliningrad (German *Königsberg*, Western Low Saxon *Königsbarg*,
Dutch *Koningsbergen*, Polish* **Królewiec* ~ *Królówgród*, Lithuanian *
Karaliaučius*, Old Prussian *Kunnegsgarbs*).

My point is that there used to be Low Saxon Low-Frankish-speaking
communities in much of the area, and it is not at all unlikely that Low
Frankish substrata participated in the development of eastern Low Saxon,
aside from Slavic and Baltic substrata as well as German influences.

Personally, I believe that the features of unrounding and palatalization in
Plautdietsch and other East Pomeranian and East Prussian Low Saxon dialects
is due to Slavic substrata, perhaps also to Baltic substrata. Other
far-eastern varieties had considerable contacts with Finnic (Livonian and
Estonian, perhaps even Ingrian).

We should always remember that some West-Slavic-speaking communities once
existed as far west as in eastern Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein, even
in what is now southeastern Denmark, especially on the Isle of Funen (*Fyn*).
However, the westernmost Slavic-speaking fringes were less densely
populated and had been dominated by Germanic speakers much earlier. This
may account for the fact that unrounding and fricativization are not
features of Low Saxon dialects in such contact areas, and that front
rounding made its way into some of those Slavic varieties, such as
Drevano-Polabian (German *Draväno-Polabisch* or *Drevanisch*) of eastern
Lower Saxony, a language that became extinct in the 18th century:

  *D.Polab.*

*Polish*

*L.Sorb.*

*U.Sorb.*

*Czech*

* *

böse

boso

bósy

bosy

bosý

barefoot

Büg

Bóg

Bog

Bóh

Bůh

God

djölęb

gołąb

gołub

hołb

holub

dove

djöra

góra

góra

hora

hora

mountain

djüst

gość

gósć

hósć

host

guest

dübre

dobrze

dobry

dobry

dobrý

good

katü

kto

chto

štó

kdo

who

ljutü

lato

lěśe

lěćo

léto

summer

nüc

noc

noc

nóc

noc

night

nüwe

nowy

nowy

nowy

nový

new

nüz

nóż

nož

nóž

nůž

knife

paiwü

piwo

piwo

piwo

pivo

beer

pöl

pół

poł

poł

půl

half

püd

pod

pód

pod

pod

under

sarütje

szeroki

šyroki

šěroki

široký

broad

slüwü

słowo

słowo

słowo

slovo

word

tjöza

koza

kóza

koza

koza

goat

wüdjin

ogień

wogeń

woheń

oheň

fire

As you can see, there is a great deal of palatalization in
Drevano-Polabian. However, none of it rubbed off on the local Low Saxon
dialects, while Low Saxon loanwords abound in this West Slavic language.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron
Seattle, USA

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

Hi, Ingmar!

The early Mennonites came from various parts of the Netherlands, on their
way east were joined by people of what is now Northern Germany, and
eventually picked up the East Pomeranian Low Saxon dialect of the Vistula
Delta. I assume that they developed their own dialect variant by way of a
far-western substrate accumulation. Later developments took place in
Ukraine  and eventually all over the Soviet Union.

One of the main characteristics of Germanic varieties that were exported to
the far east is the unrounding of front rounded vowels; typically ü > i and
ö > e. This applies to all far-western Low Saxon, German and Yiddish
varieties and may be assumed to be due to Slavic and Baltic substrata.
Plautdietsch (i.e. Mennonite Low Saxon) underwent additional shifts, some
of which it shares with now mostly extinct other Vistula Delta var. Notable
is almost general vowel lowering (with rounding of the low vowels): i > e,
e > e ~ a, a > au, aa > o(a), but i and ö derived from rounded vowels (ü >
i and ö > e) tend not to be affected by this.

  Non-Mennonite

Mennonite



Gift

Jeft

poison

in

en

in

is

es

is

Hööd

Heed

hats

gröön

jreen

green

Hüs’ ~ Hüser

Hiesa

houses

Hand

Haund

hand

dat

daut

that

gahn

gohne

to go

klagen

kloage

to complain

büst

best

(thou) art

Küken

Kjiekjel ~ Tjietjel

chick

düütsch

dietsch

German

Already at the Vistula Delta (as opposed to later Ukrainian colonies),
Plautdietsch acquired palatalization before front vowels. This includes the
shift k > kj which some ("Russian") dialects later shifted to tj.
Palatalization of non-word-initial /d/ is a feature Plautdietsch shares
with Lower Rhine Frankish.

  Non-Mennonite

Mennonite



Gift

Jeft

poison

Gold

Gold

gold

gääl

jääl

yellow

Küken

Kjiekjel ~ Tjietjel

chick

Kind

Kjind ~ Tjind

child

Kinner

Kjinja ~ Tjinja

children

Band

Baund

band

Bänner

Benja

bands

kaken

koake

to cook

kieken

kjiekje ~ tjietje

to look

wegen

wäje

to cradle, to weigh

There is another shift that distinguishes "New Colony" Plautdietsch from
"Old Colony" Plautdietsch and is predominant in the dialects of
20th-century Soviet Union. While front rounded vowels had earlier become
unrounded (see above), this latest development made back-vocalic long /u/
into frontal ü.

  Non-Mennonite

Old Colony

New Colony



Huus

Huus

Hüüs

house

Hüs’ ~ Hüser

Hiesa

Hiesa

houses

Tuun

Tuun

Tüün

fence

Tüün

Tien

Tien

fences

Uul

Uul

Üül

owl

bruun

bruun

brüün

brown

I hope that this clarifies a few things.

I believe that Plautdietsch *-e *compared with Low Saxon *-en* adds to the
Low Frankish sound.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron
Seattle, USA

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