LL-L "Grammar" 2012.02.23 (01) [EN]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L - 23 February 2012 - Volume 01
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From: "Obiter Dictum" <obiterdictum at mail.ru>
Subject: Grammar

Dear Lowlanders:

Y’all know the type of word-order which I tentatively call (after some
researchers) closed-in construction, i.e. “the characteristic feature of
the German word order, dissociating tightly connected elements of the
sentence, e.g. Wir HABEN uns wieder ein ganzes Jahr nicht GESEHEN, Sie
BEREITETE ihrem Sohn alles für die Reise VOR.”

I quote this definition from:

Circum-Baltic Languages. Volume 2: Grammar and Typology, Edited by Oesten Dahl
and Maria Koptjevskaja-Tamm, 2001, John Benjamins B.V., Amsterdam, The
Netherlands


http://books.google.co.za/books?id=T0eQwnLnSX0C&pg=PA477&lpg=PA477&dq=%22Closed-in+construction+%E2%80%94+a+characteristical+feature+of+the+German+word+order%22&source=bl&ots=wnjyAI41L4&sig=rpFbaMhK-UzU5QMAaIHcfkNUaLs&hl=af&sa=X&ei=dQVGT6LXD_T04QS_suzMDg&ved=0CCAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22Closed-in%20construction%20%E2%80%94%20a%20characteristical%20feature%20of%20the%20German%20word%20order%22&f=false


Y’all also know this type of word order exists in Dutch (and, consequently,
in Afrikaans), in Frisian and in Yiddish.

Now my questions:

1. What are the other names for this “closed-in construction” in English,
German, and Dutch?

2. Does this “closed-in construction” exist in OTHER Continental Lowland
languages (specifically, your own, whether native or learned)?

3. Where does this “closed-in construction” come from in the languages
OTHER than (High) German? Namely:

(a) Has is ALWAYS existed in the language(s)?

OR

(b) Was it imported/borrowed/assimilated from High German?

I am asking because I have happened to find an abstract (in Russian) of one
doctoral dissertation (
http://www.dissercat.com/content/formirovanie-sintaksicheskoi-normy-strukturnyi-i-sotsiolingvisticheskii-aspekty)
which argues, among other things, that Middle Dutch, Frisian and
Yiddish
BORROWED this “closed-in construction” in the (Late) Middle Ages on the
strength of High German being (a) ubiquitous, (b) arguably more advanced
and (c) more arguably still, prestigious at the time, especially after
Luther’s translation of the Bible.  Plus because of the political (at
times) and economic domination of “High Germans” in the area at various
times in the past.

Now my big question:

4. DO YOU THINK THIS ASSERTION IS VALID? (I mean the borrowing of the
“closed-construction” by Dutch, Frisian, Yiddish and, perhaps other Lowland
languages, from High German.)

And finally,

5.  Do y'all know any printed authority on the subject, whether proving or
disproving this point? I mean the borrowing of the “closed-construction”
from High German. Both online and in print.

(Incidentally, one paper inside the ‘Circum-Baltic Languages’ collection I
cited to above, argues that Estonian TOO borrowed the “closed-in”
construction “from German”.

Since the Estonian for “German” is “sakslane”, Hansa (where Revel/Tallinn
was a member) was definitely Lowlandic in language, lots of SAXON settlers
lived in what is now Estonian towns, and what is now called ‘German’ (Such
as the Kijk-in-de-Keuk Tower), happens to be actually SAXON upon close
examination, this definintely makes me wonder.

Thank y'all so much in advance.
Vlad Lee


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