<div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">=========================================================================<br>L O W L A N D S - L - 30 June 2008 - Volume 03<br>-------------------------------------------------------------------------<br>
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=========================================================================<br></div><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">From: </span><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="HcCDpe"><span class="EP8xU" style="color: rgb(121, 6, 25);">jonny</span> <span class="lDACoc"><<a href="mailto:jonny.meibohm@arcor.de">jonny.meibohm@arcor.de</a>></span></span><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Subject: </span><span class="HcCDpe"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">LL-L "Culture" 2008.06.29 (04) [E]</span><br><br></span><div><span><font face="Courier New">Beste
Marcus,</font></span></div>
<div><span></span> </div>
<div><span><font face="Courier New">in your last
posting you quoted Ina Müller:</font></span></div><div class="Ih2E3d">
<div><span></span> </div>
<div><span><font color="#008080" face="Courier New"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">> I actually think it is hip
at the moment to boost cult icons. For example the FC St. Pauli [local soccer
club of Hamburg which has a devoted </span></font></span></div>
<div><span><font color="#008080" face="Courier New"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">> followership that tries to
stand off the more mainstream Hamburger SV]. Their T-shirts with the skulls and
bones are a hit even in Denmark.</span></font></span></div>
<div><span><font color="#008080" face="Courier New"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">> Or look at the band Fettes
Brot. In their age group they are cult just like the comic character Werner
Beinhart for the older ones is. And Low > Saxon too is in this category.
That's shown by the popularity of our shows. It's got a drive of it's own. Maybe
cause it feels younger and more > modern with us. Even the
Ohnsorg-Theater is playing more modern plays now.</span></font></span></div>
<div><span></span> </div>
</div><div><span><font face="Courier New">But the interview
went on:</font></span></div>
<div><span></span> </div>
<div><span><font face="Courier New"><b>(quote)</b></font></span></div>
<div><span><font face="Courier New"><u>Question of the
interviewer:</u> <font color="#ff0000"><font color="#000000">"Der globalisierte
Mensch auf der Suche nach einer Heimat oder einer Abgrenzung?"["</font>The
globalized people looking for a home or
distinction?"]</font></font></span></div>
<div><span></span> </div>
<div><span><font face="Courier New"><u>Answer of Mr.
Dibaba:</u> <font color="#ff0000"><font color="#000000">"So hoch würde ich das nicht
hängen. Vielleicht ist es auch nur ganz schlicht ein Trend, mit dem sich gut
Geld verdienen lässt."</font> ['I wouldn't overprice it. Perhaps it is just a
trend to earn good money."]</font></font></span></div>
<div><span><font face="Courier New"><b>(unquote)</b></font></span></div>
<div><span></span> </div>
<div><span><font face="Courier New">And that's it where
'our' Ina Müller is really capable- I have no doubt about
it!</font></span></div>
<div><span><font face="Courier New">But some doubts are
coming when I hear her words imply that she grew up with LS as her
main language- she is born A.D 1965, and then even in Köhlen (a
village near Bremerhaven, Germany) people normally could
speak Standard German ;-)... Maybe she grew up within a
mixture of LS and Northern German dialect and just was unable to learn both
languages:</font></span></div>
<div><span></span> </div>
<div><span><font face="Courier New"><b>(quote)</b></font></span></div>
<div><span><font face="Courier New"><u>Question:</u></font></span></div>
<div><span><font face="Courier New">Auffällig bei Ihnen
beiden ist, dass Sie ausgerechnet mit einer Sprache Karriere machen, die
eigentlich als Karrierekiller gilt. Oder haben Sie andere Erfahrungen gemacht?
<font color="#ff0000">[For both of you it is noticeable that you made your
carreers with a language looked upon as a carreer killer. Or did you make
different experiences?]</font></font></span></div>
<div>
<p><font face="Courier New"><u><span>Answer
of Mrs. </span>Müller:</u></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New">Nicht wirklich. Als ich damals an die
Schule im nächsten größeren Ort <u>wechselte</u>, da war es für uns nach
Kuhstall <u>stinkenden</u> Dörfler, mit Plattdeutsch <u>geschlagen</u>, nicht
wirklich lustig. Das ist kein Vorwurf an meine Eltern, um das gleich zu sagen,
denen war es einfach egal, ob ihre Kinder Plattdeutsch oder Hochdeutsch
sprachen. Die haben über so etwas gar nicht nachgedacht. Aber für ein Kind ist
es schwierig, <u>plötzlich</u> Worte in einer Sprache zu schreiben, die <u>total
fremd</u> ist. Ein Albtraum.<span> <font color="#ff0000">[Not really. When I changed to a school in the neighboured bigger
village, it wasn't pleasant at all for us 'rednecks' with the smell of cow
stables, beaten with Low Saxon. I don't want to blame my parents ...; they
didn't mind us to talk either Low Saxon or Standard German. They didn't make any
thoughts about this. But for a child it is really difficult to write abruptly in
a totally strange language. A nightmare.]</font></span></font></p>
<p><font face="Courier New"><span></span></font><font face="Courier New"><span><b>(unquote)</b></span></font></p></div>
<div><span><font face="Courier New">Vulgar,
stupid and with some inconsistency, for my humble
opinion.</font></span></div>
<div><span></span> </div>
<div><span><font face="Courier New">Once again Low
Saxon gets moved into the 'Schmuddelecke' ['figurative place for all that
is considered dirty and taboo']. Or, not better but sounding less cruel:
Low Saxon just as a medium for 'Volksbelustigung' ['to make people
laugh']!?</font></span></div>
<div><span><font face="Courier New">But perhaps
this curious and not at all new trend really will help to renew Low Saxon
in a very special way- "Geld regiert die Welt" ("money rules the
world")...</font></span></div>
<div><span></span> </div>
<div><span><font face="Courier New">Meanwhile I
don't care about this any longer.</font></span></div>
<div><span></span> </div>
<div align="left"><font face="Courier New">Allerbest!</font></div>
<div align="left"> </div>
<font face="Courier New">Jonny Meibohm</font><br><br><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">----------</span><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">From: R. F. Hahn <<a href="mailto:sassisch@yahoo.com" target="_blank">sassisch@yahoo.com</a>><br>
Subject: Etymology<br><br>Thanks, Jonny. I'm rather inclined to agree with your sentiments on the whole.<br><br>I'm not in the business of trashing people, and I don't really know very much about Ina </span>Müller<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">. However, I do know that an important part of her shtik is abrasive, sharp-tongued, irreverent humor with strong feminist overtones, sometimes spoofing "proper ladies." That's all fine and dandy, and I approve of well-placed irreverent humor as long as it is not mean-spirited and is not merely a put-on twist for cornering a commercial market.<br>
<br>Aside from what you wrote, Jonny, the interview left a weird taste in my mouth with regard to Ina, a co-interviewee, sometimes taking on the interviewer's role by asking Yared questions and then making what seem like value judgments about his responses on top of it.<br>
</span><p style="margin-left: 40px; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="">Ina Müller:<br>Moment, bevor Du weiter erzählst, wenn ich reinkomme und sage, Moin, Moin, dann sagst Du ...?<br><font color="#990000">Just a sec. Before you go on ... When I enter and say, "Moin, moin," you say ...?</font><br>
</p><p style="margin-left: 40px; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="">Dibaba:<br>Atam!<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">"Atam!"</span><br></p><p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="">
<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">(I would have said, "Moin, moin!" if I were him.)</span><br></p><p style="margin-left: 40px; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="">Müller:<br>Komisches Wort. Atam hört sich für mich nach Attacke an: Atam, Atam! Moin, moin ist viel schöner, runder.<br style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">
<span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Weird word. "Atam" sounds like an attack: "Atam, Atam!" "Moin, moin" is much more beautiful, rounder.</span><br></p><p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="gast">
And the point is ...? What does this value judgment have to do with the price of tea in China? "My language is prettier than yours"? In my opinion, these interjections are inappropriate and aggressive and don't exactly come across as informed. The introduction to the interview talks about Yared Dibaba being used to dealing with "strong women" next to him at work and being able to hold his own. I have no problem whatsoever with "strong women" as long as they know what they are talking about and don't act the fool.<br>
</p><div style="margin-left: 40px; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Dibaba:<br>Und? Was willst Du uns damit sagen?<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">So? What is it you're trying to say?</span><br></div>
<p style="margin-left: 40px; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="">Müller:<br>Dass Moin sich schöner anhört, mehr nicht. ...<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">That "Moin" sounds nicer. That's all. ...</span><br>
</p><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Good for him!</span><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><div style="margin-left: 40px; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><br>Müller:<br>Die Kombination ist aber auch zu nett: Ein Schwarzer, der im Norden eine Sendung moderiert, die "Die Welt op Platt" heißt.<br>
<span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">The combination is totally cute: a black man moderating a northern program called "Die Welt op Platt" ...</span><br style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><br style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">
</div><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">No one asked you, Ina! Leave it to the readers to deal with their own prejudicial takes!</span><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Yared, who belongs to an Oromo refugee family from Ethiopia, talks about challenges he faced in school, and Ina butts in again ...</span><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">
<p style="margin-left: 40px; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="">Müller:<br>Du Armer! Und dann mit diesem
Sprachengewirr. Das war aber auch ganz schön gemein von Deinen Eltern,
Dich überall hinzuschleppen und diesem Sprachen-Babylon auszusetzen. ...<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">You poor thing! And then this language jumble on top of it! It was totally mean of your parents to drag you all over and expose you to this Bable situation. ... </span><br>
</p><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Asked if he uses Low Saxon in everyday life ...</span><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><p style="margin-left: 40px; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="">
Dibaba:<br>In Hamburg macht das kaum noch
jemand. Außerdem ist meine Frau Portugiesin, mein ältester Sohn kommt
auf eine deutsche Schule, und wenn ich meine Leute treffe, dann
sprechen wir Oromo. Plattdeutsch brauche ich tatsächlich fast nur noch
fürs Fernsehen. Aber Du träumst doch wahrscheinlich sogar auf Platt,
oder, Ina?<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Hardly anybody does so in Hamburg these days. Besides, my wife is Portuguese, my oldest son is going to go to a German-speaking school, and I speak Oromo when I get together with my people. I use Low Saxon mostly on TV these days. I take it you dream in Low Saxon, Ina. Or?</span><br>
</p><p style="margin-left: 40px; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="">Müller:<br>Stimmt. Vor allem aber denke ich auf Platt. Ich bin schließlich eine Frau.<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">That's right. But most importantly, I <i>think </i>in Low Saxon. I'm a woman, after all.</span><br>
</p><p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="">(Excuse me?!<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> Perhaps she should stop making fun of ditsy women, unless she means to include herself.</span>)<br>
</p><p style="margin-left: 40px; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="">Dibaba:<br>Wie konnte ich vergessen: Ich denke nicht, also bin ich Mann. Danke für den Hinweis.<br><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">How could I have forgotten that? I don't think; so me man. Thanks for the hint.</span><br>
</p><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Regards,</span><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Reinhard/Ron</span><br>