LL-L: "Romance connections" LOWLANDS-L, 16.NOV.1999 (02) [A/D/E]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 16.NOV.1999 (02) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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From: $ Elsie Zinsser [ezinsser at simpross.co.za]
Subject: LL-L: "Romance connections" LOWLANDS-L, 11.NOV.1999 (01) [D]

Haai julle!

Wat Frank Verhoft [frank.verhoft at ping.be] skryf oor "amaai" interesseer
my, veral omdat ons die woord
in Afrikaans ook as skeldwoord vir 'moeder' en 'moer' gebruik.

"amai" ofte "amaai" zijn, nl. via het Portugese "a mãe", "de moeder", of
"moeder" (als aanspreking).
 Zoals in: "Amai mijn voeten!" (of een ander lichaamsdeel), "Amai
moeder!" een entwat ruwe uitroep van verbazing, verwondering en zelfs
ongeloof, die vrij frequent gebezigd wordt in de Brabants-sprekende
delen van Vlaanderen.

-_Maai_ word in Afrikaans gebruik as 'n eufemisme vir _moer_ ('uterus').
Byvoorbeeld in:
"Ag, jou ma se maai!"

-_maaifoedie" (naamwoord) is 'n ander vorm wat met 'maai' verband hou.
Dis 'n skeldnaam en die etimologiese herkoms
verwys na: 'seksuele omgang met jou moeder".

-Die verkleinwoord-vorm "maaitjie" (>ma-tjie) vir "moedertjie" kom ook
voor in Afrikaans.

 Minder leuk zou de geschiedenis van deze ontlening zijn: de
uitroep werd geïntroduceerd in Antwerpen door Portugese joden, op de
vlucht voor de Spaanse bezetters van hun thuisland, en later versterkt,
tijdens de periode na de Val van Antwerpen (eind 16de eeuw), en de
daaropvolgende bezetting van de Spaanse troepen en hun furies, die tal
van Portugese voetknechten in hun rangen telden.

Waarom nie? Die moeder-kult was waarskynlik in beide die Joodse en in
die Katolieke kulture aanwesig. Min uitdrukkingvorme is so sterk in die
menslike psige gevestig as diè rondom die moeder, veral waar mense 'n
diaspora van een of ander soort ook nog beleef.

Groete!

Elsie Zinsser

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From: R. F. Hahn [sassisch at yahoo.com]
Subject: Romance connections

Dear Lowlanders,

I, too, have been thinking about the Portuguese _a mãe_ > Dutch _amai_ theory
Frank Verhoft kindly told us about.  I think it is entirely possible that
_Amai!_ was derived from a then current Portuguese exclamation expressing
dismay, despair, surprise, etc.  However, I consider it more possible for
_amai_ to have been derived from _A, mãe!_, because the feminine article _a_
is pronounced as schwa in Portuguese and probably already was so at the time,
and this would have theoretically resulted in ([@'mãI] ~ [@'maI] >) Dutch
*_emai_.

I also have a sneaking suspicion that originally _A, mãe!_ was a shortened
form for _A, Mãe de Deus!_ (Oh, Mother of God!) or something of the sort, an
exclamation whose equivalents are found in several European languages.  Of
course, this presumes Christianity, at least in origin, but this may have been
lost in its shortened form.  (I personally know Jews and Muslims who exclaim
"Jeez!" or even "Jesus!" like most other people do.  Likewise, "bloody," which
is supposed to come from "By our Lady," is used irrespective of religion.)   I
do not assume that among the Iberian, mostly Portuguese, Jews that emigrated
to the Lowlands (mostly to what are now the Netherlands and Northern Germany)
at that time there were many Marranos (i.e., formally and mostly forcibly
Christianized Jews).

Theories all, but perhaps worth bearing in mind.

Best regards,

Reinhard/Ron

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