LL-L: "Low Saxon" LOWLANDS-L, 22.NOV.1999 (03) [E]

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From: R. F. Hahn [sassisch at yahoo.com]
Subject: Low Saxon

Christian Chiarcos wrote under "Web resource":

> Dear Ron, although I know that you always prefer "Low Saxon"
> as the name of the language, but in my point of view this is
> as wrong as "Low German":

Dear Christian,

First of all, let it be emphasized that, yes, "Low Saxon" is my *personal*
preference.

_Niedersächsisch_ has also been used as one of several names used among German
linguists, and it used to be one of the names (_(neder)sassysch_ etc.) for the
language in what now belongs to
Germany.  It is not something the people in the Netherlands have made up for
themselves.  After
all, it *is* the modern descendant of the Old Saxon language in the Low
Countries.  _Sassysch_ (and variants) in particular used to be one of the
predominant names.  Even in the 20th century Low Saxon writers in Germany still
referred to _sassisch_ heritage and language (e.g., _Up sassische Eer_ "On Saxon
Soil" whose author I forgot).

> "Low German" might divide the Netherland's Platt-speakers from the
> German, but "Low Saxon" does the same with the Eastern German !

Not if you consider the above.  Besides, what do you mean by "the Eastern
German"?  What does German have to do with the price of tea in China?  We are
not talking about German, a different language.  Low Saxon (Low German) is a
language in its own right, now officially so in both the Netherlands and
Germany.

Bear in mind that, technically speaking, "Low German" is a catch-all label for
varieties of what amounts to two languages in Northern Germany: the Low Saxon
and Low Franconian varieties that happen to fall on the German side of the
border.  The Low Franconian varieties ought to be either lumped together with
Dutch or considered their own language.  They have a different ancestor (the
same as Dutch) and are typologically different from the Saxon-derived
varieties.  Of course, historically speaking, Dutch and Low Saxon belong to one
subordinate branch of languages usually referred to as "Low German," a separate
branch from that to which "German proper" belongs.  Thus, the label "Low German"
is highly ambiguous.  I hardly imagine that today's Dutch speakers would be very
happy if you referred to their language varieties as "German."

However, having said all this, I personally don't care what you call these
languages as long as I know what you are talking about, and as long as you don't
use simply "German" to refer to the Low Saxon varieties.

Best regards,

Reinhard/Ron

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