LL-L: "Dialect differences" [E/F/LS] LOWLANDS-L, 04.OCT.1999 (03)

[Lowlands-L Administrator]

 =========================================================================
 L O W L A N D S - L * 04.OCT.1999 (03) * ISSN 1089-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
 Posting Address: <lowlands-l at listserv.linguistlist.org>
 Web Site: <http://www.geocities.com/~sassisch/rhahn/lowlands/>
 User's Manual: <http://www.lsoft.com/manuals/1.8c/userindex.html>
 =========================================================================
 A=Afrikaans, Ap=Appalachean, D=Dutch, E=English, F=Frisian, L=Limburgish
 LS=Low Saxon (Low German), S=Scots, Sh=Shetlandic
 =========================================================================
 You have received this because your account has been subscribed upon
 request. To unsubscribe, please send the command "signoff lowlands-l"
 as message text from the same account to
 <listserv at listserv.linguistlist.org> or sign off at
 <http://linguistlist.org/subscribing/sub-lowlands-l.html>.
 =========================================================================

From: Henno Brandsma [Henno.Brandsma at phil.uu.nl]
Subject: dialect differences

Hoi allegearre/ Hi all,

Ik wie le^sten by mysels in ferske fan Sebeare oan it sjongen, en it
foel my op dat ik yn it refrein it wurd _bra^ne_ ferfong troch
_baarne_. No is _baarde_ de fariant dy't ik sels bru^ke soe, en
_bra^ne_ dy fan de sjonger fan de band. Ik gie it eefkes by mysels
nei, en ik doch dat faker: it ferfangen fan ien foarm u't in ferske
(of in fers, of as ik foarle^s u't in boek) troch dy u't myn eigen
dialekt, tenminsten, as it rym en it metrum it talitte (wat hjir yndie
it gefal wie).

[The other day I was singing a song by the Frisian band Sebeare to
myself, and I noticed that I had substituted the singer's dialect
variant _bra^ne_ (=burn) by my own variant _baarne_, a thing that I,
on reflecting some more on this, do regularly when singing, or
reciting poetry or literature, at least when the rhyme and metre allow
it (as was the case here)]

Ik freegje my no o^f, oft dit by oare Leechla^nske talen ek sa bart:
benammen by de foarmen de^r't in frij grut dialektferskaat en net in
sterke standerttaal is. Ik tink hjirby benammen oan Nederdu'tsk en
Skotsk.

[I now wonder whether the same phenomenon occurs in other Lowlandic
languages as well. This might especially be the case in alnguages that
have a relatively large dialectical diversity and a relatively weak
standard language, e.g. Low Saxon and Scots.]

Is it sels sa dat staveringen der om u'tsocht wurde dat se sa
"dialektneutraal" moolk binne, sadat dizze praktyk ek befoardere
wurdt, sa te sizzen? Ik mien bygelyks dat in stavering as _guid_ yn it
Skotsk en _good_ (yn guon farianten fan Nd stavering) hjirom, foar in
part alteast, keazen binne.
Wat tinke jim hjirfan?

[Might it even be true that spelling systems are sometimes designed to
be as "dialect neutral" as possible, to (sort of) stimulate this
practice? E.g. I suppose that spelling such as _guid_ in Scots and
_good_ in some systems of LOw Saxon orthography are, partly at least,
chosen for this reason.
What do you all think?]

Henno Brandsma

----------

From: R. F. Hahn [sassisch at yahoo.com]
Subject: Dialect differences

[The following is in Low Saxon (Low German) and English.]

Hoi, Henno!

Ja, so wat as Du dat baven verklaart hest, dat gifft 't ook in't Neddersassische
(Nedderdüütsche).  (As Du sachs al weetst, gifft 't för düsse Spraak (noch) keen
Standard-Mundaard.)  To'n Biespill seggt 'n in welke Mundaarden "he dörft" un in
welke Mundaarden "he dröfft" (d.h. Metathees').  Wenn een denn in wat vörlist or
-singt, denn dait he dat faken so, as dat in sien egene Mundaard seggt wardt.
'n Biespill is ook "Ik wull wi weern noch kleen, Jehann" in Groth sien Riemel.
As Leed wardt dat faken "Ik wull wi weern noch lütt, Jehann" sungen vun Lüüd',
de er Mundaarden "kleen" nich hebbt.

Gröten,

Reinhard/Ron


Hoi, Henno!

Yes, in Low Saxon (Low German) you will encounter cases that are similar to the
one you described above.  (As you probably know, there is no standard variety
for this language (as yet).)  For example, you say _he dörft_ 'he may', 'he is
permitted' in some dialects and _he dröfft_ (i.e., metathesized) in others.  In
reading, reciting or singing, people tend to "translate" it into their own
variety's forms.  Another example is _Ik wull wi weern noch kleen, Jehann_ ("I
wish we were still small, Jehann") in Groth's poem.  As a song it is often
rendered as _Ik wull wi weern noch lütt, Jehann_ by people who do not have the
word _kleen_ 'small' in their dialects.

Regards,

Reinhard/Ron

==================================END======================================
 * Please submit contributions to <lowlands-l at listserv.linguistlist.org>.
 * Contributions will be displayed unedited in digest form.
 * Please display only the relevant parts of quotes in your replies.
 * Commands for automated functions (including "signoff lowlands-l") are
   to be sent to <listserv at listserv.linguistlist.org> or at
   <http://linguistlist.org/subscribing/sub-lowlands-l.html>.
 * Please use only Plain Text format, not Rich Text (HTML) or any other
   type of format, in your submissions
 =========================================================================