LL-L: "Language contacts" LOWLANDS-L, 19.FEB.2000 (03) [E]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 19.FEB.2000 (03) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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From: R. F. Hahn [sassisch at yahoo.com]
Subject: Language contacts

Dear Lowlanders,

As some of you know, I am particularly interested in language contacts and in
marginal Low Saxon (Low German) dialects, especially in those in bi- or
multilingual areas where not only German or Dutch but also other languages are
spoken.  One of these areas is today's German-Danish border region, an area that
used to be tossed back and forth between Danish and German rule and that is
known for its multilingual situations involving German, Low Saxon, North
Frisian, Danish and Southern Jutish (if you consider Southern Jutish separate
from Danish).

The following book is a valuable source of information, albeit on the situation
prior to the 1930s:

Brock, Karl Nielsen, _Niederdeutsch auf dänischem Substrat: Studien zur
Dialektgeographie Südostschleswigs_; Copenhagen: Levin & Munksgaard, Marburg: N.
G. Elwert'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung

Included in it (pp. 299-300) is a New Testament text ("The Prodigal Son") in the
Low Saxon and "Danish" (apparently Southern Jutish) dialect of the township of
Tolk in Schleswig/Sleswig/Slesvig written down in 1824.  The Jutish text is
provided in a German-based orthography.  Unfortunately, I don't have this
particular text in another Low Saxon (Low German) dialect.  Does any of you?

You will find the texts below, along with Danish and English versions

Low Saxon (Low German), Township of Tolk (1824):
En man har twee söhns. Un de jöngst van se seeg to sien vader: Gev mi, Vader,
dat deel van dat god, wat mi to hört. Un he deelt'se dat god to. Un nicht lang
darnah nehm de jöngst söhn alt to hoop un trock wiet öwer land un dasülm breek
he sien god mä prassen döhr. As he nu all das siene vertehrt har, da warr'ne
grot düer tid döhr dat sülwige land, un he fung an nood to lieden. Un he ging
hen un verhüer sik bi en börger van dat sülwige land, un de schickt'em op sien
feld de swine to höiden. Un he wull sien buuk me de sei füll'n, de de swine
freten, un nümms geev se em. Do slog he in sik un sprök: wo veel daglöhners het
mien vader, de brod g'nog hebb'n, un ik verdarf in hunger. Ik will mi opmaken un
to mien vader gahn un to em seggen: vader, ik heff sünnigt in himmel un vär di
un ik bün nich mehr wert, dat ik dien söhn heete, maak mi as en van dien
daglöhners. Un he makt' sik op un köm to sien vader. As he awerst wiet af weer,
seg em sien vader, un he duert' em, leep un feel em om sien hals un küsst em.

"Danish" (Southern Jutish), Township of Tolk (1824):
En main ho tou sönner, a den öngst so to hains far: Gie mä, far, den diel a
päng, de mä hörr, a hain dielt em de päng. A int läng derätter sankede den öngst
sön olt sammel a gik wied ur ä lain, a der ferkamm hain oll päng mä frern a
drikken. Som hain no ho oll hains päng fertehr, so kamm en stur dyer tee(d) i ä
hiel lain, a hain begyint a honger, a gik hen a ween ssä te'n main I ä stai; den
schikkede hain te markens, te a war ä schwin; a hain will fyll hains liu mä
auen, de de schwin frar, a ingen ga ham nauer. Da gik hain I ssä a so: wo mange
davlönner herr min far, som der ha brö nok, a ä ferdärrere for hunger; a ä will
sto op a go hen te min far a see te ham: Far, ä her gier uret I himmele a for
dæ, a ä er no ikke bet wär a jirr din sön, gier mä te din davlönner. A hain sto
op a kam to hains far. Som hain awer innu war wied darfro, so hains far ham, a
de gier ham weh, reen hen a follt ham om ä hals a ge ham sött.

Danish (pre-contemorary orthography):
En Mand havde to Sønner. Og den yngste af dem sagde til Faderen: Fader! giv mig
den Del af Formuen, som tilfalder mig. Og han skiftede Godset imellem dem. Og
ikke mange Dage derefter samlede den yngste Søn alt sit og drog udenlands til et
fjernt Land og ødte der sin Formue i et ryggesløst Levned. Men da han havde sat
alt til, blev der en svær Hungersnød i det samme Land; og han begyndte at lide
Mangel. Og han gik hen og holdt sig til en af Borgerne der i Landet, og denne
sendte ham ud på sine Marker for at vogte Svin. Og han attråede at fylde sin Bug
med de Bønner, som Svinene åde; og ingen gav ham noget. Men han gik i sig selv
og sagde: Hvor mange Daglejere hos min Fader have ikke Brød i Overflødighed? men
jeg omkommer her af Hunger. Jeg vil stå op og gå til min Fader og sige til ham:
Fader! jeg har syndet imod Himmelen og over for dig, jeg er ikke længer værd at
kaldes din Søn, gør mig som en af dine Daglejere! Og han stod op og kom til sin
Fader. Men da han endnu var langt borte, så hans Fader ham og ynkedes inderligt,
og han løb til og faldt ham om Halsen og kyssede ham.

English:
A certain man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, 'Father,
give me my share of your property.' He divided his livelihood between them. Not
many days after, the younger son gathered all of this together and traveled into
a far country. There he wasted his property with riotous living. When he had
spent all of it, there arose a severe famine in that country, and he began to be
in need. He went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, and
he sent him into his fields to feed pigs. He wanted to fill his belly with the
husks that the pigs ate, but no one gave him any. But when he came to himself he
said, 'How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough to spare, and
I'm dying with hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and will tell him,
"Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight. I am no more worthy to
be called your son. Make me as one of your hired servants."' He arose, and came
to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him, and was moved
with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.

Unfortunately, these are not a sizeable language samples.  However, I think they
provide some indication of North and Western Germanic overlap, especially in the
Southern Jutish text.  Among the ones I found striking in SJ are these:

(1) the phoneme /S/ (written _sch_)

(2) frequent West-Germanic-type preposing of definite articles rather than
North-Germanic-type postposing; e.g., _... de de schwin frar_ (cf. Danish _...
som Svinene åde_) '... that the pigs ate'

(3) _de_ as relative pronoun instead of Skandinavian _som_ (see example under
(2))

(4) lexical phenomena; e.g., _frar_ 'to eat (of animals, or excessively)' (cf.
Low Saxon _freten_) where Danish has more general _æde_ (cf. LS _eten_),
_schikkede_ 'sent' (cf. LS _schickte_, Danish _sendte_).

Can any of you identify other characteristics in either text?  I don't see much
in the Low Saxon text, other than _jöngst_ (cf. SJ _öngst_) 'youngest' (cf.
_jüngst_ in other LS dialects).  I know that one feature of the LS dialects of
that area is supposed to be _-er_ as default nominal plural marker (as in
Scandinavian and to a far lesser degree in West Germanic languages).
Unfortunately there are no such examples in the text, and we find _swiene_
rather than *_swiener_ 'pigs', 'swine', and _söhns_ rather than *söhner_
'sons'.  Is default _-er_ is more recent phenomenon?

Does any of you know if these particular dialects are still alive and if they
have changed much?

I would appreciate any further relevant information.

Regards,

Reinhard/Ron

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