LL-L: "Language contacts" 22.JUN.2000 (03) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 22.JUN.2000 (03) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
 Posting Address: <lowlands-l at listserv.linguistlist.org>
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 A=Afrikaans, Ap=Appalachean, D=Dutch, E=English, F=Frisian, L=Limburgish
 LS=Low Saxon (Low German), S=Scots, Sh=Shetlandic
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From: Sandy Fleming [sandy at fleimin.demon.co.uk]
Subject: "Loanwords"

I was searching through the archives for something else and came across
this by John Feather that I seem to have missed, but would certainly have
answered before if I hadn't missed it!

<quote>
Regarding the French/Scottish connexion I read many years ago an
autobiographical work by John Read who was Professor of Chemistry at
St
Andrews University for many decades because there was no compulsory
retirement age in Scottish universities. (Has this changed?) He gave
examples of student jargon, a lot of which I seem to recall was
French in
origin, though corrupted. A freshman was called something derived
from "bec
jaune". Perhaps someone else knows something more definite about
this.

John Feather johnfeather at sceptic1.freeserve.co.uk
</quote>

The student terms from the French for different years at St Andrews are
still used as follows:

1st year male student: bejant ['bidZ at nt] female: bejantine
['bidZ at nt, at in]
2nd year: semi ['sE:mI]
3rd year: tertian ['tE:rSI at n]
4th year: magistrand ['ma:dZI,stra:nd]

I've been all those things (except a bejantine!). Sometimes feminine
versions are used for semi & tertian (semie & tertienne) but these are
considered fussy and I imagine they're done by simple analogy with modern
French.

The Aberdeen University terms for bejant/bejantine are bajan/bajanella. I
don't know if there are any special terms for the other years.

You can see the form "bajan" used on ScotsteXt in the poem "The Howe
o the Aulton" beneath Poems & Sangs -> Varsity Verses -> Aiberdeen.

For an introduction to St Andrews terminology you might try the extract
from my first novel on my personal homepage http://www.fleimin.demon.co.uk

Now to see if I can find the thing I was originally searching for...

Sandy
http://scotstext.org

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From: R. F. Hahn [sassisch at yahoo.com]
Subject: Language contacts

Dear Lowlanders,

Under "Mutual comprehension" I mentioned that, like Low Saxon (Low German)
on which this type of German dialect is based, Missingsch has only one
morphophonologically expressed objective case, usually defaulting to what
in other German dialects is the accusative case.  I also mentioned that the
pronouns are exempt from this.  I have no idea what made me say this last
bit.  Obviously it's wrong.  The same general rule applies to the personal
pronouns as well, though there may be variation between _mich_ and _mir_
and between _dich_ and _dir_, one or the other used for both dative and
accusative; e.g.,

Low Saxon:  Ick geev Se (~ Jüm) dat glieks maal.
Missingsch:  Ich geep Sie das gleich ma(l).
Standard German:  Ich gebe es Ihnen gleich (einmal).
(I'll give it to you in a little while)

Low Saxon:  Schall ick die em maal vörstelln?
Missingsch:  Soll ich dich ihn ma(l) vorstelln?
Standard German:  Soll ich dich ihm einmal vorstellen?
(Shall I introduce you to him?)

Low Saxon:  Schall ick em die maal vörstelln?
Missingsch:  Soll ich ihn dich (~ dir) ma(l) vorstelln?
Standard German:  Soll ich ihn dir einmal vorstellen?
(Shall I introduce him to you?)

Missingsch _das_, like _dat_ in most Northern Low Saxon dialects, can mean
either 'that' or 'it' (and also serves as the neuter definite article),
while Standard German distinguishes between _das_ and _es_ respectively.
Use of _das_ for _es_ is wide-spread in Northern German dialects.

The phonology of Low Saxon and Missingsch is very similar.  Typical is
final fricativization of certain stops and frequently short vowels where
Standard German has long vowels (e.g., _Weg_ LS [vEC], M [ve:C], SG [ve:k]
'way', LS _Tog_ [tOx], M _Zug_ [tsUx], SG [tsu:k] 'train', _mag_ LS [max],
M [max], SG [ma:k] 'might', 'like').  Thus, Missingsch _Ich mach das nich_
may either mean 'I don't/won't make/do that/it' (SG _Ich mache/tue das/es
nicht') or 'I don't like that/it' (SG _Ich mag das/es nicht_).

The name "Missingsch" originally meant "language of Meissen".  Meissen
(Sorbian _Mys^njo_) and surrounding areas in today's state of Saxony used
to be predominantly Saxon- and Slavic- (mostly Sorbian-) speaking.  When
German established itself in the grand city (yes, famous for its splendid
Baroque architecture and porcelain ware), the Saxon-speaking inhabitants
around Meissen referred to it as "Missingsch", i.e., "Meissenish".  This
came to be more widely synonymous with "German with (Low) Saxon
substrate".  Missingsch is not a single dialect, but there are many
varieties throughout Northern Germany; e.g., Hamburg Missingsch, Flensburg
Missingsch, u.s.w.  I guess you can argue that the true Berlin dialects are
Missingsch forms, even though Low Saxon died in Berlin ages ago.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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