LL-L: "Romance connection" LOWLANDS-L, 04.MAY.2000 (09) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 04.MAY.2000 (09) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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From: Sandy Fleming [sandy at fleimin.demon.co.uk]
Subject: "Romance connection"

> From: Ian James Parsley [parsley at highbury.fsnet.co.uk]
> Subject: Re: LL-L: "Romance connection" (was "Morphology")
>
> Tom,
>
> It is true the French influence is often overlooked. All the examples you
> give are valid in Ulster also ('ashet' also occurs in Ulster Gaelic),
> although my two favourite ones are 'fash' ('bother') and 'jalouse'
> ('suspect').

I believe it's possible to make quite a list of French-derived words in
Scots that aren't present in English. One of the more intersting (but
possibly fanciful) ones is "petticoat tails" (shortbread cut in a specific
sort of shape). Is the name just a description of the shape of the
shortbread, or is it really from some sort of French description such as
"petits gatelles" (little cakes?)?

Another interesting one is "kickshaws" (what these days in English is
described as "finger food"), said to be from the French  "quelque chose".
Hmmm... I've just looked this word up in the SND & CSD and the SND
Supplement to check the etymology and the word isn't there at all! Did I
imagine it??

Sandy
http://scotstext.org
http://www.fleimin.demon.co.uk

----------

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

Sandy wrote:

> I believe it's possible to make quite a list of French-derived words in
> Scots that aren't present in English.

Perhaps interestingly, there are also several French-derived words in the Low
Saxon (Low German) dialects of Germany (and of the Netherlands?) that do not
seem to exist in German (and Dutch?).  Some of these may well be relics from
the 17th and 18th centuries when French or pseudo-French was the rage among
Europeans who aspired to superior status.  (One of these may be _Schisslong_
(< French _chaise longue_) 'chaise longue', 'sofa'.)

However, apparently many such loans entered the "Plat(t)" language of the
common folks directly during the Napoleonic occupation of Northern Germany
when French and Low Saxon rubbed shoulders.  (Of course, Low Saxon was then
much more widely used than it is nowadays.)  Fritz Reuter's book _Ut de
Franzosentid_ ("From the French Period") provides some hilerious examples of
Low Saxon speakers butchering the French language.

Examples of such French loans still being used in Low Saxon now are _Karjool_
'cariole' (< French _carriole_ < Old Occitan _carriola_) and the derivative
verb _karjolen_ 'to joy-ride', 'to ride around recklessly/aimlessly',
_estemeren_ (< French _estimer_) 'to esteem', _sick verdeffenderen_ (< French
_défendre_) 'to defend oneself', and _power_ ~ _pover_ (< French _pauvre_)
'poor', 'poverty-stricken', 'squalid'.

And, of course, there are mysterious words such as _Schisslaweng_ 'flourish',
'grandiose manner', and _Fisematenten_ 'shenanigans', 'fuss', 'to-do'.  The
latter two have long been suspected of being of French origin and have also
been discussed on this list, but I do not think anyone has come up with a
totally plausible explanation so far.

> "petits gatelles" (little cakes?)?

"petites galettes" (small puffpastry thingies)?

Regards,

Reinhard/Ron

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