LL-L: "Language survival" LOWLANDS-L, 21.FEB.2001 (06) [E/LS]

[Lowlands-L]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 21.FEB.2001 (06) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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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, Z=Zeelandic (Zeeuws)
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From: Marco Evenhuis [evenhuis at zeelandnet.nl]
Subject: LL-L: "Language survival" LOWLANDS-L, 21.FEB.2001 (03) [E]

Colin Wilson wrote:

> or its equivalent in Scotland, would be beaten mercilessly with the
> (misleading) term "synthetic Scots" until he recanted of his heresy.

and Andy Eagle replied:

> Is not any form of language standardisation 'synthetic'?

Of course it is! But I think a major problem, or let's say challenge, with
relatively small regional languages without (or no longer with) an accepted
standard form is local pride. On the one hand, local pride could be seen as
a condition for survival of a language. But on the other, when it comes to
standardization or acceptance of texts in a standardized spelling or even a
standardized form of the language, strong local pride and 'awakened'
speakers could be a huge disadvantage.
In the case of Catalan, Fabra was lucky to be one of the few people that
were really concerned with the language. Plus that only a very small number
of speakers had an opinion on the subject or even cared about it.
Times changed. People have opinions about everything, simply because of the
huge amount of information that they get by the paper, tv, radio, internet,
etc. People are more aware and involved now then ever before.

When we constructed a spelling for internal (!) use in our Noe-magazine, all
regional media jumped on the subject: 'Zeeuws does not exist; there are only
Zeelandic dialects, so constructing a standard spelling is useless'. They
refused to see that we only made a spelling  in which all different dialects
of Zeeuws could be written without these dialects having to give up their
own identity (all dialects were still recognisable as such). Most speakers
agreed with the media and sent in letters to us and the newspapers. 'I don't
speak Zeeuws, I speak the dialect of the village of Westkapelle'... (I don't
speak Scots, I speak Doric/Glaswegian ('the Patter', wasn't it?)/etc.)

Our standardized way of spelling all dialects of Zeeuws has become more or
less excepted over the years and our magazine florishes. But working towards
a standardized Zeelandic writing language is still very much not-done. Even
blending in words from other dialects than your own in peotry and prose is
not done! Allthough some begin to 'blend' now and the results are promising.
There is no Zeelandic Hugh McDiairmid yet, but we'll get there some day...
I believe we would have had less problems when our little language
renaissance of the past ten years would have taken place much earlier.

By the way, both spelling (to be found under 'Schriefwiezer') and examples
of texts written in this spelling (try Noe-magazine nr. 10, our latest
issue) can be found at www.zeeuws.cjb.net.

regards,

Marco

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

Marco,

I was very interested to read what you kindly shared above about the Zeelandic
experience.  It is pretty much the same story in the Low Saxon (Low German)
scenario -- same attitudes, same fears, same arguments, same obstacles, but
unfortunately not the same success as yet (although our success is that at
least our language has been officially recognized).

It is very difficult to get people to do what someone once called _över d'n
eygenen töllerrand kyken_ ("to look beyond the edge of one's own plate") and
to abandon the fear that the introduction of a uniform, language-specific
*system* of spelling somehow messes with or obliterates people's respective
home dialects.  As you know from your own experience, dialectal differences
will remain if a uniform system is used, but interdialectal reading
comprehension will be improved.

I commend you on your efforts and congratulate you on your success with _Noe_
and beyond.  Daar köönt wy wat vun af-leyren.

Gröötnissen,
Reinhard/Ron

P.S.: It would be nice if the Zeêuwse Taelsite had a link to our Lowlands-L
page under "Butendiekse taelen in de Laege Landen."  And we should start a
Zeelandic links page for LL-L.

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