LL-L: "Diminutives" LOWLANDS-L, 27.JUN.2001 (04) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 27.JUN.2001 (04) * 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: Sandy Fleming [sandy at scotstext.org]
Subject: "Diminutives"

> From: frank verhoft <frank_verhoft at yahoo.com>
> Subject: diminuitives
>
> Q: How are diminuitives formed in other Lowland
> languages?

In Scots, typical diminutive endings are -ie, -ikin, and -ock

The "-ock" ending tends to be used with certain words and
it's not always clear whether it's really intended as a
diminutive:

windae -> winnock  (window)
bun -> bannock ['bVnIk]
puddie -> puddock [puddick] (frog or toad)

It's not clear whether "puddie" is the diminutive form of
"puddock" or vice versa: both ar used indiscriminately,
and there's no such word as *"pud" to mean frog/toad. Nor
is a "bannock" thought of as a small bun - it's a large
bun, in fact.

However, the -ie ending is a clear and very common diminutive
(some of the following you will hear in English too, but it's
much more widespread in Scots):

horsie, lammie, doaggie, birdie, laddie, lassie, hoosie,
mannie, burnie (streamlet), starnie, placie, and many more.

In the case of "doaggie" the vowel length and quality does
change: dug [dVg] -> doaggie ['do:gI].

In the case of "starnie" the "n" is retained in the diminutive
although it's usual to drop it otherwise ("star").

It can be applied to some adverbs, eg "whilie"  (a little while).

It can be applied to some verbs, resulting in a noun
(or gerund?), eg "greetie":

Hap an rowe, hap an rowe,
    Hap an rowe the feetie o'd,
A never kent A haed a bairn,
    Until A heard the greetie o'd.

Here "greetie" means a baby's crying, being the diminutive of
the verb "tae greet" (to cry).

You can also see from the above verse that the diminutive can
be applied to "strong" plurals (plurals formed by vowel
mutation) feet -> feetie (but hands -> handies):

Clap clap handies,
Mammie's wee wean,
Clap clap handies,
Daddie's comin hame.

Hame til his laddie,
Bonny wee bit laddie,
Clap clap handies,
Mammie's wee wean.

A rarer diminutive ending is -ikin (lamb -> lammie -> lammikin &c):

A got a little mannikin, A set him on ma thoomikin;
A saidled him, A bridled him, an sent him tae the toonikin:
A coft a pair o gairters tae tie his wee bit hosikin;
A coft a pocket-napkin tae dicht his wee bit nosikin;
A sent him tae the gairden tae fetch a pund o sage,
An fand him in the kitchen neuk kissin little Madge.

Note the similarity of "mannikin" to French "mannequin".

This, too, can be applied to "strong" plurals:

Feetikin, feetikin, when will ye gang?
When the nichts turns short, an the days turns lang,
A'll toddle an gang, toddle an gang.

Sandy
http://scotstext.org
A dinna dout him, for he says that he
On nae accoont wad ever tell a lee.
                          - C.W.Wade,
                    'The Adventures o McNab'

----------

From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Diminutive

Dear Lowlanders,

Here is a quick response to Frank Verhoft's inquiry about the use of
diminutives, a very general one about Low Saxon (only talking about *Saxon*
varieties, not Limburgish ones that in Germany are thrown into the same pot
"Low German"), hopefully not too simplified, though.  (As most of us know,
there is a lot of diversity within the languages we deal with, especially
those that are or were not officially recognized and therefore never developed
standard varieties.)

To my mind, one of the major differences between Low Saxon of Northern Germany
and its Low Franconian (Dutch, Zeelandic, Afrikaans, etc.) sister branch (and
also English and Scots) is the frequency and extent with which diminutive
forms are used: relatively few (even fewer than in German) in the former and
very many in the latter (particularly many in Afrikaans).

Two diminutive suffixes occur in the Low Saxon dialects with which I am most
familiar: _-(t)je_ and _-ke(n)_.  Preference appears to be dialectal.  For
instance, some dialects (especially Eastphalian ones, I believe) have _Mäken_
['mE:k=N] for 'girl' (cf. German _Mädchen_) where most North Saxon dialects
have _Deern_ [dE%I3n] and Eastern Friesland dialects have _Wicht_ [vICt].  I
feel I have the option of saying _Deerntje_ ['dE%I3ntje] to mean the same as
_lütt(e) Deern_ ['lYt(e) dE%I3n] 'little girl' or _lüttje Deern_ ['lYtje
dE%I3n] (since _Deern_ [dE%I3n] ~ [di:3n] alone can refer to a young,
unmarried woman as well).  (I feel that *_lüttje Deerntje_ would be too
much.)  I dare guess _Wichtje_ and _lüttje Wicht_ are possibilities in Eastern
Friesland dialects.  Similarly, we can change _Butt_ [bUt] 'flatfish' to
diminutive _Buttje_ ['bUtje], in which case we mean either a small flatfish or
a young boy, better translated as 'squirt', such as in _Hamborger Buttje_, a
male person born and bred in Hamburg (a status one keeps for life, as I do).

>From the point of view of Low Saxon, the extensive use of diminutive forms in
Low Frankocian, particularly in Afrikaans, is very striking, usually perceived
as "cute," certainly not as unpleasant or silly.  I remember my amazement when
I first encountered diminutive forms of adjectives and adverbs in Dutch, such
as the one Frank gives:

> Antwerp: Ik ben _efkes_ weg.
> SD: Ik ben _eventjes_ weg.
> (E: I'm going away for _a little while_)

North Saxon:  I gah maal even ('n beten) weg.
~ Ik gah maal up 'n Sprung weg.

In Low Saxon, where diminutives do occur, you are dealing with nouns in almost
all cases, and diminution may express smallness or may be an expression of
endearment (e.g., with names and kinship terms).  Note _lüttje_ 'small',
'little' above.  It is a rare case of a diminutive adjective (/lüt+je/).
Actually, I cannot think of any other examples right now.  Can anyone else?
Yes, there is the adverb _suutje_ ['zu:tje], meaning 'nice and
slow/easy/gently/carefully' (e.g., _Nu maal suutje!_ 'Take it easy!', 'Easy
does it!', 'Gently now!').  However, as we seem to have decided on LL-L quite
a while back, this is a Dutch loanword.  (If it were native, it would be
*_söötje_ ['z9%Itje], because 'sweet' is _sööt_, Dutch _zoet_ [zu:t] 'sweet' >
_zoetje_ ['zu:tj@] 'gently', 'slowly' (cf., French _doucement_ "sweetly" =
'carefully', 'gently', 'gingerly').

It is my impression that diminutive forms are used more frequently and more
extensively in the Low Saxon dialects of the Netherlands.  Would this be fair
to say?

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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