LL-L: "Etymology" LOWLANDS-L, 09.MAY.2001 (01) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

======================================================================
 L O W L A N D S - L * 09.MAY.2001 (01) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
 Posting Address: <lowlands-l at listserv.linguistlist.org>
 Web Site: <http://www.geocities.com/sassisch/rhahn/lowlands/>
 User's Manual: <http://www.lsoft.com/manuals/1.8c/userindex.html>
 Archive: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/archives/lowlands-l.html>
=======================================================================
 A=Afrikaans, Ap=Appalachean, D=Dutch, E=English, F=Frisian, L=Limburgish
 LS=Low Saxon (Low German), S=Scots, Sh=Shetlandic, Z=Zeelandic (Zeeuws)
=======================================================================

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

Dear Lowlanders,

In the North Saxon dialects of Modern Low Saxon (Low German), and, I am sure
in other dialects as well, _wied un sied_ [vi:t ?Un zi:t] (usually erroneously
written _wiet un siet_) denotes the same as German _weit und breit_ ("far and
broad/wide") and the same as English 'far and wide'.  Likewise, Dutch uses
_wijd en zijd_, and Afrikaans uses _wyd en syd_.  Recently I have been finding
an actual cognate used in Middle English literature: _widen and siden_ (e.g.,
in the early 13th century poem "The Round Table" in _Layamon's Brut_ by
Layamon: line 16: _Widen and siden folc wes on selen_ 'People lived in
prosperity far and wide').

Dutch _zijd_ and Afrikaans _syd_ appear to be defunct words, being used only
in the aforementioned phrase.  Does anyone know the etymology of Middle
English _siden_?

One might be tempted to suspect a connection with English _side_ and its
cognates, e.g., Dutch _zijde_, Low Saxon _Siede_ ~ _Sied_ (usually erroneously
written _Siet_), German _Seite_, Danish/Norwegian _side_ and Swedish _sida_.
However, I have always assumed that the _sied_ in _wied un sied_ is the same
as Modern Low Saxon _sied_ 'shallow', 'low(-lying)' (> _Siedland_ 'low-lying
land', 'lowlands', 'marsh(land)', _Siedwenn_ 'low dike', 'levee').

Thus I have always perceived Low Saxon _wied un sied_ as literally meaning
"far and low," namely as being a sort of combination of what in English are
'far and wide' and 'high and low' (e.g., "I searched far and wide" and "I
searched high and low").  Have I been mistaken?

Did not Middle English _wide_ (< Old English _wîd_) also have the meaning 'far
(afield)' (like Low Saxon _wied_ and German _weit_), and is this meaning not
preserved in 'far and wide'?

Thanks for your responses.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

==================================END===================================
 You have received this because your account has been subscribed upon
 request. To unsubscribe, please send the command "signoff lowlands-l"
 as message text from the same account to
 <listserv at listserv.linguistlist.org> or sign off at
 <http://linguistlist.org/subscribing/sub-lowlands-l.html>.
=======================================================================
 * Please submit contributions to <lowlands-l at listserv.linguistlist.org>.
 * Contributions will be displayed unedited in digest form.
 * Please display only the relevant parts of quotes in your replies.
 * Commands for automated functions (including "signoff lowlands-l") are
   to be sent to <listserv at listserv.linguistlist.org> or at
   <http://linguistlist.org/subscribing/sub-lowlands-l.html>.
 * Please use only Plain Text format, not Rich Text (HTML) or any other
   type of format, in your submissions
=======================================================================