LL-L "Language varieties" 2002.04.27 (05) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 27.APR.2002 (05) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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 A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian 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: Ole Stig Andersen <osa at olestig.dk>
Subject: LL-L "Language varieties" 2002.04.26 (06) [E]

> From: "John M. Tait" <jmtait at wirhoose.co.uk>
> Subject: LL-L "Language varieties" 2002.04.25 (01) [E/LS]

> It could almost be said
> that, whereas Norwegian, Swedish and Danish are languages in their own
> country, each of them is regarded as a dialect in the other two
> countries!

That is a very fine way of putting it. It is of course a historical
incidence that we have three states here, but still.

The similarity of the Scandinavian lgs is partly due to the fact that
they
were very heavily exposed to the same influence from Low Saxon. Some
dialects of Danish-Norwegian and Swedish received this influence to a
much
lesser degree and are thus more different, i. e. less
inter-intelligible.

> Would Faroese not have been described as a dialect before it was given
> language status?

I don't know, being only 55 of age ;-) But I have done a little poll
among
family and neighbours. And everybody (3 (2 didn't know there is a
Faroese
lg)) answered: No, and all gave the same reason: You can't understand
it. My
neighbour was surprised to learn that it has been a written lg for more
than
100 years. ("It is so little", he said.)

Faroese acquired some official status with the Home Rule in 1948, but I
remember that as recent as in 1968 Faroese students had to stage a
strike to
be allowed to deliver their exam assigments in Faroese instead of
Danish.

Faroese (and Icelandic) are among the lgs/dialects of Nordic that
evaded/missed the heavy Low Saxon influence, so they have retained a far
larger portion of the old North Germanic vocabulary. Thus their lexicon
is
more difficult to convert into Danish. Furthermore they both have a very
strong purist attitude to loanwords, creating all kinds of funny words,
like
the (in)famous Faroese  Iron-horse-wheel-air-press, i.e bicycle pump! No
Latin here, thank you!

Regards,
Ole Stig Andersen
http://www.olestig.dk

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