LL-L "Nomads" 2002.08.25 (01) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 25.AUG.2002 (01) * 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: "Luc Hellinckx" <luc.hellinckx at pandora.be>
Subject: Nomads

Beste leeglanners,

Nomads are usually referred to as "Bojemers" here in Brabant. Gypsies
from
Bohemia used to visit us now and then in the past. Sometimes they're
also
called "brakkemann" (litterally "men living in barracks"), but that's
more
of a general term, because it also includes folk working in circuses or
on
fairs.

Another type of person that was constantly on the move was "ne
scheiresliep", somebody who went from door to door, asking if he was
allowed
to sharpen one's scissors.

Another guy that was probably living in his car was the so-called
"vorreman"
(< voddeman), he had an outrageously looking vehicle (very visible !),
which
was loaded several metres high with all kind of garbage that he had
collected god knows where. In our family, he also doubled as a "bogey
man".
If I didn't behave properly, one of my parents might say "As ge ni braaf
zèt, geve men a méé mé de vorreman".

The odd beggar also paid us a visit from time to time...the verb that
invariably got used when the activities of these people were mentioned
was :
"trasn" (= to beg (E)), and I have never ever been able to track its
history
down. Not even one cognate. Strange.

The poorest farmers (not nomadic though) are so called "kossaatn" (B) <
cossate, cotsate (Middle Dutch) ~ cotsote (Old English) : people having
a
"seat" in a "cote" or a "cottage"). This is one word that has also been
exported to the region south-west of Berlin, called Fläming (kossat,
kossäte
(G)). One can also sometimes hear the synonym "koetter" (B) ~ cutere
(Old
Saxon); kötner, kätner (G), keuter(boer) (D).
Anyway, both words stem from the same root "kot", but this word has no
certain etymology. According to one of the theories (by H. Kuhn) it
should
be derived from a (non-germanic) language spoken by a "tribe" that got
subjected later on by invading germanic tribes.

Now this brings me to an interesting remark that Henno Brandsma wrote in
a
previous message :

> "...It is very possible that Ingvaeonic was original in Zealand...."

Personally, I'm not sure about that, but I know that K. Heeroma (the
author
of http://www.dbnl.org/tekst/heer023wati01/heer023wati01_001.htm) thinks
differently.
He claims that a language with Ingveonic characteristics (say North Sea
Germanic) must have been spoken in a much much wider region (not only
close
to the coast) before Frankish tribes started expanding. One argument for
this is the fact that the word for "south" ("zuid(en)" (D), "süd(en)"
(G))
is spread over a much bigger area than just the traditionally Ingveonic
"homeland". This is a case of "compensatierekking" though (typically
Ingveonic), because the normal linguistic form for Brabantish for
example
would have to be "zond" (with an "n", like in the Brabantish place-names
"Zonderveld" and "Zonderwijk" that still reflect this). Another classic
example is the Lowlands word for 5 that has no nasal sound like "n" or
"m"
in a vast area (vijf (D), five (E) >< fünf (G)).

Heeroma also maintains that Frankish culture has always behaved as some
sort
of "Herrenkultur", and that formerly Ingveonic territory gradually
started
to "frankicise" in the long run (like Westphalian used to be much more
Saxon
than it is now...same case for Brabantish). Power-centres that
immediately
spring to mind in this respect are Aachen and Cologne, I think. Maybe
also
Trier ???
A lot of influence radiated from these cities, during a long time. Not
only
in worldly matters but also on a religious level.

So Ingveonic litterally got pushed back against the "sea".

Something similar happened a few centuries earlier with Celtic languages
too, before this other "Herrenvolk" (the Romans) started dominating the
continent. It's no coincidence that Celtic relicts are nowadays all
found at
the western extremities of Europe (North-Western Spain, Brittany,
Cornwall,
Wales, Ireland...).

In my opinion Heeroma's theory sounds quite logical, but I would like to
see
more evidence of Ingveonic relicts in present day non-Ingveonic
"territory"
before I can accept it.

Greetings,

Luc Hellinckx

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