LL-L "Statistics" (was "Resources") 2002.02.01 (04) [E/German]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 01.FEB.2002 (04) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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From: "Reuben Epp" <repp at silk.net>
Subject: LL-L "Resources" 2002.02.01 (02) [E/LS/German/Portuguese/Spanish]

> From: "Schirmacher, Hermann" <hschirma at HCJB.ORG.EC>
> Subject: Plautdiesch Radio

> Nach Informationen von Sprachforschern sprechen weltweit mindestens
400.000
> Menschen Plattdeutsch als Muttersprache. Sie leben vorwiegend in:
>
> Argentinien (ca. 4.000)
> Belize (ca. 6.000)
> Bolivien (ca. 60.000-80.000)
> Brasilien (8.000)
> Costa Rica (ca. 2.000)
> Deutschland (ca. 100.000)
> Kanada (ca. 80.000-100.000)
> Kasachstan und Russland (ca. 100.000)
> Mexiko (ca. 40.000)
> Paraguay (ca. 40.000)
> Uruguay (ca. 2.000)
> USA (ca. 10.000)

Dear Lowlanders,

The foregoing information quoted by Schirmacher requires
updating:

The number of speakers of (Niedersächsisch) Plattdeutsch
'Low Saxon/Low German' as mother tongue, worldwide in
all of its dialects, is more probably in the range of
9 -10,000,000.

The total number of peakers of the Plautdietsch dialect of
the aforementioned language is probably in the range of
300-400,000. Ron Hahn reasonably describes Plautdietsch
as a family of dialects. I have no argument with that.
In any event, Plautdietsch developed in West Prussia in
the centuries before about 1800.

The current number of speakers of Plautdietsch in the former
USSR is difficult to establish with accuracy, but has been
vastly diminished in the last half century by immigration to
Germany and elsewhere. I would guess that currently there
may be 5-10,000 speakers of Plautdietsch left in the former
USSR. The current 100,000 speakers of Plautdietsch in
Germany are by-and-large those who formerly lived in the
USSR.

The number of speakers of Plautdietsch in Canada is
erroneously reported in recent decades as 80-100,000.
These figures need to be drastically revised downwards
because by far the majority of Mennonite families in Canada,
who formerly spoke Plautdietsch at home, no longer master
the tongue. I am an exception to this trend. After all, some
of our speakers have been here for 125 years. Perhaps a
figure of 20,000 would be closer to the truth. Accurate
figures are hard to come by.

I shall not attempt to correct other quoted figures at this
juncture, some of which, like Bolivia, appear to be
questionable.

Cheers!

Reuben Epp

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