LL-L "Language varieties" 2002.06.23 (03) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 23.JUN.2002 (03) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
 Web Site: <http://www.sassisch.net/rhahn/lowlands/>
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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: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Language varieties

Dear Lowlanders,

Some of you may be interested to know that the Institut für
Niederdeutsche Sprache (Institute for Low German Language) now has a
(German-language) bibliography online:
http://www.is-bremen.de/vns/ndb.htm

The bibliography is "Low German" (_Niederdeutsch_) in the sense of
traditional linguistic classification, covering both Low Franconian
(i.e, _Niederländisch_ "Dutch," "Netherlandic") and Low Saxon (i.e.,
_Niederdeutsch_) ... or ... almost so.  Let's take a closer look!

As you can see, we got ourselves into a bit of a muddle here.

To start with, while all areas of (Low(lands)) Saxon are covered,
neither Modern Dutch nor Old Franconian are covered, _Niederländisch_
being limited to _Mittelniederländisch_ ("Middle Netherlandic/Dutch")
and, peculiarly, _Ostneuniederländisch_ "Eastern Modern Netherlandic"
... Why?  And what on earth is _Ostneuniederländisch_ supposed to refer
to?  Could it be ... No! ... a quasi-admission that
_Ostneuniederländisch_ is a part of what I and others call "Low Saxon"
(or better "Lowlands Saxon," to follow Sandy Fleming's suggestion),
ideally just "(Modern) Saxon", a cross-border connection hitherto
studiously avoided in the INS's publications?

But wait!  There's more!  We find two categories: "Ostneuniederländisch"
and "Ostniederländisch/Nedersaksisch"!  All right!  So, what's the
difference between the two?  Let's take a look at the respective
bibliographic lists.  Hmmm ... Both of them contain references to works
on Low Saxon of Drenthe, Gelderland, Twente, Groningen, ... in short,
the "Saxon varieties of Netherlandic," the ones some claim are related
to "Low German" or ... Heaven forbid! ... part of the same language.
What's the difference between the two categories?  None, as far as I can
tell.

So, again we see Dutch (!) _Nedersaksisch_ used instead of German
_Niedersächsisch_.  Assumedly, this is to avoid misunderstandings.
_Niedersachsen_ refers to the German state of Lower Saxony, and most
uninitiated German readers might think it is confined to that state.
_Sächsisch_ ("Saxon") does not seem to be considered an option because
it refers to the "Middle"- and "High"-German-speaking (i.e., non-Saxon)
German state of _Sachsen_ (Saxony) that acquired its name because it had
at one time been given to a prince of (real, Saxon-speaking) Saxony.
(You see, we North Germans are widely considered to have too low an
average intelligence quotient to deal with changes and distinctions
regarding names and orthography the way the select degreed few are able
to.)  Yes, what a muddle, what a mess we got ourselves into during
centuries of trying to change people's perceptions for the sake of
nationhood!

But let's look on the bright side: it could be seen as progress, a half
full glass, that there is any mention at all to this
"Ostniederländisch/Nedersaksisch," whose eastern borderline just happens
to coincide *exactly* with the northern part of the Netherlands-German
border.

Will we dare to take another step or two in this direction?  Will we
dare to go as far as thinking about creating a common orthographic
system that would facilitate reading comprehension across the now all
but invisible political border?

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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