LL-L "Language varieties" 2002.05.17 (04) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 17.MAY.2002 (04) * 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: Holger Weigelt <platt at HOLGER-WEIGELT.DE>
Subject: LL-L "Language varieties" 2002.05.16 (01) [E]

>From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
>Subject: Language varieties
>
>Lowlanders,
>
>Below please find a copy of an entry I found in the visitors book of "Nu
>is de Welt platt!"
>(http://www.sassisch.net/rhahn/low-saxon/plattewelt.htm).
>
><quote>
>Date: 2002-05-15 15:52:32
>Adelwolf ( no email / no homepage) wrote:
>All forst, bidde, forgeven mie for dat Ik schrieve in user dialekt dat
>Je konnen niet forstan ond ik kan niet spreken Standard Dutsch ond
>Nederdutsch ond Englisch . Wie sind om twa hondred lie ond wonen in
>Yozgat. Wie haven en Dutsche Sprak, spreken dat so wel. Ik denke dat dit
>is en Nederdutsche sprak. Men min elderen konnen niet lesen ond
>schrieven Turkisch ond Standard Dutsch. Ik ben siextig ond twa jare
>gamal. De aldest in de kind. We kiepen werige less lie hier wam konnen
>spreken dat sprak. twelf fra twa hondred. Ik wet niet wie dit wort men
>wie sind in de Turkije, ond jet spreken en Dutsche sprak. Ik schrieve
>dit for dat Ik wille ju to witen dat dar sind de dutschen ok in Anadolu.
>Wes hel!!!
></quote>
>
>My translation:
><translation>
>First of all, please, forgive me for writing in our dialect that you
>cannot understand, and I cannot speak Standard German and Low German and
>English.  We are about two hundred people and live in Yozgat. We have a
>German language, speak it so well.  I think that it is a Low German
>language. But my parents cannot read and write Turkish and Standard
>German.  I am 62 years old, the oldest of the children. There are fewer
>and fewer people here who can speak this language, 12-200.  I do not
>know how come, but we are in Turkey and yet speak a German language.  I
>write this because I want you to know that there are also Germans in
>Anatolia. Be well!!!
></translation>
>
>Surely this is a hoax?!  OK, so there are lots of different ethnicities
>in Turkey, including "unlisted" ones.  Yes, and some people do seriously
>use pseudonyms for the sake of anonymity.  (But "Adelwolf" ("noble
>wolf")?)  Descendants of Lowlandic settlers in Anatolia?  And this
>language variety?!  The language seems to be a mix of (deliberately
>archaic-"sounding"?) Low Saxon (Low German), Dutch, German, English and
>Scandinavian (Swedish), (with Turkish, Zaza and/or Kurmanji
>interference?).
>
>What do you think?
>
>Yozgat, by the way, is a town and a province in Central Northern
>Anatolia, about halfway between Ankara and Sivas, apparently with
>notable Kurdish presence.  I have looked through several websites,
>including Turkish ones, from and about Yozgat but found no ethnic or
>linguistic references to a "German" community of long standing.
>
>Regards,
>Reinhard/Ron

Hello Ron !
Why do You doubt ?  Why shouldn't an old man, descendant of a small
community on rather poor educational standards (his parents couldn't
write
nor read) in rural Anatolia where internet access surely is widespread
sign
the guestbook of a website the most of which is in languages he might
not
understand using his dialect with a vocabulary being a mixture of
different
languages the syntax mostly following English rules and the orthography
being German based (quite naturally for a dialect which connection to
it's
roots have been cut off long ago in a Turkish writing surrounding)?
Nevertheless the idea of a refugee's community (see Reuben Epp's
posting)
is striking and the possibility shouldn't be denied basically. But if
there
is one in existance I can't believe "Adelwolf" has anything to do with.

Regards
Holger

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