LL-L "Language varieties" 2003.12.15 (01) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

======================================================================
L O W L A N D S - L * 15.DEC.2003 (01) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
http://www.lowlands-l.net * lowlands-l at lowlands-l.net
Rules & Guidelines: http://www.lowlands-l.net/index.php?page=rules
Posting Address: lowlands-l at listserv.linguistlist.org
Server Manual: http://www.lsoft.com/manuals/1.8c/userindex.html
Archives: http://listserv.linguistlist.org/archives/lowlands-l.html
Encoding: Unicode (UTF-8) [Please switch your view mode to it.]
=======================================================================
You have received this because you have been subscribed upon request.
To unsubscribe, please send the command "signoff lowlands-l" as message
text from the same account to listserv at listserv.linguistlist.org or
sign off at http://linguistlist.org/subscribing/sub-lowlands-l.html.
=======================================================================
A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian B=Brabantish D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian
L=Limburgish LS=Lowlands Saxon (Low German) N=Northumbrian
S=Scots Sh=Shetlandic V=(West)Flemish Z=Zeelandic (Zeêuws)
=======================================================================

From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Language varieties

I responded to Jim Krause's inquiry about Mennonite Lowlands Saxon (Low
German) -- widely referred to as "Plautdietsch":

> Mennonite Lowlands Saxon (Low German) -- widely referred to as
> "Plautdietsch" -- is not influenced by "Nether Prussian" but in fact *is*
> Low(lands) Prussian, a.k.a. "Nether-Prussian."  This label refers to all
> Lowlands Saxon dialects that were used in the area known as "Prussia," now
> in Northern Poland and Kaliningrad, Russia, an area whose now extinct
> indigenous Baltic language is "Prussian."

For the benefit of those of you who aren't familiar with genealogical
language classification, I should have clarified that, belonging to the
"Baltic" group (which is perhaps the closest relative of the Hellenic/Greek
group of Indo-European), this Prussian (or "Old Prussian") language is
related to Latvian and Lithuanian.  (Estonian and Livonian are Finnic, thus
Uralic, and thus do not belong to Indo-European, although their speakers are
often referred to as "Baltic" for geographic reasons.)

> Plautdietsch, in all its varieties, belongs to the Saxon-based varieties
of
> that area.  It has Baltic and Slavonic influences as do all Saxon and
German
> dialects of the east, typical being the unrounding of rounded front vowels
> (/ü/ > <i>, /üü/ > <ie>, /ö/ > <e>, /öö/ > <ee>, /öü/ > /ei/ <ee>, hence
> _düütsch_ > _dietsch_ 'German') and palatalization of velars (/g/ > <j>,
/k/
> > <kj> > <tj>), and they have lots of Baltic and Slavonic loanwords.
These
> features are common to all Vistula Delta varieties, are not specific to
> Plautdietsch.  In fact, it looks as though the West Prussian ancestors of
> the Mennonites spoke pretty much the same language as the non-Mennonites
of
> the area.  Baltic Prussia was already extinct, and there were contacts
with
> Poles and occasionally with Kashubians, besides ("High") German speakers.
> However, Mennonites may have been using a few Dutch and Frisian loans as
> heritage of some of their ancestors.

To make matters a bit more complex, in Plautdietsch (and assumedly in some
of its sister varieties), short vowels are then lowered (/ü/ -> i -> <e>,
/e/ -> <a>); e.g.,

/ken-e(n)/ > kene(n) -> kjene(n) ->  kjane(n) (-> tjane(n) ->) <kjane> ~
<tjane> (Northern LS /ken-en/ -> <kennen> ~ <kinnen>) 'to know'

/leg-e(n)/ -> lege(n) -> leje(n) -> <laje(e)> (Northern LS /leg-en/ ->
_leggen_) 'to lay'

(/kop/ -> <Kopp> 'head' =>) /köp/ -> köp -> kjöp -> kjep -> kjap -> (->
tjap ->) <Kjepp> ~ <Tjapp> 'heads'

/vünS-e(n)/ -> vinSe(n) -> <wensche(n)> (Northern LS /vünS-en/ ->
<wünschen>) 'to wish'

/büst/ -> büst -> bist -> best -> <best> (Northern LS /büst/ -> <büst>)
'(thou) art'

The examples for 'to know', 'to lay' and 'heads' above show that the
phonemes (i.e., the "underlying" phones) are frontal (though "a" is not
frontal), because palatalization (/k/ -> kj ~ tj, /g/ -> j) only applies in
front vowel environments (as opposed to non-frontal /kan/ -> kan -> kaun
<(ekj ~ etj) kaun> '(I) can', cf. Northern LS <(ik) kann>; etc.).

To make it yet a bit more complex, genuine underlying /i/ does not undergo
lowering; hence /kind/ -> kind -> kjind -> <Kjint> ~ <Tjint> (Northern LS
/kind/ -> kind -> <Kind>) 'child'.

And yet another rule to remember for the varieties of "Prussia": /d/ is
palatalized to [j] in frontal environments after /n/; e.g.,

/kind-er/ -> kinder -> kjinjer -> <Kjinja> ~ <Tjinja> (Northern LS
/kind-er/ -> kinder -> kinner -> <Kinner>) 'children'

/find-e(n)/ -> finde(n) -> finje(n) -> <finje(n)> (Northern LS /find-en/ ->
finden -> finnen -> <finnen>) 'to find'.

Cf. absence of palatalization in non-frontal environments:

/anderS/ -> andersch -> aundersch -> <aundasch> (Northern LS /anders/ ->
anders -> anners -> <anners>) 'different'

/vunder/ -> vunder -> vonder -> <Wonda> (Northern LS /vunder/ -> vunder ->
vunner -> <Wunner>) 'wonder'

> The fact that Plautdietsch seems so different from other Lowlands Saxon
> dialects is that it is pretty much the only survivor of that eastern
dialect
> range, having been preserved in Mennonite language enclaves thanks to
export
> to Ukraine and other eastern locations, while the remaining sister
dialects
> of "Prussia" became pretty much extinct and are mostly known from written
> records.  There are some Ukrainian, Russian and Central Asian loanwords
that
> were absorbed after eastward migration, later English, Spanish and
> Portuguese loans in the Americas, but they did not significantly change
the
> language.
>
> Knowing German and (western) Northern Lowlands Saxon I have no problem
> whatsoever understanding Plautdietsch.  What helps greatly is that I am
> aware of the sound shifts.  Plautdietsch speakers, too, would have a much
> easier time understand the western sister dialects if they understood the
> basic sound shifts and the distortions due to "silly" orthographic
> conventions.  Take our Reuben Epp as an example of someone having figured
it
> all out a long time ago.  I think what is needed is a conversion guide.
> Perhaps I will work on one sometime.
>
> > European Low German/Low Saxon: ja
> > Mennonite Low German/Low Saxon: jo
>
> This is an example of the distortions of the "silly" orthographies.  We
are
> talking about the same phoneme here: the long "a" (/aa/) which in many
> dialects, including Plautdietsch, sounds like "o" *from a German
> perspective* and thus gets (erroneously) written in the *German* manner.
> This applies not only in Plautdietsch but also in many western dialects,
> like those of the Lower Elbe region, including the Hamburg dialects (which
> also write <jo>).

> P.S.: Kenneth Rohde Christiansen and I are working on a write-up about the
> orthography you mentioned, and our working title for the system is now
> something like _Algemeyne Sassische Schryvwys'_.

We may have to settle on something like _Algemeyne Neddersassische
Schryvwys'_, given that most Germans have come to associate "Saxon" with the
non-Saxon state of Saxony.

> Freelijche Wienacht un seelijch Nie Joah to Jiedra
Vröliche Wynacht un seylig Ny-Jaar tou jeyder eyn (~ elk eyn)!
(Merry Christmas and blessed New Year to everyone!)

> Mäaje Fräd op Ead sie
(Möge ~) Möög' vreed (~ vreden) up (~ op) (dey) eyrd' syn (~ sy)!
(May there be peace on earth!)

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

================================END===================================
* Please submit postings to lowlands-l at listserv.linguistlist.org.
* Postings will be displayed unedited in digest form.
* Please display only the relevant parts of quotes in your replies.
* Commands for automated functions (including "signoff lowlands-l") are
  to be sent to listserv at listserv.linguistlist.org or at
  http://linguistlist.org/subscribing/sub-lowlands-l.html.
======================================================================