LL-L "Morphology" 2003.02.26 (05) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

======================================================================
L O W L A N D S - L * 26.FEB.2003 (05) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
http://www.lowlands-l.net * admin at lowlands-l.net * Encoding: Unicode UTF-8
Rules & Guidelines: http://www.lowlands-l.net/rules.htm
Posting Address: lowlands-l at listserv.linguistlist.org
Server Manual: http://www.lsoft.com/manuals/1.8c/userindex.html
Archive: http://listserv.linguistlist.org/archives/lowlands-l.html
=======================================================================
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: Dan Prohaska <daniel at ryan-prohaska.com>
Subject: LL-L "Morphology"

Reinhard wrote:

>> I am sure it doesn't come as news to you when I say
>> that the dual is still
>> used in Icelandic.  (I am not sure about Faeroese.)

Theo responded:

>I didn't know. I haven't been there for a time, but I
>guess that the dual is to be found in your Icelandic
>grammarbook [because of the Oldicelandic], but not in
>nowadays Icelandic.

Etymologically, yes, it does hava a dual. Icelandic (<vidh - thidh>;
<okkur - ykkur>; <okkar - ykkar>) and Faeroese (I only know the Faeroese 1st
pers genitive pl off by heart: <okkara>) have preserved their dual forms.
And they are used frequently - as the general plural. So plural meaning has
been transfered onto the original dual form. Whereas the original plural has
completely dropped out of use (as far as I know) in Faeroese, Icelandic can
employ the old plural form (<vér - thér>, <vor - ...> etc., and the usual
abundance of inflected parts) in poetry, solemn occasions, prayers and the
Bible.

There are no original dual forms attested for Norn as far as I can tell.

A similar process can be observed in the Bavarian dialects of Bavaria,
Austria and South Tyrol, etc.. The original Bavarian dual was generalised to
express the plural (just like in Icelandic and Faeroese), especially in the
2nd pers. dl-pl.:

<eß> - <enk> - <enker>

These forms remain in dialect speech, even in big cities such as Vienna. As
the transition between dialect and standard speech is more gradual in
Austria than in most of Germany, many of the dialect forms remain in the
dialect/standard-"Missingsch". Even when standard <ihr> has supplanted
dialect <eß>, <eß> remains as an additional verbal suffix tagged onto the
original 2nd person pl ending, as in:

<gehtß ihr morgen auch ins Kino?> "are you (pl) going to the cinema
tomorrow?"

opposed to dialect:

<geitß eiß muang aa ins Kino?>

>Yes, 'wat / jat' is Frisian.

Yes. It`s Mainland North Frisian. Question: How is it used? As a polite
form, a true dual Which verbal form accompanies it?

>I was looking for [petrified] dual-forms, but also for
>special ways expressing a dual.

Very interesting topic....want more...

There seem to be dual forms-becomeplurals in Rhineland and Westphalia with
forms such as <önk> etc. More information on this would be welcome.....

Is there anything of the dual left in Saterfrisian?

Dan

================================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.
 =======================================================================